To change or not to change???

So I am getting to the point of figuring out the wiring and such for my car and not sure whether I sould spring for everything to make the switch from 6 to 12 volts.

My motor is a 1950 Cadillac 331 starter is 6 volt.
I have brand new 6 volt generator.
My gauges are from the 1950 cadillac that the motor came from.
My headlights are 6volt.

I went to see about getting my generator changed to 12 volt and that is $115. Not to mention runtz for the guages........the list goes on.

Should I leave it 6V and get it going and change it to 12 volt later....or do it right the first time and have to wait to get other stuff done?

 

Nothing pisses me off faster than a slow-turning engine that won't fire off. I've changed every single one of my cars to 12 volts and I've never regretted it.
Swap the generator for a 12 volt Delco generator from the 50s-60s. Buy a 12 volt voltage regulator that matches your generator.
Swap the 6 volt starter solenoid for a 12 volt solenoid and ditto for the coil..[Re use the 6 volt starter] all stuff that was used on GM cars in the mid 50s to 62-64 and looks almost like your old 6 volt stuff.
Buy a 6o ford pickup or car "voltage limiter" from Ford or NAPA to drop voltage to the gauges. Change the headllights to 12 volt sealed beams or even better, go for those 12 volt halogen kits to replace your sealed beams. They really help when your vision gets a little dim. [ahem] .
You'll never regret swapping over.

 

Going to 12V lowers the amperage requirement to run whatever the component is. Assuming you keep the same size wires, this lowers the resistance in the circuit, reducing the chance of component failure. And as Rocky said, going to modern lighting is well worth it. Even if you can see at night, the chick behind you on the cell phone won't notice the difference between your VERY dim taillights and DIM brake lights.

Or if you look at it another way, you can reduce the size of each wire, resulting in a lighter harness. BMW recently went to 42V electrics for just that reason. A complete harness in the last generation 7 series weighed over 300 lbs. The harness in the current 7's weighs around 200, and there are more wires in it.

 

If anything, to get brighter lights and a 12V starter, I'd run two 6V batteries accordingly. That way you could make just what you really want 12V with minimal work.