Battery

JFromm

Can an 8 volt battery be used on a 6 volt system? If so, are there any potential problems? Thanks, John

Marconi

An 8 volt battery could be used, but be aware that down the road it will cause other problems. The first of which that it will never get fully charged unless you know someone who can perform some 'black magic' on the generator and voltage regulator, also it's hard on all the lamps on the car and any electric dash gauges will be off some what. Also hard on the radio. Why not fix what's wrong with the car to begin with? Usual problems are, bad/dirty ground connections, too small of battery cables, and dirty/ corroded connections on battery, starter, solenoid, etc. All I've ever seen an 8 volt battery do is mask other problems and cause other problems!

JFromm

Thank you Marconi. I have been schooled.

Hudson Grandpa

No 8 volt battery..Been there done that. Marconi spot on.  I finally went to Dry Cell Optima. Get New cables, overhaul generator or get a 6 volt alternator.  Overhaul the starter.  Everything must be clean. New starter cable. Ground is very imperative.  A generator does not charge the battery through the voltage regulator until you are around 30mph.  Alternator charges the minute the engine turns over.

Jon B

That's the thing about 6 volt.  It is "adequate" so long as you keep everything in tip-top condition.  It is NOT as forgiving as 12-volt is, for little quirks like bad grounds and faulty components.

That said, I've never felt the need to change over (which looks like a huge headache, considering all the little things one has to re-do).  Given a decent battery, my '37 has always started, even in the midst of winter.  It is NOT a high-compression Hornet, however; maybe they just demand the starting power of a 12-volt system.  Or, if you have a lot of 12-volt accessories you want to use (CD player, air conditioning, etc.), that may be a good reason to switch over.

What I do know is that there are a lot of people who just naturally assume that one must update a Hudson engine with 8- or 12 volts, without even stopping to question the necessity to do so.  In the same way that some newbie Hudson owners' first question is, "what sort of modern engine do you guys drop in your Hudsons"?  Before embarking on a complicated changeover to 12 volts, people should at least follow Marconi's and Grandpa's advice and do a quick check on the basic components to see if they're in order. 

At least give six volts a halfway decent chance, before jettisoning it!

iceblade10

I still have the 6-volt system on my 54 Hornet.  As far as I know, the starter and generator are original, but I suppose they could have been replaced with NOS at some point.  I wanted to switch over to 12-volts just because it's "modern," and I could rig up the cigarette lighter to charge my phone, run a GPS, etc.  I also thought it would be nice to have a bit more "oomph" when starting the car.  However, like others mentioned, there are a lot of little things that must be done regarding the gauges, radio, bulbs, etc.  I also just recently rebuilt the carburetor, and now it fires right up, so I'm less-inclined than ever to switch over.  It ain't broke (yet), so why fix it?!

Frankvintagefullflowcom

I agree. 6V works just fine. Our three "drivers" are 6 but I would recommend a change to a 6V pos grnd alternator if you drive them much. If you have the misfortune of getting stuck in traffic on a cold night with the lights on, the generator doesn't put out sufficient current at idle/low speed to keep up with the draw of lights and heater motor.

Just my two bits worth.

F

Hudson Grandpa

This is the year 2016.  My Hornet year is 1954.  there are many improvements in this day and age to make an old car run like it was built in 2010.  I drove a 1951 Hudson Hornet cpe in 1953-1957.  We had leaded gas then. The only thing I replaced on that car was a battery., I changed oil religiously. When I got my 54 from Albright,in 2007 the electrical system was a nitemare.  That's why I decided to keep it 6 volt. Then once I discovered Electronic Ignition, and 6 volt Alternator with 300CCA Optimas, that was my path I went down. After that no problem, except for carb problems with todays gas, (another subject) that I finally got straightened out. Cannot explain why but the 54 is Negative ground, and runs like a scalded dog. Even with a B & W Trans. I can't mention enough that you have to have the starter overhauled with more "oomph".