Re: 6 Volt to 12 Volt Conversion for 1939 Super 8

Posted by Peter Hartmann On 2008/9/8 5:51:37

Slow cranking with a 6 volt system ? Baloney. Be ASSURED a properly maintained 6 volt Packard did NOT crank slow. You have to really work at it to maintain a Packard 6 volt to the point it will crank slow. I suggest 1) wrong - too small battery cables 2) crummy battery 3) lots of un-maintained cables and grounds.

Some years ago, at a car show, someone saw me starting up my Packard V-12 (bone stock except for its high speed rear axle ratio) and was puzzled that it started so fast, even tho it was a hot day, and I had come off a fast freeway drive.

I SHOULD have told him that is the way Packards were SUPPOSED to crank over, but instead,I decided to have a bit of fun. I explained that modern 6 volts is too fast for the old 6 volt system - the "juice" just goes thru the wires too fast. So you need to get a 4 volt battery to get the old style slow electricity.....

Yup..you guessed it...a couple of years later...the "gossip mill" amongst these damn fool self-styled experts worked....overheard a couple of these clowns marveling at how fast my bone stock V-12 fires up....and they knowingly explained to each other about that "four volt battery" I must have had in there........