need help deciding 6v or 12v, pos or neg ground

hoggyrubber
hoggyrubber Expert Adviser
edited May 2011 in HUDSON
i am about ready to fire up my 308 and have hit a wall- the electrical system. it's pretty gone in the car i will be putting it in so i am prob going to replace most stuff eventually. i guess i need to decide what i am going to use and go from there. it doesn't have to be orig and i don't mind staying 6volt and cheaper is always a plus.
i just installed orig style points, condenser, coil, rotor, cap, and plugs today. what can i do to start the engine on the stand? is all i need to make it run after it is in car is voltage regulator and horn relay? i don't really know what they even do beyond a vague idea, but that's ok. i know the volt reg i buy for my 63 and 64 chevy trucks are just a chip in them now, not like the old style at all. on the chevys the horn relay is involved in the charging circut, i think, but i don't know if it's the same on these hudsons.
any help or internet links would be great. don't work about making it too simple, in the black art of electricity, i am not versed.
basicly just tell me what's cheapest and easiest and i will do it.:whistle:

Comments

  • Marconi
    Marconi Senior Contributor
    You need the starter and solenoid mounted on the engine. One of the large, 5/16" studs goes to the starter, the other one goes to the Neg. side of the battery. Pos side of the battery goes to the engine block, a wire and toggle switch from the battery side of the solenoid, the other side of the switch goes to the pos or ign side of the coil. Then you should be good to go.
  • hoggyrubber
    hoggyrubber Expert Adviser
    sounds good. so i can just hook up 6v to pos side of coil for ignition circut and thats it? i know i should just take one step at a time but what about when i put it in the car? does it need anything else for ignition circut except keyed switch? what about charging circut- does it use horn relay and voltage reg for this?
    any other votes for staying 6v or changing to 12v? i remember olracer saying he changed all his hudsons to 12 v. is there any advantage. is 6v stuff still available, maybe from ford aftermarket?
  • ski4life65
    ski4life65 Expert Adviser
    I am sure everyone has an opinion on 6v or 12v, but unless you plan on adding A/C, or a modern stereo, 6v will do you just fine. I have a few Hudsons, and one of them is converted to 12v. It doesn't run any better than my 6v cars. I have Optima batteries in my 6 volt cars and they start just as fast as my 12 volt Hudson. Everything you need for 6 volt is available at the parts store, plus it can get expensive to buy all new 12v bulbs, voltage regulator, coil, alternator or generator, etc....... If you do go 12 volt, make sure you disconnect the radio or you will toast it......
    Just my opinion though
  • Marconi
    Marconi Senior Contributor
    The horn relay and voltage reg. have BAT terminals on them and that's where they get their battery power. They're 'daisy chained' and then the power goes inside to the main circuit breaker, other than that there's no use for them except to supply power to the other circuits. For ignition in the car, the wiring loom takes care of most everything and yes you need to hook up the wire to the coil and that's it! As far as going to 12 volts, there's no reason to do it unless your'e going to use 12 volt accesories, the radio anmd heater can both be changed to 12 volts. Just make sure all electrical connections are clean and tight starting wit the battery posts, and especially the grounds.
  • hoggyrubber
    hoggyrubber Expert Adviser
    thanks for the info. i have been doing more reading and research and i think i am going to stay 6volt pos ground. one thing that was throwing me was the seperate solenoid, i was used to seing them on the starter. i ordered a new one today so i can continue when it gets here. looks like i will need to get a new voltage regulator for when the engine goes in the car. does anyone know if the older style (says 48 to 50) work on my 53? thanks, but i'm sure i will have more questions later. hr
  • Marconi
    Marconi Senior Contributor
    Rule of thumb there is to use a regulator with the same color tag as the one on the generator, that's for the original Auto-Lites. In other words if you have a generator with a red tag, use a regulator with a red tag, etc.
  • EssexAdv
    EssexAdv Expert Adviser, Member
    The 48-50 regulator will not work on your 53 gen. the earlier generator is a 3 brush type where the output current is regulated by adjusting the 3rd brush. The later gen is a 2 brush which uses a current regulator within the voltage regulator box to regulate current flow (amps)

    Hope this helps
  • hoggyrubber
    hoggyrubber Expert Adviser
    well i tried to fire it up today and no go! i found i have a bad freeze/core plug as it started to leak when i poured water in. i could not get the starting circut to go at all. on my new starting solenoid i can't tell which way is in and which way is out! the large posts are not marked, does it make a difference? i got 6 volts going it and a external switch going to the small post but when i activate it, nothing to other side. i switched sides no difference, think i got a bad solenoid? is there a way to check it other than what i am doing. i am not ready to blame it yet though.
    i did touch the neg battery cable to starter post and it started to whir so i think starter works it just needs solenoid to activate it. another thing... i was lookin and lookin at the wiring diagram and looks like it shows battery power from switch going to neg side of coil and pos side goes to dist. i was rereading above and someone mentioned putting bat power to pos side to start on a stand.
    i understand a internet forum is a little hard to help a bonehead like me with electrical issues but i am thankful for any advise or help i can get, i want to hear this thing fire up. i will be headed to parts store to get a freeze plug in the morning.
  • hoggyrubber
    hoggyrubber Expert Adviser
    i just happened to think maybe i should post some pictures of what i have and it would make suggestions easier. maybe a whole new thread about getting the wiring up and going? first thing first, i need to figure out the orientation of the starting solenoid! thanks
  • Marconi
    Marconi Senior Contributor
    On the two large terminals, it doesn't matter which one goes to the battery or the starter, when the solenoid is energized it basically shorts the two together completing the circuit from the battery to the starter. Usually the mounting bracket goes towards the front of the car and the cover plate or pushbutton switch towards the bell housing. I think it was around 1950 the earlier cars grounded the small terminal to energize and the later ones put 6 volts to it, try it both ways and if it still doesn't work your solenoid's bad. If the starter spins but won't engage the flywheel, the shaft/ drive unit may have some hardened grease or something on it, douse it with WD-40 or something to free it up. Hope this helps you out, good luck.
  • Marconi
    Marconi Senior Contributor
    No matter what,make sure the hot lead goes to the neg side of the coil if you're using a pos ground system.
  • hoggyrubber
    hoggyrubber Expert Adviser
    thank you, thank you, thank you! this did help me out. the problem was the solenoid needed to be grounded. i had this on a stand i made and it wasn't grounded to block, as soon as i did that it kicked in and started working. also followed your sugestion on the starter and got the wheel to moove more free and it kicks in to ring gear now. also got the freeze plug installed today so i will give it another try tomarrow, hope it fires right up.B)
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