MGB 0 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 What ballast resistors should I use on my 1942 Lincoln V12 when switching to 12 volt? How should I be checking the voltage to the coils and what reading should I be getting? Link to post Share on other sites
38ShortopConv. 26 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 (edited) Hi MGB, The way I see it, original factory or new ballast resistors of 0.8 Ohms. are used on either 6 or 12 volt resistor coils . Of course you need to switch to 12 volt " Resistor Coils" when switching from 6 volt to 12 volt and not rely on a higher ballast resistor to reduce the 12 volt down to 6 volt and expect to use the original 6 volt coil. Gerry Richman can supply a original 12 volt resistor coil. You can use straight 6 or 12 volt coils [non ballast] [non original] with no resistors if you choose to. See post on " Hard Starting" for 6 volt readings, 12 volt will be higher . Abe @ Tom may chime in. Simple isn't it. Edited May 1, 2019 by 38ShortopConv. (see edit history) Link to post Share on other sites
19tom40 94 Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 Not all coils need a ballast resister. Check with the supplier of your 12 volt coil to see what they recommend. They should be able to tell what voltage to expect at the input to the coil. Link to post Share on other sites
abelincoln 16 Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 When I first acquired my Lincoln, I didn't want to buy a 6 volt battery as I knew it would be a long time. What I did was measure voltage at coil, should be 2.5-3 volts when running. Be careful of fan. I found a 1.2 ohm resistor in series with the stock ignition resistors worked about right to get it running with a temporary 12 volt battery. I used a 25 watt, 1.2 ohm resistor which got quite warm. I think 50 watt would be better. Mount the resistor some place where the heat won't cause a problem. You can also have coils re-wound for 12 volt operation. Abe Link to post Share on other sites
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