There is no need to do this. Clean-up your 6v battery/ground connections/connectors. Make sure your battery cables/braided straps are 2 gauge or smaller gauge. They were often replaced with 4 gauge 12v cables/straps.
Farmers had 8v tractor batteries for their tractors, so they often used them to replace "weak" 6v batteries on farm trucks.
What will that 8v battery cost you? However, if you are desparate, and if it is free, and it is in good condition . . .
An 8 volt battery is a solution to a nonexistent problem. As long as the cables are big enough and the connections are clean and tight, 6 volts is all you need. To charge an 8 volt properly, the voltage regulator must be set to at least 9.5 volts. That is rough on points, light bulbs, and any other 6 volt accessories you might have like heater motors, electric wipers, etc. It also overloads the generator. Most "mechanics" who install an 8 volt battery don't have a clue how to set up the charging system properly, and virtually no hobbyists do.
Bottom line- - - -if you happen to solve a hard starting situation with an 8 volt battery, the improvement will only be temporary, and problems you create will be numerous. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
To use an 8 volt battery successfully you have to adjust your voltage regulator. The normal 6 volt system regulator will put out 7.4 volts (approximately) in order to charge the battery. This won't work with the 8 volt battery. It is much simpler to clean the wiring connections as Tim as suggested, than go down this path. And your bulbs will love you for staying the course.
Don, We were just trying to keep you (and anybody who reads this thread in the future) from making a mistake. It's because we care. My post is redundant because Jerry and I were posting almost at the same time and I didn't see his comments, so sorry if it seemed a bit strident.
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Don, We were just trying to keep you (and anybody who reads this thread in the future) from making a mistake. It's because we care. My post is redundant because Jerry and I were posting almost at the same time and I didn't see his comments, so sorry if it seemed a bit strident.
Nice and clean looking engine.
Kent
Kent your answer was the best of the bunch and I took no offense.
I get all my advise on this Stovebolt site. The #$&@# 8 volt comments came from this page. I believe the biggest reason to use 8 volts is it does work with 6 volt equipment and it makes headlights brighter. I have “standard” head lights and don’t like them. I’m not switching to a 12 volt alternator set up. Just asking.
This is like the third or fourth time I posted a question and got no answer to the actual question and nothing but grief.
Don
Can’t begin to tell you how much I hate the name Stovebolt.
You did not ask (sorry), but, most likely you will not need a deep cycle 8v battery in a 6v system, unless you have have high-draw 6v devices, and/or, you plan to use 6v devices with the engine/generator not running/charging. Any 8v battery will spin the 6v starter faster. 6v incandescent bulbs might be brighter, but incandescent bulbs might wear out faster.
Don, I look at it this way. If I don't want negative comments or I'm not willing to accept negative (snide) comments I just don't post and find my answers elsewhere. The question you asked has been answered many many times and doing a proper search would have saved you from the grief you have experienced. No need to hate on the haters, just let it go.
Martin '62 Chevy C-10 Stepside Shortbed (Restomod in progress) '47 Chevy 3100 5 Window (long term project) ‘65 Chevy Biscayne (Emily) ‘39 Dodge Business Coupe (Clarence) “I fought the law and the law won" now I are a retired one! Support those brave men/women who stand the "Thin Blue Line"! Hug a cop! USAF 1965-1969 Weather Observation Tech (I got paid to look at the clouds)
Just a little research would have turned up a lot of discussion about using relays to power 6V headlights and dramatically increase the amount of light available due to eliminating voltage drop through the headlight switch and the dimmer switch. That procedure has been done since the early 1950's that I can remember, and probably long before that. It's a very simple conversion, and I've provided a circuit diagram to a few people who were interested enough to ask about how to wire the relays. They're available at very low cost on Ebay.
Of course, it's easier to whine and feel abused. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
I make no apology for not responding to your question Don. There are plenty of good answers on this thread. Just because you don't like the answers, doesn't mean we are hostile.
Beyond me where any grief was given. I read a lot of sound advice. I tried the 8 volt "solution" 25 years ago. It did turn the 6 volt starter over faster for a while until the worn out starter (the culprit responsible for the original poor starting issue) crapped the bed. Carl
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
It might be worthwhile to mention that those tractors had exactly ONE item that the battery powered- - - -the starter. Ignition was provided by a magneto that generated its own coil primary current, and a specially-wound three brush generator engineered to provide 9.5 volts kept the battery charged. There were no lights, motors, electrically powered gauges, or other electrical devices to be damaged by over-voltage. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
I realize your just baiting Jerry, but the answer is: for the same reason people want to run their 6v car/truck on them. Maybe he knows of a tractor that was made for 8v use.
I just got one thing to say bout this whole discussion. Had Old Blue, my total stock 1950, 3600 for 13 years, and 16,000 miles, which is driven Summer thru Winter, weather permitting and I've only had 2 (6v Farm & Fleet) batteries in her, and the second one I installed a few years back just because I thought it might be time, not because she was starting hard.....and.....I've never, yet, had a problem with that old 216 starting no matter the weather. Keep them tuned and clean and they'll run just as well as they did when new. Denny Graham Sandwich, IL
Martin '62 Chevy C-10 Stepside Shortbed (Restomod in progress) '47 Chevy 3100 5 Window (long term project) ‘65 Chevy Biscayne (Emily) ‘39 Dodge Business Coupe (Clarence) “I fought the law and the law won" now I are a retired one! Support those brave men/women who stand the "Thin Blue Line"! Hug a cop! USAF 1965-1969 Weather Observation Tech (I got paid to look at the clouds)
Some how I knew you were talking WC or WD Jerry. Lot of people just threw a 12v in there, me included. No bulbs burn up, and as long as you didn't crank the starter too long at a time it didn't hut it. I think my 216 actually is slower to fire off on 12v then it was on 6v.
I really like keeping 6 volt. I get lots of thumbs up and positive comments at car shows because I kept it on the original side. When I first got the truck a year ago I added ground straps and upped the ground “wire” to a 2/0. I threw the first 6volt battery I could find in it and the starting has never been a problem since. I’m not sure the battery is a “best” for it and will look for that when this one gives out.
Don
Can’t begin to tell you how much I hate the name Stovebolt.
Don, if you can find room for it somewhere, one of the BIG 6 volts we used to use in banks of four on heavy duty Diesel road tractors will give you virtually unlimited cranking current. If you're still using the under the floorboard battery box, it would probably be necessary to fabricate a box that swivels down on parallelogram linkage to install the battery from underneath. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
What's the ampere-hour rating of the Optima? How much current will it produce on a load test? Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
According to that link, it's a 50 ampere-hour battery. That would have been considered a weak sister 50 years ago- - - -we considered a 65 A/H to be the industry standard for 6 volt systems. I think the commercial 6 volt I referred to was around 80 amp/hours. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
I can think of very few situations where there could be "too much battery" for a situation- - - -maybe an 8-D 12 volt that weighs 120 lbs. for my Honda Gold Wing? That would require a trailer! If a higher amp rated battery can be adapted to a vehicle without going to ridiculous lengths, by all means, do it. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Yep - might as well get a get a good 6v battery that fits the standard battery box. Keep your engine well-tuned. Use 6v battery cables/straps (or, bigger), and keep the connections clean.
Correct me if I'm wrong here but, isn't the CCA the really important rating when addressing a batteries ability to start an engine??? Seems that the only time I see AH rating is in the deep cycle batteries used in things like golf karts or maybe marine use. The higher the CCA the more kick it's going to be able to deliver for a short period. When I look for a battery used to start my mowers, tractors, Stovebolt or just any daily driver, I always seek out the one with the highest CCA rating. Denny Graham Sandwich, IL
CCA is a relatively recent rating system for manufacturers who are embarrassed to publish the A/H rating of their batteries. 50 years ago, nobody had even heard of CCA's. The easy way to build a high CCA battery is to use lots of very thin plates in the cells to decrease internal resistance. Those batteries shed plate material like a Persian cat sheds hair, particularly in an environment with a little vibration. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Well thanks for that education Jerry. But, I gotta say it again, the Farm & Fleet group 1, 6 volt battery that I put installed in 2005 and replace in 2014 never gave me a bit of trouble. Just replaced it rather than take a chance on a nine year old battery failing me when I was out somewhere. And......the new one, same battery make and number has been serving me just fine for 4 years now. (640CCA & 800CA no A/H rating) Denny Graham Sandwich, IL
Don't think you will find automotive batteries with an AH rating any more. All I've seen in may years is a rating on cranking amps and minute reserve capacity.
Again. I have a fairly new 6 volt battery. When it goes bad I plan on going with the Optima.
Again. I posted the question just as a question because I had heard somewhere some were using 8 volt.
As for me, I don’t care to go through any retro fits on my truck unless I have too.
Optima is probably in this day and age, the top dog. They certainly make an excellent product.
This week end I finished rewiring everything in front of the firewall and all lights to the rear, tank sending unit and dome light this week end. Didn’t buy cloth covered wire but I used a color coded wire that has the correct tracer. Rather that tan wire I used yellow due to availability. I slid them all through black braided loom no slit. Tricky but fun. Turn signals work great and I built and installed extra lights for the rear “bed holes”.
Thx again Don
Last edited by Don huffer; 07/30/20189:14 PM.
Can’t begin to tell you how much I hate the name Stovebolt.
Tim I’ve got a “minder”. I also live in SW Florida. I drive my truck almost every day. Unless it’s raining. Sometimes I wonder if my generator is charging my battery enough when I run errands. Short trips in town.
Don
Can’t begin to tell you how much I hate the name Stovebolt.
CAUTION: A work of warning about that "Automatic Trickle Battery Float Charger for early Hemi v8 12v 6v" First......if you read it carefully.....it says Hemi v8 not 8v. So it is not for an 8v battery. Second.......Like a dumb ars I bought three of them for the 6v batteries in my stable. When I got them today, the packaging is clearly labeled "12v" and it say nothing about being able to use them on a 6v battery. The ebay listing states that: "When your battery gradually discharges below optimal voltage 13.5v, the smart charging technology kicks the charging unit on." There is also one line the vendor has put in the description that says "Volts 6, 12" but if this thing kicks on at anything below 13.5v it would seem to me that it would be pumping current into a 6v battery all the time trying to get it up to a typical 12v battery voltage. Denny Graham Sandwich, IL
It’s able to select 6v or 12v. and type of battery. Everyday I walk in it’s in the off mode not charging. When I plug it in after running a bunch of short trips it starts charging 6v and fades to waiting in a matter of minutes.
Thx Don
Can’t begin to tell you how much I hate the name Stovebolt.
