Do you know what size and which Diamondback you used? ...ie Diamondback I, II, III, Fury, HR, LS5, MX?

I am going to put radials on my '54 Clipper. The bias ply tires that are on it now look nice but are getting old, and I would like a better handling tire. I want to stay with wide whitewalls that look like the originals.

I am mainly considering tires fromhttp://www.dbtires.com/tires.html

Which size and make have people used - Are you happy with the way they look on the car?

Thanks.

BigKev - Great minds think alike. What you did for 4 batteries, I did for the Packard. Your circuit would certainly work in the 6v car (reverse the polarity of course).

I used mine today with my GPS - just to test the accuracy of the speedometer (which by the way reads about 1-2 mph faster than actual speed)

I cannot figure out what you are saying here. What is your solution? Power it from a 220VAC source?

Looks like this could work - but not a lot of power.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Classic-car-6V-12V-voltage-converter-power-power-/350436684000?pt=BI_Electrical_Equipment_Tools&hash=item5197a770e0#ht_1268wt_1398

This could do it too, but is an install - I see that the minimum input voltage is 6.3 volts which is cutting it close.


http://cgi.ebay.com/6-12-VOLT-CONVERTER-RUN-12V-RADIO-6V-CAR-SR6138V-/260833854527?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cbae8c43f#ht_931wt_1398

The reason I made mine is that I am only looking to charge a phone or use a GPS. It cost me about $8 in parts. - and it seems odd to me to convert 6 to 12 so that you can convert it back down to 5v. If you have a device that needs 12v (like a radio) that's another story - but they usually need a bit of power, like the second link above.

running other 12v accessories is an advantage. If someone were to build a 6v pos gnd to 12v neg gnd converter using modern technology that would be nice too.

I have been wondering how I could power a gps or charge a cell phone when in my Packard. As you know, as do all cars prior to 1955, it has the wrong polarity (positive ground) and wrong voltage (6v).

I did some searching on the web, and found no practical solution available. Years ago (not long after cars switched from 6v to 12v in 1955) some 6v to 12v converters were made, but they were very inefficient, large clunky things. I found some of the old ones still available on ebay. Building a 6v to 12v converter today is easier, but upconverting voltage is inherently inefficient and takes a bit of circuitry. What was needed here is a very steady 5v (actually 4.75v to 5.25v) supply for a usb device charging - virtually all modern devices charge from usb - iphone, blackberry, gps systems, etc... The voltage supplied at the cigarette lighter (or cigar lighter as it was called in 1954) can vary quite a bit. Simply using a voltage divider circuit with a few resistors is tempting, but since the cars voltage isn't constant, neither would be the voltage that the circuit produced. I would hate to ruin my iphone or gps by supplying it with incorrect charging voltage.

So I did a little digging, built a circuit based on a low dropout voltage regulator chip and gave it a try. Success! Works like a charm. Constant 5v dc output from the cigarette lighter in my old car.

Here are some pics. Maybe I'll build a neater version now.

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yes I think that is a generic picture. the same company has it on ebay with a picture that looks correct.

My '54 Clipper has a 5 inch crack starting at the bottom edge and traveling up - directly in front of the driver. I don't think the crack has gotten worse any time recently, but I don't like it. A repair person told me that because it is a stress crack, it is likely to get worse if they try to repair it. So I'm considering my options.

Has anybody used this windshield from Bob's Classic Autoglass?

http://app.vendio.com/storefront?view=ITEM_DETAIL&cid=11344500&lid=139238259&mode=1

They sell the gasket too. I am wondering about the fit and how the replacement went.

I know a good old-timey glass guy that can do the replacement - but not sure I want to go down that path.

thanks. when I got my car recently - one of the few things wrong with it was the missing trunk lock. I was surpised to find the orignal working cylinder in the glove box, key matching. So all I'll need is the retainer and it will be all back in order. This site has been indispensible in helping me understand the car.