Ignition: 6-volt Timing lights: what do you use?

[colt45sa]

I'm asking this of guys who still have 6-volt electrical systems. What are you using for a timing light? Let me also ask what you are using for a dwell 'n tach?
Thanks

[Dan Timberlake]

Hook the 12 volt timing light to a 12 volt battery.
Small jumper from bat (-) to chassis ground,
Inductive pickup on #1 plug lead (or whichever lead is used for the particular engine).

[Mike Sal]

Ya, just park your modern car near the 6 volt car & use it's battery for power.

[TWChamp]

Use a battery charger to power the timing light.
My timing light works fine on 6 or 12 volts.
I bought a few dwell/tachs off ebay a couple years ago and they also work fine on 6 or 12 volts.

[r1lark]

Same as the above, I have a spare battery for my lawn mower which I keep on the shelf for when I need the timing light, or my Craftsman multi-tester. I also have a couple of nice condition 6-volt timing lights that I have not tried yet, but will this weekend to see if they work or are trash.

[jclary]

Somewhere in my "stuff," I have a Milton brand timing light that uses AC power. The AC powers the strobe, and the adapter to the number 1 cylinder is only a "trigger" circuit. Worked great every-time I've used it, but now, it has been so long, I don't know exactly which tool box or cabinet I have it stored in. This light can be use on any engine, from mowers to tractors, to Studebakers...regardless of voltage.

[52 Ragtop]

I park my lawn tractor close enough and use that battery

Jim

[studegary]

Years ago, I switched over to a 110 volt powered timing light. I may still have an old one around, but it would take searching. It may be with my Champion automotive oscilloscopes that I have rarely used, but they have come in handy on finding an elusive ignition problem.

[RadioRoy]

I was fortunate enough to find six volt timing lights, but that was 40 years ago.

Using a 12 volt battery as others have suggested will work fine for your new timing light, but be sure to run a jumper wire from the minus on the 12 volt battery to the frame/ground on the Studebaker. Otherwise you might get a tickle from the spark plug, if your timing light does not have an inductive pickup.

[Mike Van Veghten]

Don't use'em.
Just give the engine what it wants, and go on down the road.

If I still had my race car, that would be a different story, as "everything" done was recorded in a book.

Mike

[truckguy]

I just hook up the timing light to a 12 volt battery, connect the lead wire to the #1 spark plug and that's all there is.

[nvonada]

My 1988-vintage Sears timing light actually works on 6V. It is dim but good enough that I don't bother with rigging up 12V. Even dim I bet it is brighter than those old neon tube timing lights that were used when the car was new.

[Dan Timberlake]

Hi Mike,

How does your car tell you it wants a different centrifugal advance curve, or to have the centrifugal or vacuum advance serviced ?

regards,

Dan T