When I first got my ’49, after running for a while on hot days, if I turned off the engine for 15-30 minutes it would frequently refuse to re-start. The starter would turn ever so slowly and the only way I could get the car going again would be to jump start it or let it to cool off. This is a common problem with 6 volt cars and, of course, always happens when admiring onlookers are standing around. I took the advice of the proprietor of an auto electric and improved my 6 volt system. This involved:
1. Installing a 6 volt battery with at least 600 cold cranking amps, which are readily available. 6 volt lead-acid batteries are sold by several manufacturers for less than $100, though authentic looking Delco batteries are more expensive. Mine is an “Optima”, which are now available at www.amazon.com for about $125. Optimas use a different technology than lead-acid batteries and have more than 800 cold cranking amps. An Optima’s downside is that it is much smaller in size than an ordinary 6 volt battery, so I had to fabricate a rectangular piece of plywood to go over its top and hold it down in the car’s battery box;
2. Having my starter re-built by an auto electric shop with heavy duty field coils and, to assure a good ground, removing all paint from the areas where the starter, its bolts and the flywheel housing meet;
3. Installing a custom-made extra-thick positive battery cable made up from 600 volt welding cable. Similar thick cables can be bought ready-made from McVey’s, The Brillman Company and Cole’s Ignition and Electric, Rochester NY;
4. Installing a brand new negative battery cable, after scraping clean the negative battery post, as well as the place on the frame and the starter bolt it is attached to. These can be bought from McVey’s and, I think, from Cole’s;
5. Making sure that the small ground straps from the back of the cylinder heads to bolts on the nearby firewall are in good shape. If not, new ones can be bought from McVey’s in Kansas and, I think, from Cole’s. As with the starter, scrape any paint off the cylinder head and firewall where these small straps mount.
After doing the above, when I press its button the starter jumps to attention and says “yes sir”, while onlookers, if any, applaud
