Coil ?

Unknown
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edited November -1 in HUDSON
Are 6 volt coils the same ? I think I have a older 6 volt Volkswagon coil in my 1929 Hudson and seems to run good with it or should I get a different one ? If so would Napa have what I need? Thanks Ron

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  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    A coil is a coil, generally, and your Hudson will run perfectly well with the VW one. Just make sure you have the polarity correct. V.W's were negative ground, as your Hudson is, so you shouldn't have any problems. If you do want a new one as a spare, just buy a 12 volt one, that has to be used with an external ballast, and don't fit any ballast.

    Geoff.
  • 464Saloon
    464Saloon Senior Contributor
    I have had a 12v 40,000 volt Accel coil on my 51 Ford with 6v for years and it has worked fine. It isn't much fun to jump though when the battery is dead when it is your only car with 6v reverse polarity and my Hornet wasn't around to help out.
  • Park_W
    Park_W Senior Contributor
    Geoff, I'm inclined to agree that "a coil is a coil," but how does one reconcile that to the existence of a different specified coil for just about every different engine, even within the same product family (e.g., Hudson sixes vs. eights) ? Was this simply over-engineering ... gilding the lily?
  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    Good point Park! I have no idea, but it could be just such things as the mounting brackets. The same applies to British cars. Lucas made all the electrical equipment for these, but there was different coil for every make of car. One of the mysteries of motoring I guess. Generally speaking, the coils is a pretty reliable piece of equipment, unless like the British ones, the smoke gets out. As smoke is the active ingredient of electrical components, once it gets out the equipment stops working. The coil on my Essex packed up in 1978, and I was going to take it back for warranty replanement, but couldn't find the local Essex dealer.

    Geoff.
  • SuperDave
    SuperDave Senior Contributor
    Oh Geoff.. You made me spill my coffee!!
  • Park_W
    Park_W Senior Contributor
    Maybe it was an effort to convince folks they'd better buy the "real thing" from their Hudson dealer rather than some questionable after-market piece! Geoff, I've had similar luck when I've dialed the phone number that's provided in the Service Manual for Hudson Customer Service . They're really bad about answering the phone up there! And of course, no web site. If they don't shape up I'm not gonna' buy any more of their darned cars.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Speaking of coils. If you have a car that is converted to 12 volts what is the purpose of the resistor? and do you put it in the lead going to the Distributer or in the positive lead going to the coil?
  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    The resistor goes in series with the lead from the ignition switch to the coil, so the voltage has to go through the resistor. The purpose is to give you full voltage for cold starting. Basically, the coil is designed for 8 volt operation. When the resistor is cold it allows the full 12 volts to the coil, and as it heats up the voltage reduces to 8 volts. As 12 volt batteries these days are built down to a size, they are not that heavy duty, so any voltage drop at starting when cold will adversely affect coil voltage, hence the resistor. Once the alternator (or generator) is charging you have 14 volts available to run the system.

    Geoff.
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