Rewind a Generator to 12V

[Deleted User]
edited November -1 in HUDSON
I have read a bunch of threads that suggest going to 12 volts by rewiring the generator. I know that this can be done to most 6v generators.



Has anyone done it?

How successful was it?

What was the cost?



Thanks

Comments

  • bartibog1
    bartibog1 Expert Adviser
    mine is operating on 12 volts without having it rewound all i did was obtain a 12 volt regulator and polorized to be negative ground. works good

    steve
  • Thanks, good suggestion.
  • Super 7 wrote:
    I have read a bunch of threads that suggest going to 12 volts by rewiring the generator. I know that this can be done to most 6v generators.



    Has anyone done it?

    How successful was it?

    What was the cost?



    Thanks
    When I helped a restoration shop building his engines, all he did was locate Chrysler 12 volt generators and remove the field coils and put them into the Hudson 6 volt generator and now it was 12 volts. Reset the voltage regulator and he was done. Walt.
  • Browniepetersen
    Browniepetersen Senior Contributor
    Have a local shop down town (Ogden, Utah--Chick's) that did the work for me. The price was more than reasonable. They rewound the generator and the starter motor from 6 to 12. I then took an (Post Office used these) 8 volt coil and added it to the process (I have a friend that went to electronic ignition.) Changed out all the bulbs and last check I had over 20K trouble free miles on the new 12 volt system on my 52.... Starts like a dream and runs like a top.....
  • Park_W
    Park_W Senior Contributor
    Brownie, if you're running that 8v coil without a ballast resistor, I expect you're going to see short life for the points. Better to add the ballast resistor, then use a starter solenoid that has the extra terminal with 12v on it when it's energized (NAPA/Echlin ST-81). Run this to the coil side of the resistor and you've got what became standard on the 12v "coil and points" cars ... the coil gets full 12v only when you're cranking; 8v otherwise.
  • Browniepetersen
    Browniepetersen Senior Contributor
    Park,

    That was my engineering back ground as well. The way it worked out was I was in my local NAPA store and was complaining that I could not get more than 3,000 miles out of a set of points. 6K for the plugs. The store owner (still working at 81) said just a minute and left. He came back with an old dirty box and a new coil inside. He briefly told me how to set it up and I left. I had just over 15K miles on the car when I traded it off last year. I checked the points and plugs and decided they did not need replacing. The wear was slight. When I asked the old gentleman about the coil he told me that they were made for the old postal trucks of the 50's that were converted from 6V to 12V. He said that he brought the heavy duty coils into the store and did the change overs for the government. I just smiled and left. A lot of old car folks have looked at the setup since and said it would not work--it does?
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