Re: Twelve Volt Conversions
Posted by Joe Wareham On 2019/6/2 13:14:59
As a summer project on my '49 Club Sedan, I'm converting it to 12 volt. The car is not a complete restoration but maintains the spirit of Packard with the original drive train, completely original body and interior. I need to upgrade to 12 volt to meet my driving needs.
Currently, the car has a clock that is broken, a speedometer that is broken, a windshield wiper motor that works poorly, gauges that are "directionally correct" but not accurate and taillights that even with the alternator are not as bright as current cars and are hard for some to see. The cost of getting all the old stuff fixed is equivalent to the conversion with no added benefits.
The car has already been completely re-wired with an American Autowire fuse panel kit and has a 50 amp 6 volt GM alternator with dual Optima 6 volt batteries. The ignition will be converted from the current 6 volt Pertronix unit to 12 volt by changing the pickup coil in the distributor and the ignition coil. The conversion should be reasonably easy except for having to pull the dash. The new components are a set of Autometer electronic gauges and speedometer that are the exact size to fit in the dash in place of the clock and speedometer (pictured). Also a 100 amp GM 3-wire alternator is a bolt-on with the current alternator bracket. A Newport electric windshield wiper motor is a direct fit in place of the vacuum unit. The headlights will be replaced with 12 volt Halogens and the taillights with ultra bright bulbs to shine through the thick red glass. One 6 volt part that will be maintained is the 6 volt OD solenoid. I purchased a 12V to 6V OD voltage converter from Vintage Auto Garage (pictured). It's a one-piece unit that also replaces the OD relay.
My long-term goal is to fit the car with air conditioning so it can be comfortably driven year round in sunny Florida. I'll place the progress on a Project Blog on one of the Packard forums.
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Currently, the car has a clock that is broken, a speedometer that is broken, a windshield wiper motor that works poorly, gauges that are "directionally correct" but not accurate and taillights that even with the alternator are not as bright as current cars and are hard for some to see. The cost of getting all the old stuff fixed is equivalent to the conversion with no added benefits.
The car has already been completely re-wired with an American Autowire fuse panel kit and has a 50 amp 6 volt GM alternator with dual Optima 6 volt batteries. The ignition will be converted from the current 6 volt Pertronix unit to 12 volt by changing the pickup coil in the distributor and the ignition coil. The conversion should be reasonably easy except for having to pull the dash. The new components are a set of Autometer electronic gauges and speedometer that are the exact size to fit in the dash in place of the clock and speedometer (pictured). Also a 100 amp GM 3-wire alternator is a bolt-on with the current alternator bracket. A Newport electric windshield wiper motor is a direct fit in place of the vacuum unit. The headlights will be replaced with 12 volt Halogens and the taillights with ultra bright bulbs to shine through the thick red glass. One 6 volt part that will be maintained is the 6 volt OD solenoid. I purchased a 12V to 6V OD voltage converter from Vintage Auto Garage (pictured). It's a one-piece unit that also replaces the OD relay.
My long-term goal is to fit the car with air conditioning so it can be comfortably driven year round in sunny Florida. I'll place the progress on a Project Blog on one of the Packard forums.
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