lucky 69 Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 hi all ok before you get mad and say not this again.i have a 51 chrysler windsor with fluid drive. i have read alot of post all across the net on switching 6v to 12v not to do it .keep it 6v.i have not read about anyone who has completed this all the way and how they got the fluid drive to work .i understand most of you say keep it 6v.i know someone has had to complete this .ok here we go.i want to here from those who have done it and what they did to get the fluid drive to work right,what they used to make it work? i have always wonder about this .i see so many post,but know real answers.plus i think this might help someone out just in case they would want to do this.so please bare with me on this thanks . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 Nobody's angry and I know you don't want a lecture on the 6-12 change, but it appears that the changeover will create more headaches given the fact that the Fluid Drive uses a unique 6V solenoid and controls. You've "heard" about someone somewhere who might have gotten Fluid Drive to work on 12 volts, so you're asking us how to do it. I'll wager good money that nobody has a working solution for a 12-volt Fluid Drive system simply because all the primitive electrical controls are 6V. It's more than just changing the solenoid and hoping for the best. Someone might have gotten it to work half-assed with a step-down resistor, but not for long given that the solenoid needs a pretty good whack of juice to engage. Why make this so much harder than it needs to be? <mini lecture> Unless you're planning a monster stereo or some other electricity hog, 6 volts will usually work best, make the car easier to service for whomever buys it from you in the future, make parts easier to find, and you won't have to reinvent the wheel to make the Fluid Drive work. Best of all, it's already set up that way, so you don't have to change anything. Get a good battery, good grounds, big battery cables, and a proper regulator, and the system will work great and you won't have to figure out anything. </mini lecture> 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky 69 Posted June 22, 2018 Author Share Posted June 22, 2018 thanks ya i glad to here . i was hoping not to open up a can of worms by accident.ya i am leaving mine stock.i need to replace the whole harness on mine .when i get to that point .i was just wondering on this topic .that's probably why i never found a complete answer when i was reading .thanks for the reply . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 I have never seen a complete answer either. I don't think anyone has successfully done it. I have seen a bunch of threads where someone changed over to 12v because they thought they needed to, and then post "my transmission wont shift". There are a bunch of those all over the web. I'm sure you have seen all that. As someone who used to fix electrical (and fuel) systems on cars professionally, 12v conversions to me are just a bunch of godawful messes I had to clean up. We live in a time when ebay is full of Chinese DC_DC converters of various sizes, and automotive techs are not typically scared to death of electrical systems anymore. I am surprised SOMEONE hasn't got one of these transmissions working on a 12v system but I have never heard of it. I have also wondered why. Good luck on your quest. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky 69 Posted June 23, 2018 Author Share Posted June 23, 2018 yep this is like finding a needle in a hay stack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c49er Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 Does your C 51 Windsor car look nice run and drive properly and or has it been sitting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky 69 Posted June 23, 2018 Author Share Posted June 23, 2018 no it is all apart right know ,but it was not running or driving when i got it .basicly a project..but all parts and pieces are there . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 (edited) You are right, I have been working on old cars for 50 years, read all kinds of books and magazines, followed the internet for 20 years and don't know anyone who has done this. I don't know anyone SMART who has even tried. Have seen a few posts from guys who "thought" it was easier than fixing the 6V system, or were told by some half assed friend that it was easy. Then came here in anguish, asking for advice. If I had to do it I would start with the idea of keeping the system half 12 and half 6 volt but would have to change it from - to + ground. Doing this would involve changing the generator to an alternator, changing the lights and horn for 12 volt ones, reversing the leads on the ammeter, rebuilding the radio with 12v tubes and a 12v + ground vibrator or electronic equivalent. Then taking a center tap off the battery and rewiring the transmission, windshield wipers, etc. It would be a good idea to change the flywheel ring gear and starter to the 12V equivalent but as this would involve removing the engine you could skip that part. Until you burn out the 6V starter and chew up the ring gear. Then I would cross my fingers and hope nothing is polarity sensitive besides the radio. I could probably do the job in under a week for a few hundred bucks worth of parts. It would be a lot easier just to fix the 6V system if there was something wrong with it. Or if you want a 12v car, trade for a newer one. Edited June 24, 2018 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 There are workarounds you could use to half ass a lot of things. One I have not worked out, is the way the trans controls work off the coil. I think you would have to keep the 6V coil and trans controls and either wire them thru a resistor or Zener diode, or to a center tap off the battery, or maybe use a 12V coil and control the trans thru a system of relays. You would still need a combined 6V/12V system though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Given the difficulty of converting the trans controls, please tell us what you need 12V for: stereo, hydraulics, air conditioning, etc. Some of these can be done with a separate 12V battery and circuit(s), without having to get into all those other 6V to 12V difficulties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c49er Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 2 hours ago, lucky 69 said: no it is all apart right know ,but it was not running or driving when i got it .basicly a project..but all parts and pieces are there . Then I don't think you need to change anything to improve it. I hate to say this but.... You will probably get in over your head and the car will end up on Craigslist like I see too often on these 1949-52 Mopars. If you really need 12 volts put a front clip in it and a 440/Torqueflite with a Holley double pumper...will make it fast and easy. Ooops.... and Scarebird disc brakes with a Cherokee rear end. The M6 trans with FD... no one under 60 understands or likes them. I'm over 60! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky 69 Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 (edited) ya i like your way of thinking c49er .more power!!!!!!! but not this one all stock . Edited June 24, 2018 by lucky 69 forgot something (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky 69 Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 2 hours ago, Grimy said: Given the difficulty of converting the trans controls, please tell us what you need 12V for: stereo, hydraulics, air conditioning, etc. Some of these can be done with a separate 12V battery and circuit(s), without having to get into all those other 6V to 12V difficulties. i don't need 12 volt for me .just after all the reading i thought someone would have done it by now.plus if some is looking to do this it would help them out. but so far i guess no one has . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 A good intention on your part, Lucky, but from what I've seen no one has been successful. (Years ago, I had two DeSoto Suburbans --1947 & 1948 ana 30k-mile 1949 Windsor sedan, which is why I'm interested.) As appears in hundreds of other posts, the 6V system is more than adequate so long as you attend to the grounds and have suitable 0 or 00 battery cables. One 6V battery cranks my 525-cid 1918 Pierce with no difficulty. I sort-of mentioned that others have used a separate 12V battery for stereos, a/c, and/or hydraulics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 It's a lot easier on cheap cars like Chev and Ford that had vacuum wipers, no heater, no radio, manual trans etc. Then all you have to worry about are the lights and horn. Plus of course the alternator, coil, ammeter (if any) and starter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithb7 Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 (edited) 13 months ago I bought a 1953 Windsor Deluxe. 6V +- ground. Aside from charging an iphone, I cannot find anything else to complain about. 3,000 miles approximately since I bought it. Day and night driving. Head lights used lots. I upgraded all battery cables. My grounds are good and clean. These are low compression engines and 6V turns ‘em over, and over plenty enough times. Even a hard starting engine. I keep a modern 12V booster pack in the truck with USB plugs built into it. I plug my iphone in there. Until I get a 6V to 12V converter wired in just for my phone. I can’t image why anyone with any knowledge or even limited experience owning an old Mopar would convert one 12V. “I heard that others have done it. I read it somewhere on the internet.” Those are only words of dismay. Edited June 29, 2018 by keithb7 (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 Love the idea of the 12V booster pack. Use it to run your phone, stereo, etc. A friend did this years ago with a 12v battery in a 6v VW and charged it overnight every 2 weeks. The modern battery pack would be even better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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