Charge and/or replace 6V battery on 32 Buick

[32Mac]

Hello my Buick Bothers and Sisters,

 

I just bought a 32 Maclaughlin Buick and have it in an air conditioned garage in Florida with no electric outlet. The battery appears to be dead, despite having a kill switch on the battery. Being a new owner, I know nothing about the car, other than that it has a 6V battery and it seems to be common sense that I not jump start it with a 12V battery. Should I buy a new 6V battery and use it to charge the old one via jumper cables ( if so, any particular brand or source?), should I buy a portable battery charger/tender (assuming one exists) or should I call a mechanic and have the battery replaced (and then buy a tender that has the capability to measure and detect any discharge)? Thanks for any advice you can provide.

 

[JFranklin]

I would take it out and charge it.

[BuickTom87]

Take the battery out give it a charge or take it to an autozone to have it tested . If it’s no good then get a new one .

[32Mac]

Thanks for the two quick replies…do I need to remove the battery to charge it and can it be done in place? Can I jump start it with another uninstalled 6V battery and then run the engine a while to more fully charge the battery or does that not work on a 1932 car? Thanks!

[Robert Engle]

Take the battery to an auto parts store.  The can diagnosis the the condition of the battery and charge it if it will hold a charge.  In any case, if you do not run the car regularly you will need a good battery tender to keep it fully charged.  Spend the money to get electric in your garage!!  You won't regret it as you can use lots of electric tools, lights, buffers etc.  I do prefer a sealed battery and I always install a cutout switch kill all power to car.  This is extremely important if the wiring hasn't been replaced with modern wires.  You don't want a short to burn the car to the ground.

 

Enjoy your your 32 Buick.  they are great cars.

 

Bob Engle

[Bloo]

4 hours ago, 32Mac said:

Thanks for the two quick replies…do I need to remove the battery to charge it and can it be done in place? Can I jump start it with another uninstalled 6V battery and then run the engine a while to more fully charge the battery or does that not work on a 1932 car? Thanks!

Yes, you can charge it in place, and you can jump with another 6 volt. The jumper cables need to be really good quality ones as 6 volt starters draw more current to do an equivalent amount of work, when compared with 12 volt starters. If the caps on top of the battery are removable, make sure it has enough water to just cover the plates. Use distilled water.

 

All car batteries self-discharge over time even when disconnected. How long has it been dead? Car batteries get damaged very quickly when left dead. Charging may help, especially a long slow charge, but if it has been dead 3 days or more it is probably too damaged to be of much use even after charging. For that reason I am recommending that you remove it and get it charged and tested, just like everyone else in this thread suggested so far. If it tests good, that doesn't necessarily mean it is good, but it should be good enough to start the car, at first anyway. If it tests bad after charging, it is bad and then at least you won't be chasing your tail trying to figure out why it still isn't working.

 

Get a battery maintainer. They work. I have 3 of them. I remember in the 80s it was a miracle If I got more than 2 years out of a 6 volt battery. Today I'm driving around with one date coded 2014. What a difference.

 

For an actual charger (not a maintainer) to get you out of a jam when the battery gets really dead, you want an OLD one. Try yard sales. There are nearly identical chargers made from the 50s to the 80s in about 100 different brands (although gobs of them are Sears/Allstate). Look for a metal box with a 6-12 volt switch and an ammeter on front. One rated somewhere around 6 or 12 amps would be good. These are "dumb" and will attempt to charge a battery no matter what. They take a few hours if the battery is really discharged but just work, no hassles. If you buy a new "smart charger", it will probably refuse to turn on if the battery if is completely dead. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by Bloo (see edit history)

[Str8-8-Dave]

So I own a 1931 Buick 60 series coupe which has essentially the same battery arrangement as the 32 cars, 6 volt negative ground, positive cable goes straight to the starter, ground strap from negative battery post to the transmission cover.  If the battery shutoff is between the battery and the starter cable you would either have to attach the positive lead from a battery charger directly to the positive battery terminal or if the switch is not faulty you could turn the battery switch on and attach the positive lead of the battery charger to the starter terminal.  The battery resides under the right floorboard in a metal box on the frame rail.  You can gain access to terminals and filler caps by removing the right door sill molding, then lifting the floormat to access a service door in the floorboard.  This would allow you to check water level if the battery is not sealed and top up the water and allows access to the battery terminals.  To actually remove the battery the rear horizontal portion of the floorboard must be removed.   My car came with a dead battery but the rear floorboard was not installed so I bought the largest, highest rated NAPA conventional lead acid battery I could fit in the battery box.  NAPA carries several 6 volt truck batteries with high cold cranking capacity so they were an obvious choice if you prefer a conventional lead acid battery with removable caps to add water to the cells occasionally.  If you less interested in the type of battery originally supplied by United Motors for Buick a sealed 6 volt battery might be a better option, Optima Battery makes those, they are smaller and pretty maintenance free as long as they are kept properly charged.  To keep a battery charged correctly I would buy a Deltran 6 volt battery tender and when the car sits, keep the tender plugged in.  Deltran battery tenders are smart chargers, they actually cycle the battery to prevent overcharge or stagnation and can be safely left connected for months at a time.  The NAPA battery I installed 5 years ago is still as powerful as ever and I have had to add about 3oz of distilled water since I installed it.  I only check it once a year.

 

Without removing the floormat or floorboards you can access the positive battery cable at the starter, it's under the rubber boot in this picture.

 

The door sill molding on the passenger side of the car would have to be loosened or removed to allow the floormat to be

lifted so the battery access door can be opened.

 

The lighter gray rectangle is the access door in my car.  It simply lifts out to access the battery caps and terminals.

 

Here is a view of the battery with the access door removed.  You can charge it or add water but you can't remove it.

 

 

After removing the horizontal floorboard you can remove the battery.

Edited June 27, 2023 by Str8-8-Dave (see edit history)

[32Mac]

Thanks Bob. The garage is third party owned, so I can’t install an outlet. I’ll be looking for another place. The car has a kill switch, which I used, to no effect. Much appreciate the advice. I am excited to have this car and learn more about it.

 

Bloo and Str8-8-Dave, and everyone else who responded, you guys are great. Thanks very much for the advice and photos. To reciprocate, here are some photos of my new (old) car. 

[Bloo]

Nice car!

 

 

[edinmass]

Nice car….your not too far from me in West Palm. We have a 34 Convertible and other assorted stuff. I’m sending you my number by PM, I’m in Massachusetts but flying into PBI tomorrow morning. I expect we will bump into each other sooner or later down south. Ed.

[1935Packard]

A beaut!  Love it.

[BuickTom87]

That’s beautiful!!!!  What’s the name of those fog lights again ? The ones that move when you turn ?   Car is absolutely beautiful that green 

[edinmass]

They are Piolet Rays…..not fog lights. 
 

As a purist I am not a fan of them. I remove them from every car that we buy from that has them on it. I think the factory lines are perfect, why muddle it up? 

Edited June 27, 2023 by edinmass (see edit history)

[Str8-8-Dave]

Thanks for the great picture, that car is a keeper...

[EmTee]

That's a beautiful Buick!  If I were you, I'd take your battery to Ed and get him to give you the 'nickel tour' of his shop while the battery is charging. 

[BuickTom87]

2 hours ago, edinmass said:

They are Piolet Rays…..not fog lights. 
 

As a purist I am not a fan of them. I remove them from every car that we buy from that has them on it. I think the factory lines are perfect, why muddle it up? 

Do you sell them or have any for sale.  Thank you for the name, couldn’t think of the correct name of the lights at the moment 

[edinmass]

I sell them to a eBay guy. They’re no longer in vogue on the show circuit. They come in two sizes. Jr and Sr. Search the term on the site here and you will see lots of discussion pro and con. They also have a single center mounted lamp. Much more refined. 

[Morgan Wright]

I have jump started 6 volt cars with a 12 volt battery before. I don't know if it's right or wrong, but I've done it a few times and it works out fine. 

[Splane]

I believe you can jump start a 6 volt car with a 12 volt battery however you must make sure everything electrical is turned off as 12 volt may burn out lights etc. You also indicated that you have no electricity in your garage, someone I talked to in Canada said the had a 6 volt solar powered trickle charger it might be something to check into. I do not have any more information on this.

[Matt Harwood]

Don't jump it with a 12V battery and if you have another 6V battery for jumping, simply get a proper replacement and install it rather than trying to jump start it. Or at the very least, have the current battery tested and if it's good, charge it at home before reinstalling it. If you can get the engine started, the generator may eventually top it off, but it'll take a lot of driving to do it. Not sure that's the best way to go, especially if the car has been sitting for a while. Plus there's no way to know if the battery is even taking a charge--you might jump start it and drive it for two hours and the battery is still flat dead next time. Why take a chance?

 

This is a lot of talk and alternative solutions to a very simple problem. Pull the battery, test it, and if it's bad replace it. Simple.

[32Mac]

Totally agree. Thanks Matt, and thanks to everyone else who contributed their time and effort to this thread. I very much appreciate your sage advice and willingness to share your knowledge with a neophyte like myself. I will pull the battery, get it tested and probably replace it just for peace of mind. I am honored to be part of this organization.

[Frank DuVal]

Back in the "old days" one just needed to unscrew the light bulb and screw in an adapter to get both the light and a receptacle to plug a charger in. 😁 Now not so easy!

 

So removal, testing and  charging is the way to go.👍

 

Take a battery cable loose, the one connected to the car's chassis, when storing the car. Not as easy as a battery disconnect, but simple and you know it is disconnected.

[32Mac]

Thanks Frank, good idea on the cable.

[Century Eight]

I always use my disconnect switch and the battery flips the car over six months later after sitting.  I would charge the battery but in my area, batteries are not that expensive and so I would just start with a new one, and then you know what you have, especially storing your car in a garage with no power like me.

[32Mac]

Thanks Century Eight. Very relevant. I bought and installed a new battery and still have no power to the starter, so there must be another problem. Will have to figure it out. Thanks for everyone’s help. I guess this is part of the learning curve for a neophyte such as myself. 

[Mart S]

Great looking car!

I store my car trailer in a place with no electric.  The trailer has the battery for a wench.   I only use the trailer once or twice a year so I take the battery out and keep it on a trickle charger at home.   You might consider this if the car is going to sit several months without use.

[Century Eight]

Sorry your car won’t start.  But that is part of the challenge and occasional satisfaction of having an old car.  You get to learn something and know more than you did yesterday, forget your daily duties, and sometimes use a “werty derd.” I started with a ‘31 Chevy and now know enough to be dangerous.

 

Maybe the previous owner had a hidden cutoff switch for security.   We are anxious to hear what gets you going.  Here is a dumb question.  Does your car have a floor starter on the accelerator like my ‘40 Buick?   My ‘31 Chev had one next to the accelerator, but the later Buicks had it incorporated into the gas pedal.  (I said it was a dumb question.)

Edited July 3, 2023 by Century Eight (see edit history)

[32Mac]

Hello again! Yes, I completely agree….part of the challenge indeed and I look forward to learning about this wonderful car. It’s piece of history of which I have the honor of being the caretaker for awhile.

 

To answer your question, yes, there is a starter button on the floor next to the gas pedal. There is also an amp meter on the dashboard which shows no life whatsoever, even with the new battery and all the switches in the right position.
 

Happy 4th of July!

[DonMicheletti]

Is there a good ground between the battery and engine? Not just to the frame.

[edinmass]

Hi all…….I have been helping him on the side. I’ll be running down to see him soon………I’m certain I will get it straightened out quickly. He’s only an hour away. And we haven’t had dinner in Little Havana in ages…….pre Covid.

[32Mac]

Hello all, 

 

Ed came down to help me on Saturday and was able to get it started in 5 minutes. I bought a new Optima battery but had the kill switch and the starter switch in the wrong position. Ed taught me a lot about the car, for which I am extremely thankful.
 

Being a complete novice at this, I have a great deal to learn and am appreciative of everyone who is willing to share their knowledge. This is what makes a hobby great. I look forward to engaging more with the antique car community. Thanks to all who contributed.

[edinmass]

Here are some photos of Saturday mornings adventure………..

I’m working on him to toss the trunk, lights, and mirrors in the trash.Tires are on back order so we can’t bust him on the white walls……yet.

 

[32Mac]

What’s wrong with whitewalls?? 😁

[Guest]

34 minutes ago, edinmass said:

\Tires are on back order so we can’t bust him on the white walls……yet.

Sorry about that, I was able to get my set of excelsior blackwalls for my '29.  Maybe they were the last set?

[32Mac]

I am guessing blackwalls, no trunk and smaller pilot rays are more authentic and original…might have to go to a few shows and car meets to understand all of this….and am very much looking forward to it. Ed has set me in the right path.

Swab, did you get your blackwalls from Coker?

[32Mac]

Showing my ignorance here, so feel free to set me straight. I am always willing and ready to learn. 😁

[Bloo]

Whitewalls are almost a meme around here. Don't take it too seriously.... 😛

 

The longer version is once upon a time whitewalls were put on nearly all 30s American car restorations, despite the fact that when the cars were new whitewalls were more expensive and there was a depression on. Now the pendulum has swung the other way and whitewalls are "out". A similar situation exists for pairs of large 1930s driving lights.

[edinmass]

16 minutes ago, Bloo said:

Whitewalls are almost a meme around here. Don't take it too seriously.... 😛

 

The longer version is once upon a time whitewalls were put on nearly all 30s American car restorations, despite the fact that when the cars were new whitewalls were more expensive and there was a depression on. Now the pendulum has swung the other way and whitewalls are "out". A similar situation exists for pairs of large 1930s driving lights.

Don’t forget the trunk and turn signals.

 

 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, 32Mac said:

I am guessing blackwalls, no trunk and smaller pilot rays are more authentic and original…might have to go to a few shows and car meets to understand all of this….and am very much looking forward to it. Ed has set me in the right path.

Swab, did you get your blackwalls from Coker?

Yes, as part of the trade they included tires.  I still need some tubes though which will be ordered shortly.

[1935Packard]

2 hours ago, 32Mac said:

Showing my ignorance here, so feel free to set me straight. I am always willing and ready to learn. 😁

It's really just about fashion.  As Bloo says above, there's a certain trend now towards more understated looks on 30s cars —  understated colors, blackwalls, no extra lights, etc.— on the thinking that it's more likely matching how the cars looked new.   That's in contrast to the fashion 20-30 years ago, which was to have more bling — whitewalls, extra lights, extra chrome, etc.  This forum happens to have some vocal fans of the understated look.  But it's kind of like the width of neckties, all in the eyes of the beholder.

 

Oh, and good for you for meeting up with Ed. He's good people, as they say.

 

 

Edited July 17, 2023 by 1935Packard (see edit history)