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6-Volt Alternators Fire Up Older Engines
Randy Rundle's frustration starting old pickups led to a better idea and his own business. Fifteen years later, his Fifth Avenue Auto Parts, located in Clay Center, Kansas, supplies parts and solutions to everything from antique cars, boats, trucks and tractors to old irrigation engines. Anything with a 6-volt system
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6-Volt Alternators Fire Up Older Engines ENGINES Engines 28-4-38 Randy Rundle's frustration starting old pickups led to a better idea and his own business. Fifteen years later, his Fifth Avenue Auto Parts, located in Clay Center, Kansas, supplies parts and solutions to everything from antique cars, boats, trucks and tractors to old irrigation engines. Anything with a 6-volt system is customer potential for Rundle, who started restoring old trucks while in high school.
"They were always tough to start, and I decided that fixing that was going to be my quest," he recalls.
Part of the problem is that even when 6-volt systems have enough power to crank the starter, there might not be enough left for a strong spark. That's made worse by constant recharging of batteries, which shortens battery life. If the engine isn't run long enough or fast enough, the generator can't recharge the battery between starts and supply energy for lights and other accessories.
"If the engine is warm, it's even harder to start," adds Rundle.
A better answer, says Rundle, is to replace the 6-volt generator with a 6-volt alternator. It produces plenty of power to run vehicle accessories at low rpm's and recharges the battery.
After two years of research and locating a source for custom-built rotors and stators, he produced his 6-volt alternator. It had an output of 60 amps, 7.5 volts, 60 percent more power than produced by original 6-volt generator systems. Today it also includes a solid state regulator built into the inside of the alternator.
For the past fifteen years, he has been installing his alternators and upgrading systems. Projects have included all the cars seen in movies such as LA Confidential to a limousine for the Queen of England. In between Hollywood stars and British royalty, he supplies alternators and other parts to antique cars, boats, trucks and tractors as well as old irrigation motors.
"Most conversions are in the $300 area," says Rundle. "That includes the alternator, pulley, mounting brackets and wiring harness."
Most of Rundle's business centers on 6-volt systems. He notes that lots of World War II stuff has yet to wear out; it just needs to be upgraded. Upgrading the 6-volt systems from generators to alternators has led to other things. Antique tractor pullers and hot rodders need more power for higher compression engines. Once power is built up, engines tend to run warmer, so cooling has to be upgraded, too.
"One thing that has gotten really big in recent years is conversion of these antiques to 12-volt systems," says Rundle. "The newer generation of collector has grown up with air conditioning and stereos and wants them in their antiques as well."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Randy Rundle, Fifth Avenue Antique Auto Parts, 415 Court Street, Clay Center, Kan. 67432 (ph 785 632-3450; fax 785 632-6154; email: fifthave@oz-online.net).
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