Advice needed. Starter rewind from 6 volt to 12 volt
Hello all, I need a little advice. I am converting my CJ-3A to 12 volts. I have read that many Willys owners just pump in 12 volts to the 6 volt starter. I have a small background in old school electrical technology. I do know that this will create high starter current and, high stater torque. Both do not seem desirable to me. Has anyone gotten their starter motor armature rewound to 12 volts? Does anyone know of a reliable source?
Bob
12-volt to 6-volt Converter
There has been a bit of discussion about converting a 6-volt system to a 12-volt system. There are two approaches to this conversion.
In the all out, no expense spared conversion, everything electrical gets changed to 12-volts. If an early 6-volt CJ is the basis for a custom build, this approach is often taken. The 6-volt generator and regulator get swapped for a 12-volt alternator and regulator. The starter gets changed to a 12-volt starter. Bulbs and headlights change to 12-volt, as well as little things like blinker modules and windshield wipers. The most aggravating part is often swapping sensors and gauges and getting them to match.
Then, there is a less radical approach that is “good-enough”. This involves adding a 12-volt alternator, but keeping the 6-volt starter. It is probably a good idea to change to a 12-volt coil and you would need to change headlights, brake and tail lights, blinker modules and the windshield wiper motor.
The 12-volt to 6-volt converter that is being discussed is suggested as a way to accommodate the 6-volt sensors and gauges to the upgraded 12-volt system. The gauges and sensors are fairly low current loads. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, many manufacturers used mechanical voltage converters to keep the existing 6-volt gauges when the vehicles went to 12-volt systems. Mechanical regulators are tailored to specific systems and one size does not fit all.
That is why I suggested a modern three-wire electronic voltage regulator to power the gauges and sensors in the instrument cluster. They will also handle the two or three bulbs that light up the cluster. But, because of their power limitations, these converters will not power the head, tail and brake lights and turn signals. The standard 6-volt converters are not absolutely perfect for this – a 6-volt system usually runs at about 7.2-volts at charge, but “good-enough” is the goal here.