That seems to be the story I hear all most every time I get in a
conversation about Stovebolt electrical systems.
Well, ya must be doin’ somethin’ wrong then, and here’s my story.
I don’t have a show truck, never willing to go to those extremes. I
really don’t have any interest in impressing a judge or the general
public who feels the need to put the old gal up against those tens of
thousands of dollar queens at the shows. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy
looking at and appreciate really fine workmanship, like Izzy’s cars,
(he’s always best of show around our parts), but I have no desire to
reach that level of addiction. I take my old driver, as ugly as she is
to car shows, because I get to park close to the show cars and it
gives me a place to rest my feet when I’m tire of walking around the
grounds and a place to keep a cheap cool drink on a hot summer day.
I’ve only been to one show this year and hadn't planned on going to
anymore and I’ve been to none two years prior.
So…….early this morning, before the sun came up, I was out welding
some in the shop when I ran out of 75/25. Dang, can’t get gas till
Monday morning. Around 07:30 I locked up, went in the house, woke up
my “big old wife” and told her, “I think I’m gonna run ‘Ol Blue threw
the car wash and flush some of the bird dung off her top side. Then
I’m gonna zip over to the Oswego Drag Raceway Reunion car show." In
our parts Oswego Dragway was one of the first drag strips in the
early days of drag racing. It’s overgrown vacant land now-a-days. But
it dated back to the 50’s when guys were dragging out back of some
farmer’s field on the dirt, which is how Oswego drag strip started
out, or there were a few old abandoned WWII air strips around like
Half Day up north.
Now I haven’t driven my ’50 in several weeks, and I don’t use a
battery tender on it and the Blain’s Farm & Fleet’s 6v battery is
dated 2008. She started right up as soon as I got some fuel up to the
W-1. I’ve got a voltage booster to supply me with 12v to power the
Sun-Pro tach and Sony Stereo, which I switched on while she was warming
up. The show was about 20 miles away for me and I we’d found a
parking spot at the show by 08:30. I shut her down and broke out the
bag of Dunkum Donuts and coffee, which I spread out on the tailgate.
The voltage booster is not switched thru the ignition switch, it’s
got its own toggle out of sight under the dash, which I forgot to
switch off.
Had a real nice day, meet a few guys that I hadn’t seen in nearly 40
years, talked with some new friends, had a dog and Pepsi and about
3:00 decided I’d had enough car show. Back at the truck I was cleaning
up all the loose flyers that they’d tossed thru the open window and a
faint voice coming from the radio reminded me that I had just turned
the radio down when I pulled through the gate and that I’d left it and
the tach powered up. Thought I was going to have to face the worst
embarrassment of having to ask for a jump. But to my surprise the
engine spun up just fine, and caught first time round. The amp gauge
laid over about half way to the charge side as I made my way thru the
rows and out the gate. About four or five miles down the road the
generator had done its job and the needle had made its way back down
to the center. I stopped about half way home at a garage sale,
shutting it down and again popped right off when I was ready to go.
Point being, clean contacts, well maintained generator/regulator,
starter and keeping your Stovebolt in tune and even with a 6 year
old battery and running the radio for 6 ½ hours, a 6 volt system is
perfectly adequate for one of these old trucks.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
Last edited by Denny Graham; 09/15/2014 4:15 AM.
