M37 12 volt help


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Posted by Chris Davis on October 02, 1998 at 15:51:56:

Well, the 318 is in. No cutting required. The vehicle moved under it's own power yesterday, down the street a couple houses and back. J The first trip was a success except for an electrical issue.

I'm converting to a 12 volt system. The engine came with a mechanical points based distributor, a starter with a main power wire and a starter solenoid. The Automatic Transmission has a Park/Neutral safety switch. That's what I started with. I added a 60 Amp alternator (3 wire), a coil, a ballast resistor, an electronic voltage regulator, a starter relay, a 12 volt amp meter, a new battery, and a keyed ignition switch.

It cranks a little sluggishly, but once it catches it runs fine. I thought it was a bad battery, but the new one performs the same way, even after a fresh charge with the bat. charger. Once running, the amp meter is reading 30 to 60 amps at idle. I've reviewed my wiring, and everything seams to be in order… What's drawing this kind of amps? Can someone help me with a simplified ignition system? (Could I function without the ballast resistor and starter relay perhaps?) Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Chris Davis
'52 M37
Lake Forest, CA



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