I was helping a friend get the collection of cars, trucks, tractors and whatever else ready for winter. Lifted the battery cover on a ?49 or ?50 Chev 1 ton to find this:
I don?t recall ever even hearing of an 8 Volt system before. Is this a factory system?, or an after market cheater set-up to add a little zip to a 6 volt system? Would the generator have been 8 volt?
it needs a charge (down to 5 volts) but what would you use to charge it? The old stove bolt 6 hasnt been started in probably 7 or 8 years.
-- Edited by 66 Beau on Saturday 16th of October 2021 10:42:15 PM
I read somewhere they were used on old Ford tractors. They were also used on 6 volt vehicles that were hard to start. Ive never seen one. The truck is likely a 6 volt all the way except for the battery.
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63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
I read somewhere they were used on old Ford tractors. They were also used on 6 volt vehicles that were hard to start. Ive never seen one. The truck is likely a 6 volt all the way except for the battery.
This sounds plausible.
You can charge it at 6 volts but it just won't get a full charge.
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Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
8 volt is a fairly recent conversion or upgrade in the past ten years or so to get better starting from your six volt vehicle. The six volt voltage regulator can be adjusted to provide the voltage to charge the battery and the six volt components and gauges seem to tolerate the slightly higher voltage.
Thanks for your comments - I appreciate it. I thought maybe the 8 volt battery might be an upgrade from 6 volt. Wasnt sure about the charging, but tweaking the regulator makes sense. I couldnt see where an 8 volt battery charged to only 6 volts would be an improvement.
Unfortunately, my friend is no longer with us to provide the history. Ive been doing the fall checkups for the family. I think Ill put a 6 volt charger on it and hope thats enough to keep it from freezing. There are too many batteries to bring inside for winter. I stopped counting at 20.
8 volt is a fairly recent conversion or upgrade in the past ten years or so to get better starting from your six volt vehicle. The six volt voltage regulator can be adjusted to provide the voltage to charge the battery and the six volt components and gauges seem to tolerate the slightly higher voltage.
Paul
RIGHT ON PAUL.
A FRIEND OF MINE HAS A 50 CHRYSLER THAT HE WENT 8 VOLT ON MANY YEARS AGO.
