Almost...but no cigar...yet! 12v - 6V jump or charge?

rambos_ride

Well - I said the heck with the PC tonight and turned the heat and tunes on in the shop and went to putting the plugs and oil back into the 50.

Those tasks went so smoothly I decided to go for it so I attached the hot cable and cranked it over for about 10-20 second bursts about 3x. No oil light on the dash - so I am assuming its not working..

Pulled the dipstick - didn't see any metal shavings or other crud, so squirted some gas down the carb and hooked the hose up to a gas can.

(Many of you probably already know whats coming next...)

As I cranked it over, it was apparent there wasn't enough gas in-to the carb yet so squirted some more gas down the hole and jumped back in the cockpit.

Crank, Crank, shudder, sputter...stop...whirrrr...battery is too low now to crank it when it's just ready to fire! :mad:

I let it sit for a few seconds - we all know how hard that is - and tried again and it almost shuddered to life again then whirrr....

So can I jump or charge a 6v system w/ 12v or not take the chance and wait allllll the wayyyyy until tomorrow to buy a 6v charger?

I do think she's going to fire right up as soon as I get enough sustained voltage to crank it over properly!

Thanks for letting me share :rolleyes:

faustmb

Dan,



I bought a small 6/12V charger recently for about $35. However, I just saw that the Sam's club here has a sweet one with 6/12 High current start (one of the wheeled units). It was less than $100, but I can't remember the actual cost. If I had it to do over I'd buy the Sam's club model and eliminate the waiting.

RonS

Yes you can.I am going to tell you what Randy Rundle says in his book Wired for success." Be sure all your lights and accessories ar turned off.Start by connecting to the 12 volt battery first. Then connect the negative to the 6 volt vehicle. Last of all,briefly touch the positive cable directly to the battery starter cable post.DO NOT connect directly to the battery". Of course this procedure is for negative grd. cars so reverse the polarities if your 50 is still positive GRD. also it is a lot easier to have a helper , since he can pull the cable off the post fast as soon as the car starts. Don't leave the cable connected if the car fails to start. Start over.

Unknown

Above is true enough, BUT, you're still knockin the crap out of the starter,ring gear and such. As for a charger , if your gonna mess with cars get you a good one, 6--12 volt, slow / fast chg and boost, it'll last you a lifetime and do what you wana do when you wana do it .

RonS

Absolutely true, But, it can be done . Most guys who convert to 12volt don't do anything with the starter since it is only momentary "jolt". But surely buy a good charger is the answer. Also, if you can afford it, get an Optima battery. Read up on the advantages. One disadvantage is they tend to repell charging above 10 amps.

rambos_ride

I have an old charger but sadly only 12v - and I didn't get a chance to get to the auto parts or tractor store today - I figure one of those 2 ought to have a decent 6-12 v charger...darn gotta buy another tool - that's almost as expensive as the car hobby...buying tools that is!

Unknown

DAN, after 50 years of trying to keep some trucks running and the family wagon on the street you'll look in your tool boxes and think that car is CHEAP. And it all started with an $89.00 Xmas special from Sears my wife got me, She has no idea what's in there now !! {but it did make us a liveing}

[Deleted User]

I don't reccommend this, but, I do remember talking to a club member who bought a 6V car back at an Eastern National and drove it home in caravan with 12V cars. Long story short: the generator failed right after they left town and so, for the next 2500 miles, they drove the Hudson (daylight only) until the battery died, stopped and recharged it with brief taps of a cable from the 12V car, then drove on a couple hundred miles more until they were home....Ingenuity !

Unknown

Dan, before you go too much further I would suggest you do a compression test on the car..here's why... I just dragged home a 53 super wasp and decided to see if the motor would run as it turned over easy. I put some gas down the carb and turned it over but she fired and the starter skipped so..a little more gas and another try..well she banged and the cap on the oil filler blew off and just missed my head.

At that point I decided to pull the head off and no. 6 piston has a hole in it the size of a silver dollar.

Point is if you have compression on all cylinders you should be good to go.

Unknown

Also, don't waste your time running into the car and back. Use the button on the starter solenoid, actuate the throttle under hood, and spray starting fluid from your prime position... works every time...

faustmb

hudsonkid wrote:

Also, don't waste your time running into the car and back. Use the button on the starter solenoid, actuate the throttle under hood, and spray starting fluid from your prime position... works every time...

This is a huge timesaver. I wish all cars had this feature. Makes it very convenient when you might be dealing with issues.



Matt

rambos_ride

faustmb wrote:

This is a huge timesaver. I wish all cars had this feature. Makes it very convenient when you might be dealing with issues.

Matt

When I tried to turn the 50 over the first time the starter button wouldn't work without the clutch being depressed - I was assuming there is a safety switch of some sort - is this not the case, or is this a bypass?

junkcarfann

Regarding the nice Hudson feature of a start button on the starter soleniod, you can get a remote starter switch at the auto parts store...clip it on to hook it up to any car and have that feature while working on it.

faustmb

rambos_ride wrote:

When I tried to turn the 50 over the first time the starter button wouldn't work without the clutch being depressed - I was assuming there is a safety switch of some sort - is this not the case, or is this a bypass?

Mine doesn't have any kind of safety switch. Could be an option or aftermarket add on?

faustmb

junkcarfann wrote:

Regarding the nice Hudson feature of a start button on the starter soleniod, you can get a remote starter switch at the auto parts store...clip it on to hook it up to any car and have that feature while working on it.

Got one of those too, with about a 12' coil cord. It's nice to have the built-in one though...

[Deleted User]

faustmb wrote:

Mine doesn't have any kind of safety switch. Could be an option or aftermarket add on?

Maybe it was a feature in the Drivemaster models?

rambos_ride

faustmb wrote:

Mine doesn't have any kind of safety switch. Could be an option or aftermarket add on?

Maybe it was in gear and wouldn't crank over until I depressed the clutch?

I guessed it to be a safety switch - just like newer cars.

If it is - I'd imagine many of these were bypassed through the years when the switch went out?

Nevada Hudson

Just keep it in neutral. No need to depress the clutch. Can Do everything under the hood, if your solenoid button works, and the clutch isnt stuck from setting. Good idea to put new Hudsonite in the clutch.

[Deleted User]

Dan,



Any updates? Did you get the '50 to fire up yet?



Dave W.

rambos_ride

DaveFury wrote:

Dan,

Any updates? Did you get the '50 to fire up yet?

Dave W.

Not yet, I ordered a battery charger online - I'll get it this week.

I'm sure it's built back up enough to try it again - just working too much, plus I really want a full charge on the battery before I try again - it had been sitting for 2 years - the fact that I cranked it over as much as I did surprised me!