1955 6-volt battery wiring

[Yuda]

ar has been ooperating with negative battery terminal to ground on engine, positive terminal goes to left hand side of starter solenoid, then right hand wiring continues to starter. Every thing works except fuel and temp gauges, also indicator lights never have lit up during start-up, and long grinding before starting. Have now replaced 6-volt battery with new one. Don't think this is wired correctly as positive ground. Anyhelp/suggestions appreciated.

 

[Dick Rupp]

55 Tbirds 6 volt are positive ground (reverse post) the cable from the solenoid (starter) goes to the Negative battery post. The cable from the engine goes to the positive battery post.

 

[Dick Rupp]

55 Tbirds 6 volt are positive ground (reverse post) the cable from the solenoid (starter) goes to the Negative battery post. The cable from the engine goes to the positive battery post.

Also be sure the car has 6 volt battery cables. 6 volt cables are thick almost like welders cables. 12 volt cables are very thin. Look at any 12 volt cars battery cable. If the Tbird battery cable looks like the slender 12 volt the car has the wrong cables.

 

[cokefirst]

you may have fried the radio if you turned it on with the polarity reversed. The gauges should have worked either way. Polarize the generator if you are reversing polarity of the battery.

 

[Yuda]

Thanks for your replies, where can I find a picture of a 6-volt positive ground wiring?

 

[doug7740]

Here is a 1955 Thunderbird 6-volt, positive ground wiring diagram.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[Gforni]

ar has been ooperating with negative battery terminal to ground on engine, positive terminal goes to left hand side of starter solenoid, then right hand wiring continues to starter. Every thing works except fuel and temp gauges, also indicator lights never have lit up during start-up, and long grinding before starting. Have now replaced 6-volt battery with new one. Don't think this is wired correctly as positive ground. Anyhelp/suggestions appreciated.

Someone probably swapped the pos ground for negative ground, so it seems. Have you tried switching it back? If they did not polarize the generator, then that may be the reason the gauges are not working. Alternately, they may have been cooked if they just swapped it inadvertently. 55's are pos ground (from the factory) but most folks dont know how to deal with that, let alone a 6v system. Get a wiring diagram and check your wires first; make sure all is in the correct place/connected. You may also need a new starter if you are having problems; my '55 would not start when hot, something I called 'starter swell', which was fixed immediately with a new (rebuilt) starter. Check your batt cables as well, as they have to be larger for the 6v and have a tendency to develop corrosion internally over time.