Electrical: 8 volt battery

[Boyce]

I have a wonderful 1951 Champion that is an older restoration and still very nice but I wish the lights were brighter and that the starter would spin the motor a little faster. I have heard about converting to 12 volt system but would like to keep as much originality as possible. I have also heard about the use of an 8 volt battery. Is that a reasonable solution to the weak lights and slow start?
thank you

[mapman]

Welcome to the forum. What lights are too dim? This is an ongoing discussion and if you do a search you can get a lot of information. The dash lights are black lights that excite the glow in the dark paint on the dials. When the headlights are on your engine is running and the generator is putting out more than 6 volts anyway to keep the battery charged. If the starter is slow and it is hard starting the first place to start is with the battery cables. They need to be fat ought or double ought, mine are triple ought. They need to be clean and tight at all the attaching points. the ground is best connected directly to the starter bolt. If when you try to start it you feel the connections and they are hot, they are not good enough. When these cars were new they worked very well and with proper care will continue to work well. Switching to higher voltage is just a patch.
Rob

[DWBookout]

I have a wonderful 1951 Champion that is an older restoration and still very nice but I wish the lights were brighter and that the starter would spin the motor a little faster. I have heard about converting to 12 volt system but would like to keep as much originality as possible. I have also heard about the use of an 8 volt battery. Is that a reasonable solution to the weak lights and slow start?
thank you

Everything said about proper wiring is correct, especially in the starting circuit. I installed a 6-volt alternator in my 1950 Champion and it made a significant difference all 'round. Next step is to find a way to put xenon bulbs in the instrument light sockets. LED's won't work with the positive ground system.

DB

[Tom Bredehoft]

Yes, welcome to one of the best forums on line.
MapMan's covered the most important features, make sure both battery cables were made for 6 volts, not 12, make sure the connections are clean, really spotless. The ground on the the starter mounting bold is good advice, too. If all these fail you can think about an 8 volt battery, but really, that's just a band aid.

[Greenstude]

Check the condition of the wiring in your car. If it is the original wiring, you are likely to find cracked or missing insulation, which is a significant fire hazard. The fix is a new wiring harness. I got one several years ago from Studebakers West for my '47 Champion which is excellent. As others have said, be sure all your electrical connections and bulb sockets are clean and not corroded. I would not use an 8-volt battery, and have never had the slightest inclination to switch my car to 12 volts. And yes, my headlights are satisfactory for night highway driving.

[StudeNewby]

Boyce,
Like mapman said, those instrument lights and gauges are made with a phosphorescent material and may require unique treatment to get them in tip-top shape. Check this thread for a good discussion. There's another link in that one, too.

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?90764-Poor-guage-illumination&highlight=instrument+light

[stude dude]

The 8 volt battery idea has worked well for many Stude owners in this part of the world. Saves butchering a 6 volt car with a quick and nasty 12 volt conversion. But the real solution is a new wiring harness.

Chris.

[52 Ragtop]

Double check the grounds! Add extra under the dash, also, run the ground battery cable (pos side) to a starter bolt, less resistance and will crank better. My 52 Convertible has a 289 and still has the 6 volt system. cranks over fine, and the head lights are bright, dash lights could be better, but ---

Jim

[SN-60]

I have a wonderful 1951 Champion that is an older restoration and still very nice but I wish the lights were brighter and that the starter would spin the motor a little faster. I have heard about converting to 12 volt system but would like to keep as much originality as possible. I have also heard about the use of an 8 volt battery. Is that a reasonable solution to the weak lights and slow start?
thank you

Make your wonderful '51 even more wonderful by converting it to a modern, easy to maintain, and completely dependable 12 volt electrical system.

Doing anything else is simply masking a chronic problem!

[Jeffry Cassel]

If you convert to 12V you need a 12V gen and a bunch of 12V bulbs. The gas gage will read full and may burn out so you need to drop the voltage by building a resistor. The parts are cheap from Parts Express and the instructions are on Bob Johnston's site (go to Studebaker Vendors ) Do NOT buy any of the gadgets that claim to do this as I know from experience NONE of them actually work.

[Corvanti]

agree with most all the 6 volt fixes - 00 cables, good wiring/generator or convert to alternator, etc. one recommendation i got when i first purchased the '40 was to install a 2nd ground cable from the engine block to a "good" body ground.

[nebraska stude]

Adding grounds is a good idea. Battery to engine, to frame, to body, and front clip, so the headlamps get grounded well. Double check existing grounds first of course. 40-50 years of rust and corrosion is possible anywhere. 8 volts like said is just a patch, later on causing problems with generator and regulator. Old tractor folks been dealing with same problem for years too.

[kamzack]

Changed headlights to 6 volt Halogens, what a difference. I found um on Ebay. Parts store is much higher price.

[TWChamp]

8 volts will greatly shorten the life of the bulbs. 6 volts is just fine, and the engine doesn't need to crank fast to start. Think about hand cranking, like I can do with my 1949 Chevy truck and my Model A.
Stock headlamps work fine for me, but I will agree that my dash lights aren't too bright. I can barely read the instruments at night, but I know they may also need to be cleaned inside, which means removing them.

When I bought my 1950 Champion 2 1/2 years ago the guy had just installed a new $110 8 volt battery. As soon as I got the car home I removed the 8 volt battery and sold it for $75, then installed a 10 year old 6 volt battery I had laying around. I just got home from a 600 mile four day trip with the Model A club. My Model A engine is too worn out for the trip, so I drove my Studebaker, and that old 6 volt battery is still going strong.

[studegary]

I am not a believer in using an eight volt battery in a six volt car. Just fix the six volt system. The six volt cars work fine when things are correct. We drove them every day, Winter and Summer, with six volts. The only reason that I can see to go to 12 volt is if you want to add things like air conditioning. Usually, all that you need is correct cables, good connections and a redo/checking of the starter.