Reconvert from cobbled 8V back to 6V-- 1930 Hudson Great Eight

Hope all of you enjoyed the season. I want to start this over. I have this car, which I obtained from a HET Club member some years ago. The car had been modified from six volt to eight volt, certainly for all the bad reasons.

1. How do you recharge a dead 8V battery? I have a fancy Sears charger which has only 6 and 12 V settings, but amps you can select.

I also have a mechanic who is stumped by very few problems, but this one has him stumped. Mental block, I think.

2.. Consider me without either brains or experience. What components need to be changed out, other than voltage regulator and, of course, battery?

I suppose the answers would apply to all such cases regardless of make/model of car, but then... what do I Know, anyway?

The only change needed to use an 8 volt battery is to adjust the voltage regulator up to 9.5 volts and some people don't even do that.

I don't know what was done to your car. Check it over and if the wiring, generator, etc are stock then check the output of the voltage and adjust the regulator if necessary.

You can charge an 8 volt battery with a regular 6/12 volt charger. Start it on 6, when it has taken all the charge it will take (amps down to 1/2 amp) switch to 12 volt but keep an eye on it, don't leave it on too long. or you can add a resistor to drop the voltage to 9.5 or 10.

I'm not sure what you want to do, first you say you are converting back to 6v then you want to know how to charge an 8v battery?

Suggest you put in a 6v battery, check the voltage output of the generator (regulator) and adjust to factory specs. Then go to work and fix whatever was wrong, that made them go 8v.

I want to get rid of the 8V battery and switch back to six volt, but until that is done I need to charge the 8V safely. I have been hearing all manner of advice from the guys who spend all day at the feed store, or NAPA, but would rather hear from you guys. I have already found the the cable connections are wrong, made for larger posts and do not tighten very well.

Do you have a volt meter or multi meter? Charge it up on 6 volts, when it is full put it on 12 for a short time but keep an eye on it. It would be best if you put a resistor in series, a 12 volt light bulb or test light will work. If you have some resistors you could pick one to cut the voltage to 9.5.

Or, only leave it on for 5 minutes, switch it off, and let it cool for 5 or 10.

When it reaches 8.8 volts or close to it, it is fully charged.

If you have some resistors and a multi meter you can connect different ones to your charger output and see which one gives you 9.5 volts. That will be correct to charge an 8 volt battery.

I think a simple question, why do you need to charge the 8 volt battery if you want to change back to the 6 volt system?

Because he hasn't changed back yet, and he has the 8 volt battery.

The only change necessary for 8V is to turn up the voltage regulator. So, the only change needed to go back to 6v is to turn it back down. Also buy a 6v battery.

Then, fix whatever was wrong with the car, that made them think they needed 8v.

Note sure you've tried this yet, but if not, I'd suggest posting this inquiry on the Hudson club's forum at http://forum.hetclub.org/ . Of course, it would be good if you knew exactly what the previous owner had modified (any additional components in the electrical system? Is generator the same?). Maybe some of the folks over there have modified a 6v to an 8 and can suggest to you all the modifications that would have been done to accomplish this....so you'll know what to reverse.

The only thing you change is the regulator adjustment and the battery. Lots of times they don't change the regulator.

There may be other mods but not because of 8V.

Is there actually a voltage regulator on a 1930 Hudson? I would suspect there in merely a circuit breaker attached to the top of the generator.

I'll bet the reason it was converted to 8V is there is bad grounding or a faulty starter.

If it doesn't have a regulator it will have an adjustable brush in the generator. I seriously doubt anyone would know how to adjust it these days.

I seriously doubt that anyone that owns and drives a pre 1935 car doesn't know how to adjust a 3rd brush generator.

My reference shows that the Hudson in question has an AutoLite GAM 4102 generator, 3rd brush type with a cutout and no regulator of any sort. Therefore there should be nothing to adjust in returning the car to 6-volts. And Curti, I fully agree - anyone who owns a car of this vintage and bothers to rear any period service information will know about adjusting a 3rd brush, I learned the first time I drove the car a night.

I seriously doubt that anyone that owns and drives a pre 1935 car doesn't know how to adjust a 3rd brush generator.

I was thinking of the gink who put in the 8V battery. I doubt he changed the generator setting to match.

I agree to that. Personally I have NO use for an eight volt battery. Fix the underlying problem.

I agree to that. Personally I have NO use for an eight volt battery. Fix the underlying problem.

Agree

Hockeye,

Did it work out? Most people put in a 8V battery to fix problems, normally it is not turning over fast enough to start, 8V turns over faster and it starts, but the real problem is still there. When you put the 6V back in you will find out what the problem was. Most likely the person who put the 8V in did not understand this car or they would have fixed the problem. Most likely the 8V battery you have is dead anyway. Pick up a new 6V battery (I always get as big as will fit) put it in and try the car. If you have new problems let us know we will help. Most likely they did not get past the 8V battery and gave up, so most likely they never changed the charging rate of the generator.

Good Luck

Typically the Cutout sticks and drains the battery. Slao make sure you have the correct ground and heavy enough battery cables, single 0 or double 0 would be best. Most truck shops can make those for you.

Rob

Ok, I'm going to wade in here with my 2 cents.

One of the first things my mechanic did to my car was change it from 6 volt system to eight volts. Before the change, I had the carburetor professionally rebuilt for an astronomical price and replaced the all the gaskets from the engine manifold to the carburetor (updraft carburetor) but the car was still difficult to start especially when it was warmed up (hot). I have never had another problem with starting hot or cold since the installation of the 8v battery. Here in Florida,hot is a good part of the season. So you see I don't quite understand the objection to an 8v battery. I would agree that if it's a show car and meant top be judged in antique car shows. Then by all means go with the 6v battery if that was original to the car. My car works better and outwardly there is no difference to see.

I show my car several times a year at local events and no one asks if I have an 8v battery and when the show is over I know my car will start.

ricosan

ricosan, It is my opinion that your 'mechanic' installed the 8V battery because it was the easy solution to a problem that he could not diagnose. In time, that underlying problem will get worse, at that time he might suggest a 12V battery.

About 20 years or so ago, I had the exact problem with a 48 Chevy. I got very sick of waiting for the engine to cool off before it would restart. I had the local electrical shop rebuild the starter. The same problem was still present.

I bought an 8V battery and the problem was solved...... for a while. My son had a 49 Chevy at the time I swapped starter motors, and re installed the 6V battery. Problem solved ! It turned out the grounding brushes in the starter

were not grounding well to the starter frame due to corrosion that could not be seen. It ohlmed out OK with a meter, but under a very high load (600+ amps) there was enough resistance to cause the starter to turn over slowly. I had already cleaned all of the terminals and installed 00 cables and two grounding cables one at the battery and one at the starter.

Your car came with a 6V battery, it started well when it was new and it will start now.