Took my TT to NJ for the vintage truck show this coming weekend. Something must have bounced loose on the ride here as the starter will not turn. This is my excuse to switch her over to 12V. I’m getting to old and lazy to crank her by hand anymore. If anyone has the name and phone number of the fellow that sells those 12 volt starter it would be a big help.
L.D.Becker, 419-668-5986.
Rick
Will,
L.D.Becker will probably be at Hershey this year,with his pink Model T oil pan pig.
Scott
Ken Kopsky will rebuild and rewire Model T starters to be compatible with 12-volt systems. I have had him do some for me.
Check the battery connections and the ground cable to frame connection. Also check the engine mount bolts for clean contact and give the starter bolts a loosen and tighten. Then jump the starter switch to test it. A problem with connections or ground won't be corrected with 12v and changing over to 12v will necessitate more than just the starter.
PM, email or call if you've made up your mind. Click on my name for the info.
Whatever you do, don't buy your 12v starter from Mac's.. http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/257047/307712.html?1346162437 (no oil seal + grit from blasting left behind results in a mess)
I did an ohm test on the starter switch and the was no reading when the switch was engaged. The problem is in the switch. I'm going to replace the starter with one of Mr Beckers just because this truck sees very little use during T season and its hard to keep the battery charged. It will be simpler for me to just pull a 12 volt battery out of one of the other cars when I need to run the TT. I use the truck mainley for vintage truck shows so it only gets run a couple of times a year. It's the touring car that gets used more.
Will, I use a 6 volt system on my '25 coupe and have had no problems with it. It has sometimes sat for two or three months at a time the last couple of years before being started for various reasons and I've never had any trouble getting it started with a three year old battery. A good six volt battery is way cheaper than converting everything over to twelve volts. JMHO. Dave