Posted by Winget on June 04, 1999 at 07:09:54:
In Reply to: 12V conversion questions posted by David Hogan on June 04, 1999 at 06:17:57:
I understand Mustang II dashboards (Pinto was the same standard, but maybe not) used 6 volt guages. There may be a resistor system you can pull in a junk yard.
JC Whitney sells converters to step down/up voltage, haven't tried them, no comments from me. The Heater likely presents the hardest problem, as it has the greatest draw, you may simply change the motor to a 12 volt one. I'd try to either finish the conversion (upgrading to 12 volt stuff) or just switch back to 6 volts. It all depends on your desires for originality/ practicality. I dreamt of digital guages with bar graph displays and a custom designed Command Car, but the practical side of me realizes the trucks worth much more in original condition. Maybe if they were plentiful I could see a chopped and dropped body with updated automotives. But back to the real world. VW's also had 6 volt during much of the 60's. The horn should be fine unless you stay on it for a while. Here's Russ's post on a VW sender unit: Fuel Tank Sender by Russ Erickson
The part number for the VW Beetle Fuel Sender unit is 113 919 049 D. You will have to extend the wire holding the float and you will also have to adjust the stroke of the float by bending the tabs on each side of the sending unit to get the correct Empty to Full range. These sending units use varying resistance to move the needle, so a 12-volt unit will work with a 6-volt gage as long as the resistances are correct for the stroke.
Good luck WAW