50' chevy truck--6v to 12v swap<help>

[saaburban]

Greetings,
Seems the turkey this year is the 5 window, 50' bowtie that may not make the annual Christmas parade if I don't get the ignition straight. Truck has had some minor 12v upgrades but the previous owner left the ignition 6v. Me thinks we have a resistor failing or a 12v coil trying to fire half of the voltage missing. I have run out of time to research the archives but I plan to be snowed in whether precipitation falls or not, and read this forum front to back.

Thanks in advance for helping the lil' Red Truck make the parade.

[EDs50Chevy]

Is'nt that what the ballast resister is for? To cut the coil in half? If so then your coil symptom would do what you said it's doing. I would check Napa and pick up a ballast resister and possible a 12v coil too if you want to know for sure how old your coil is for later down the road.
I havent done a 6 to 12 conversion but have been reading about it being done and it's pretty basic from what I've read. It was brought up several times on another forum and some were doing the conversion so it was first hand help. I hadnt been looking at the conversion for my 50 though, but the conversion on a 48 car.
Hope it works out in time.

[saaburban]

Thanks EDs50Chevy! I'm either going to force the simplest swap and may have to utilize a resistor just to make the parade. I will figure out a 12v conversion if it takes burning down the house! We also have a 47' Fleetmaster docked in the garage next to the turkey! Grandpa will roll in his grave, but the FleetMaster will have the same treatment as soon as I work out the bugs and extra volts.

[saaburban]

Dog-gone truck. Easy repair for such a PIA problem. First issue, dizzy didn't have a ground wire! Snapped a quick wire from dizzy to block through a couple of "o" rings. Number 2 issue was truly getting the 12v through ballast resistor then to coil. Feeling froggy, installed 6 new plugs to replace the soot covered ones that struggled. Installed a driver in a Santa's cap and no problems that caused reindeer to have to pull her home! The final inspection proved 9v's on the dizzy from coil is the ticket to a happy truck.

No trucks were harmed in this episode!

[angryjim]

first get your self an internal resistor coil. thats where I'd start. theres not alot to change. I swapped my 51' chevy over.