I'm new to the board having recently aquired a '46 'Big Bolt' 2 Ton and have been making a mental list of the things i'd like to do to the truck.
Naturally since my truck has been sitting for quite awhile, I figured plugs, wires, cap, rotor would be obvious things to replace, but then I got to thinking about the generator and coil, and it occoured to me that maybe I outta have the 6V generators field coils changed to 12V while I was doing the rebuild, and replace the regulator with a 12V and the coil.. pretty much a 12V conversion.
So I mentioned this to a friend of mine, and he thinks it's a bad idea to go to 12V. Here's what he says:
The engine's just designed to run that way, 6v spark to ignite a certain volume and mixture of gas in a 1929 design engine made of inferior metallurgy compared to later engines. Larger 12v sparks make a more violent ignition, and will affect piston and cylinder life, and head and valve life. It's a small difference, but parts for 216's, while still quite common, will only get more rare, and expensive later on. Besides, for me, anyway, there's a certain "cool" vibe to original stuff on those old beauties!
So whats the opinion of the Stovebolters here? Am I going to do more damage than good converting to 12V? What are the pros and cons of both?
