The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay how do I know if it's still 6v or 12v?

Is there any way to tell if my 51 1/2 is still on 6volts or changed over to 12 volts?
I took some pictures but don't know how to add them.

pics need to be hosted someplace [like photobucket] and then linked here .... need to do some detective work - have you tried to crank the engine with 6V? what color are the tags [if any] on the generator and starter? what are the light bulb numbers [head and tail]? coil number? does it have an ignition resistor?

Bill

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I have not put a battery in it. The motor turns by hand. But I took the plugs out and there were #47 & 48 ac delco. There looks to be newer wires going from the ignition out to the starter and a ground wire I believe. The motor is not the original 51 216. Its a 54 motor.
Thank you.

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plugs don't care about voltage .... I spy a ceramic ignition resistor on the firewall, that would indicate 12V, although it appears to have a cut wire on the output .... I'd guess it was converted to 12V when the engine was changed, but obviously it's in need of re-wiring, at which time you can investigate whether everything other than the basic engine items were also converted [lights, gauges, heater]

Bill

Thank you Bill. I guess my next question would be, say I put a battery in. How do you suggest my safest way to try and start it would be? The motor had been sitting a while . It has new oil, plugs . Will a cold start damage anything? Sorry my first project. Ty

look thru the engine and driveline forum, folks recommend a variety of techniques, but what I'd do if it turns well by hand, is disconnect the coil to distributor lead, pull the plugs, squirt a shot of oil in each cylinder, crank it for a minute or 2, reconnect the electrics and give it a try

Bill

Easy way to tell, pull a head light. Printed on the back. Safe too.
The label on the generator will tell you and the label on the voltage regulator will as well. But if it was run and it has lights the head light will tell you.

Put generator on bench and spin it 1500 RPM. Read with a volt meter. Hook regulator and battery and couple headlights spin agin read agin

Thank you. Trying it tomorrow.

Bill not sure if still on here. But took some pictures today yo see if this might help figure out what is going on. Ty


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yes, it's been converted to 12V, the ceramic resistor wouldn't be on a 6V - also the mess on the steering column appears to be dropping resistors for something, likely heater motor, maybe gas gauge too .... you need to completely re-wire that truck, no telling how good any of that existing nightmare will work ... should be able to do a test run, but I'd disconnect the gauges and lights to be safe

also doing pic links, just click in the Pbucket "direct link" address box and it should say "copied", then just paste that into your text here, no need to use the HTML [doesn't work here]

Bill

For what it's worth and since you said this is your first project...rewiring the entire truck 12 or 6v is a really easy and straightforward task if you go with one of the basic stock style harnesses.

You have a later model motor for sure as that is positively a 12 volt starter. That starter and solenoid were NEVER used on any 6 volt applications. Actually thats not even a late 50s early 60s starter unless its out of a car. That style of starter was not used on Chevy trucks until after 1961.

Kenneth,

What is the "clue" that makes that starter a car starter? Is it the style of the solenoid and/or angle of the solenoid?

Thanks,

Tim,

Yes, that style of starter and solenoid both were used starting in 1957 on passenger cars 6 and 8 cyl. The trucks maintained the old "lever" style of starter with the small push button switch on it. The exception to that was if you had an automatic transmission and V8. That starter would have had the same solenoid but different starter than what is pictured.
1961 is the first year for the starter pictured to be used on Chevy 6 cyl. trucks. Delco #1107888
So it either has to be a 57 or later car motor or a 61 or later truck motor. My above posting said after 61, I was going off of memory and looked it up so Im correcting myself now.
If the starter is original, which it looks to be, there will be 7 numbers and a date code stamped into the starter case. If I had those numbers I could tell you the year of the starter and what it could have been on. If its original that will also tell you the year and application of the motor itself.
Ken

Thanks, Ken,

I have seen two styles of 6v solenoid starters but I know nothing about the differences in the 12v starters.

I assume the 12v starter would work with any 12v manual transmission 235/261 flywheel?

If I remember correctly, the 6 v regulator has a cover with bolt heads that are in two opposite corners on the top of the lid. The 12 v version has short bolts on a lower relief area at each end of the regulator. The covers are quite different.

I was going to suggest pulling a light bulb from a taillight or under dash...whatever is easy. Hook it up to 12V and if it glows real bright and burns out, it was 6V. The headlight check as well as a red or black tag on the generator are also good checks. The starter will not care 6V or 12V. The solenoid will hit too hard if it is 6V run on 12. The gas gauge, heater motor, headlights, (and other light bulbs) and radio if equipped will object to over voltage.

Tim,

You had two different Chevy 235 starters that were 12 volt. One for the cars and one for the trucks. Mounting patterns and starter drive dimensions on both starter were the same but the truck starter had the long lever and small switch. The car starter is like the one in the picture above with the elect. solenoid on it. They were not designed to be interchangeable but if a person wanted to take the car starter and install it on a 235 truck motor and wire it up for elect. start he could. There would be no need or desire to install the truck starter on anything other than the truck motor. I think I answered your question..if not let me know.
Ken

Just another thought while Im on the truck starter issue, 6 and 12 volt etc. It is possible to take a mid to late model 1950s 12 volt 4 field starter and modify it to work on the 1940s 216 motor without changing flywheel etc. It would give you an actual 12 volt direct replacement that would bolt up without changing flywheels. Also, Im pretty sure I can take a 55-61 6 cyl Chevy truck starter with Hydromatic Trans. and modify it to replace the 216 starter, giving you a 12 volt 4 field replacement with elect. solenoid on it so a key switch could be used and again, no changing of the flywheel. Interesting what you can do with old Delco starter...LOL.
Ken

Kennethw you are right Sir. I looked up the numbers on the head and motor and it is a 1962 235. I will be changing the belt, plugs, oil and battery and trying to see if this old girl will start. I'm the third owner and it has not been registered or driven since 72. Wish me luck! I'll need it.