Lets talk about batteries and cranking power 6V vs 8V for 346 flathead.

[Jay Friedman]

.....I like the idea of grounding the starter.  Is it as simple as pulling a bolt out and attaching a think ground wire to the block or frame? Or could i use the same spot on the intake manifold that the battery is grounded to?

You can try just "pulling a bolt out and attaching a thick ground wire to the block or frame"--that is, one of the two long thin bolts at the back of the starter which hold it together.  This is the simplest, improved way of grounding the starter. 

If that doesn't work well enough, the way many other people have done it is to install an additional 3/8 inch thick grounding bolt  and ground strap at the back of the starter (technically called the "commutator end plate").  Art Gardner and I wrote a step-by-step article on how to do this which appeared in the July 2015 Self-Starter.  If you don't have a copy, email me at jaysfriedman@yahoo.com and I'll reply with a copy of the article.

[wrench]

I like the idea of grounding the starter.

Is it as simple as pulling a bolt out and attaching a think ground wire to the block or frame? Or could i use the same spot on the intake manifold that the battery is grounded to?

Thanks again everyone!

I have done this on a Brand F big block back in the day and yes you can use one of the starter bolts but use a large cable not a thin wire. Ultimately, the high compression hard start was isolated to the starter being a pos modern auto parts Chinese rebuilt starter, so grounding at the starter was not a necessary modification on that car. (Long story).

Anyway, as many have said here, I have a 51 sedan that is mostly original still running 6V with a generator. I have no real issues with lighting intensity and radio ops or any real issue with 6V. The car starts, runs and drives normally, albeit I have manual steering and no AC.

The radio is still the 6v tube radio but I had it converted to AM/FM and Aux input with a new speaker.

I don’t have high expectations out of the radio so it works fine.

I actually like the old school vintage tube radio sound as part of the old car experience. Back in the day if people wanted to listen to Tony Bennett sing Blue Velvet in stereo they went home and put an LP on the old Magnavox console stereo...Car stereo in 1951 was a pipe dream and the closest thing was a rear deck speaker outputting the same as the front speaker...

Just like I don’t have high expectations out of the lighting intensity. I must say that the headlights on my ‘51 6v car are way better than the ones on my 2014 SRX as there is a known problem that GM has failed to address and it is the subject of no less than 3 class action lawsuits, lol, but it’s no joke.

But that’s just me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r73-VayfSEQ

[z3skybolt]

Wrench.

Some of us enjoy "old" cars with their natural characteristics. I am one of them. Perhaps you are as well.

Happy Motoring.

bob r.

[Jay Friedman]

Wrench.

Some of us enjoy "old" cars with their natural characteristics. I am one of them. Perhaps you are as well.

Happy Motoring.

I'm one of those.

[Omarine]

Thank you all for the insight, and yes i consider myself one of those that enjoys the old era chacrachter of these machines.

Jay would you please email me the article? CFL313@yahoo.com.

Thanks again!
Oscar