Hi, I need a new battery for my '61 P210. It is a 6 volt system and I'd love to purchase a modern powerful battery that fits the car. Any suggestions from Sears or other easily obtained sources?

thanks,
elhalcon

I agree w/ those guys who suggest a conversion. I've done several, and in a
B-210, you have a really good candidate. My logic is that the bux you will spend
on a good 6 volt battery (PepBoys will sell one for around $45., at least here in SoCal), can be invested in a conversion.
My suggestions;
1.) keep the starter as it is. Eventually the solanoid could burn out, but that may be a long way off. In a pinch, you could have your 6 volt rebuilt using 12 volt guts. Look at VW parts places.

2.) get the following parts from a 12volt 544 or a 122; fuel gauge, blower motor, wiper motor (544 only, although I've heard that the taillgate wiper motor found in 145 and 245 wagons will work), and maybe some extra switches.

3.) leave the horns as they are. The noise you get from 6 volt horns in a 12 volt car is LOUD, and they aren't on long enough to overload them.

4.) changing over the bulbs, including dash lights isn't a big deal, and in the future, that's one headache less. 6 volt bulbs are getting harder to find, as 6 volt cars become more rare. Any parts house which caters to Volkwagons will be a valuable source for all that stuff, including most Bosch stuff.

5.) The generator will have to come from a 12 volt donor car, but this might be a good time to invest in a Delco type alternator. It's a little bit of tinkering to get it to work (bracket fabrication) but it can be done, and the benefits are significant.

I probably forgot something, but if your car will be driven, and not just a garage queen to be trailered to car shows (what a fate for an old horse!!), then this is the way to go. I once traveled all the way up the West coast in my '57 PV444, and trying to find a 6 volt Voltage regulator in some small town wasn't fun. The American types didn't seem top work just right. I finally discovered an old auto electric guy (great human being, bless him mightely) who sold me a VW Bus one I had to modify, but that took a valuable travel day to complete. Keep us informed how it goes, a lot of Volvo phoax have been there, and a lot more surely will be!

I just went to my local auto parts dealer and found the biggest 6-volt battery that would fit comfortably in the battery tray. I think that online you can find the battery codes that relate to certain dimensions. If you measure your space you can figure out which battery code represents the biggest battery that you can fit in your car (that is what I did with my 12-volt volvo). But for my 6 volt, the parts guys just let me go to their shelves and measure the batteries with my tape measure till I found a nice one that fit perfectly.

I also have a 61 P210 where do you live? I live in the San Francisco bay area.

HI, I live in Salt Lake City, Utah. Until last week my P210 lived in eastern British Columbia. The mechanicals are pretty good on the car but it has some rear end body damage and the usual suspect rust. -- elhalcon

That is my story also. The body is a basically a rust bucket, but that doesn't matter much for drivability since this is one of the few Volvos that is actually sitting on a real frame. I redid the suspension last year and I was hoping to fix up the motor this year. Since I am currently a student the progress is slow but I am hoping to have it looking pretty good and operating great in time for it's 50th in 2011. I mostly like it for it's utility. I have helped people move and that thing can hold a lot of stuff plus a bed and boxspring on the roof rack. It can move much more than the truck I have since you can stack things up to the cieling. My favorite use for it is for fishing, I can put my boat on top and all of the gear in he back including the motor. If you haven't bought a batttery yet I can go look at mine and see if it has any codes on it today and post the info. I think it was an Auto Pride or something like that.

you might check some of the antique tractor forums (do a google search) and see what the old tractor guys are using

agreed... I've always gone to local farm supply stores for my automotive 6v battery needs... Check to see also if you have a local Interstate battery distributor.



--
-Matt I ♥ my ♂

You can run a 12-volt battery if you set up the car right. You can drive the starter with 12 volts - the extra juice will only make it spin faster - and install a Volt-A-Drop unit to get the needed 6 volts for the rest of your system. There are some real benefits to mixing the voltages; your starter will work much better, and you can rig your headlights for 12 volts and use Halogen or Xenon bulbs to allow you to actually see the road ahead. Your 6 volt wiring is heavier than that used for 12 volts, so there's no chance of melting it.

Otherwise, Tractor Supply Company (TSC) and most feed stores carry a selection of 6 volt batteries. Many vintage car restorers still use 6 volts, so you might look through the ads in a Hemmings Motor News to see what's available. Do a search to see if Hemmings is online (www.Hemmings.com?)

Volt-a-drops are notoriously ungainly and sensitive to load. i.e. the wipers run fine in testing but turn on the lights and then they go sloooow. Conversely, set it up with the lights on and the wipers will go spastic on you. Really best to get a 12v wiper motor.

There may be versions of the volt-a-drop that "sense" load and deliver consistant performance.

To run 12v you will need a later 12v generator or an alternator conversion.

Otherwise all you need to do is replace bulbs. I had a buddy who did this with his '64 Ghia and he did just that... volt-a drop for the wipers (never worked right) and replace bulbs as they died... some he never replaced. Those headlamps were pretty darn bright until they blew (about two nights of driving for one, about 5 minutes for the other!). The dash lights never blew as he used the light switch rheostat to turn them down (very bright) and they were fine.

The heater blower will give you big air (and hopefully never die)!

Oh, he did melt one rear running light lens cover due to the immense heat.

--
Mike!

Hi, I'm interested in the concept of mixing the system. Could you give a little more detail in splitting the various functions between 6v and 12v. Also, where does one get a Volt-A-Drop? -- thanks, Hal Cannon

Optima makes 6v yellowtops...
no acid leakage is always nice on older cars.
the 6V version is half as big as regular, and cost just as much (about $100)
I was going to run two in the transverse muffer location in my Firebird till I found out about the price thing.