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Fisher, the very first thing I would do is remove, clean n wire brush, then reattach each n every battery n starter n ground cable n have the battery well charged n see what happens. If no help, have the battery load tested or try a know good substitute battery. Its possible for old cables to look good outside, but theres been arcing and the resultant carbon which can mess them up even where not visible. Another critical factor is the ground quality. The ground should be attached to a good clean (remove n wire brush n get a new bolt etc) frame type bolt as opposed to a thin or rusty sheet metal component. The closer to the starter the better. On 6 volt systems I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the use of 00 or at least 0 Gauge cables. On 12 volt its still the bigger the better, but you can get by with 0 or even 1 or 2 Gauge BUT I WOULD NEVER USE LESS MYSELF. Whats you need to reduce is voltage drop across resistive cables such that the stored battery energy gets expended in the starter where its needed versus wastign it as heat energy across too small cables. Sooooo oo once you have good cables,,,,, ,,a good battery,,,,, ,,,,, a good ground,,,,, ,see how she cranks. If when cranking the battery voltage drops drastically and/or the lights dim way badly, its possibe the starter is bad or maybe its mechanically stuck/jammed??? If thats the case, an engine rocking or loosening the starter may free it. HOWEVER if the battery voltage dont drop or lights dont dim much I would suspect a faulty starter switch or the starter contact. As far as voltage,,,,, is the charging system keeping the battery up or you need to charge it now n then????? ?? Is there a working ammeter and does it swing to - discharge if you turn on lights or ignition not running but swing to + charge when running????? ? If so shes charging at 12 volts okay. If its charging, the battery voltage ought to read 12.6 volts sitting but rise to 13 and over at wide open and/or the lights glow noticeably brighter, does it do that????? If so, again, shes charging at 12 okay. Is it a genny or an alternator??? as most all alternators are 12 volts and negative ground. If it were changed from 6 to 12 volts, the coil would need to be changed to a full 12 volt rated coil or else add a series voltage dropping (12 to 6) ballast resistor, otherwise, the coil will run hot and the points burn up prematurely. Whats your coil????? Have any external Ballast Resistor????? ? If changed from pos to neg ground, the coil leads should be swapped so + is from switch and - to distributor, is yours????? Sorry so many questions, but we gotta know this stuff to help you. Post back your findigns n answers n let us all know what happens. Good luck n God Bless John T
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