International Vintage Volkswagen Forums

Hi ...thoughts please?....ok just got hold of a LHD 55 oval ...1200 6v ...its been lowered but nothing drastic...original interior etc...wings are a little scrappy but nothing serious where as the body seems so far to be in really nice condition...the engine though has slight play in the flywheel and by the looks, it is the original engine ..type "A" ... would like to run 12v for lights to act like lights and not candles:? ...the 2 routes ive thought of so far are 1) re-wire the generator etc to output 12v replacing bulbs and putting in 12-6 v converters are needed ...or 2)the very expensive route of retiring the engine and gearbox(place in storage) and running a newer engine with 12v as standard???? ....would like to keep the car and engine together really but think the engine will need a major overhaul soon maybe...??

andy...

Hi, welcome to pre67.

If everything is kept in good condition, a 6 volt electrical system works very well. I've been driving a 6 volt car, with it's original wiring, for the last five years and the headlights were quite bright! It's possible to get 6 volt halogen bulbs which might be worth a try.

You may need to clean up all the connections and ensure all the earths are good to ensure you get the maximum current flowing.
Another trick I've seen is to use relays on the headlights so they take their power directly from the battery and not via the switch.

If you do want to change to 12 volt, the most sympathetic route is to use a 12 volt dynamo designed to fit a 30hp engine. Status-VW Parts sell brand new ones but they're not cheap! An alternative is a 12 Volt 356 one which come up for sale quite regularly.


How to keep your 6 v system healthy... 

:idea: :idea: :idea: 😎 😎 😎

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hi Stan...thanks for the reply and link! ......quick question whats a "12 Volt 356" and is that a direct replacement for the original unit?? ...would it fit the pedestal??? cheers :beer:

What Stan said. Apart from the headlights - which is easily fixed with a pair of bulbs, or just by driving around with high beam on at all times - what reason is there to convert to 12volts?

Its a waste of money IMHO, as you tend to end up with a bodged up electrical system, full of mismatched components. And your semaphores won´t work! Also, if you run 12v through your starter, it will eventually strip the teeth off the flywheel. (guess how I know this!) I don´t think you can even get a 12v starter to fit an early flywheel.

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A 12v 356 generator is a 12v generator fitted originally to Porsche 356s. The body of the generator is the same diameter as a 6v VW one, so you don't have to mess around changing other components such as the generator pedestal.

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We bought a new loom and with the new wiring and cleaned up connections (even a few spade connectors :oops: ) we have had good results from our 6v system!

We found that it was not charging but this turned out to be the cheapo "Hugo" regulators that we used at the last minute! :roll: :lol:

So yes, as said in the link above clean connections will do a world of good as a 6v system drops in power more easily than a 12v system.

Also, and this may be of no use to you, I recently fitted relays to power our flashing indicators on all four corners. (semaphores are great but completely useless!) We were simply using the semaphore switch to feed the flasher relays but this meant that the semaphores would barely come on and the flashing lights were dim. By using relays I made the semaphore switch power the semaphores as standard and they also engage a good 6v feed from the coil and this power the flashing indicators. Now they obviously flash a lot brighter as they were not really visible in daylight (when we are always driving! :shock: :lol: )

So yes, stick with 6v if you can because if your wiring is in good order then there should be no real reason in changing!

However, the problem does come with pootling around not charging much (ie on trips to the shops and back) and when driving at night in the rain with the wipers and full beam on. Apart from this, she always starts even after being sat over winter! 😎

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I bought a new battery for my daily hack the other day, and the guy in the shop said that people often make a mistake in buying a great big battery thinking "bigger is better". He said if you just do short runs, then you´ll never fully charge a large battery, and that its therefore better to get a small one. Never thought about it before, but it seems logical.

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Yes never though of that! But as you say it makes sense! :!:

We have a pretty small battery anyway! :lol:

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thanks guys for the help! though with the "play" on the flywheel, i am thinking of moth balling the engine and gear box (so can be returned to original) and running a 1500???? tin wear etc will i think kind of match up to the smaller engine bay on the oval... (could well be talking arse here , but thats what ive been told?) :? ?

A 1500 will physically fit but it will be tight due to the longer stroke. How much endfloat does it have? It may still be within tolerance?

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...hi....i'd say a 2 to 3 mill absolute max... losing 3/4 drops of oil per 24 hours...sorry not very exact but thats how im thinking it looks:? ????