IMHO, stay away from 8 volt battery thing. Ist they are not readily available if you have trouble on the road. Second, your are going to blow out light bulbs and other electrical items over a much shorter time than normal.



An 8 volt battery is a quick remedy for a larger problem which should be fixed rather than covered up. In many cases, fixing the problem is cheaper than going the 8 volt route.

54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

Hey MG Cook, I'm doing the conversion on my 55 Mercury right now. I just pulled out the old generator today but ran out of time to work on my car and avoid my girlfriend (Valentines Day I'm learning as I go so if you have any questions, we could share info. Just throwing it out there. It will be fresh and I can take notes on everything I do, if that helps. Kevin




Loving my Y!

Kevin Walshe

Costa Mesa, California

Hello and welcome. You asked what would happen to the value of your Ford if you converted frrom 6 volts to 12 volts. My question to you is what is the value of a car that won`t start and you can`t drive at night because the headlites are so dim. DO IT. it`s  1, easy and 2, it can be reversed if you want. You won`t. Pete

Ahhh, my favorite topic...I'm a bit of an electrical geek!  As was mentioned earlier.  IF you want a 100 point show winner then you have to leave it at 6 volts...However, if you're looking for a reliable, fun to drive classic, set 'er up for 12 volt and do the Delco Alternator conversion.  It's covered on this site in about 50 different posts.  If you can't find it let me know and I can get you started.  Bottom line, it's a fun and easy conversion, and that's what this hobby is all about.  Weclome!!

A.J.

South Jersey

SMSgt USAF Retired 
1955 Ford Ranch Wagon & a couple of old guitars...Life's Good!

Thanks guys, looking forward to learning all I can from these forums.

Claim to fame is the car was used as an extra in the movie Diner with Micky Rourke, Steve Gootenburg, Paul Riser and Kevin Bacon.

I agree with Doug. Value is a relative term here. For the purist who wants a car to be 100% as it left the factory, then a 12V conversion will hurt the value. For someone who wants to actually drive and enjoy the car, then it's a plus. Besides, it can always be returned to 6V.

To me this is the classic Bill Clinton question "it all depends on what..." value is.

First of all value could mean show car value.  If your car is a high grade show car with everything exactly as it was in '55 but with better than new, stock colored, paint and upholstry in accordance with the data plate then it probably would sell to a real collector for more with 6V than 12V  This mostly applys to 55 T Birds because there isn't quite the show circuit or market for '55 Fords.

But if your idea of value is being able to drive the car when you want and get home again, and if it has virtually anything that deviates from stock in any visable way, then the value of the car is likely to be increased by you driving it more.  Your enjoyment will certainly be improved by driving it more and that also encreased exposure to the public will therefore increase its sale value as well. 

As mentioned above you can always convert it to 12V and keep the 6V stuff for future sale.  But I would doubt that you would ever go back.

Doug T

The Highlands, Louisville, Ky.

Hello Newbie and welcome!In my opinion any modification which can be reversed without problem should not affect the value.Before you do change to 12 volt you might consider getting an 8 volt battery from farm supply store.They fit and won't harm anything.You might get the voltage regulator adjusted at an auto electric shop to keep the larger battery fully charged.If you keep up with the topics on this site you will learn lots.We were ALL newbies at one time.Regards,Mark

  

Hi,

I have a 55 Ford Fairlane 272 y-block 6 volt, will the value of my car be affected if i convert it to a 12 volt system?

I'm also a new owner, less than a year so I'm just learning.

Claim to fame is the car was used as an extra in the movie Diner with Micky Rourke, Steve Gootenburg, Paul Riser and Kevin Bacon.