The difference between a 6v system running an 8v battery and a 12v system running a 16v battery is that the 8v battery only puts out 2.2 more volts than the 6v battery while the 16v battery puts out 4.4v more than a 12v battery. The nominal voltage of a 12v system is 13.4v while the 16v battery has a nominal voltage of 17.5v. The nominal charge voltage for the 16v battery would be 18.5 - 19.4v. You are not using the on-board charger so your lights (rated at most for 13.5v) are being exposed to 17.5v and so are any electronic parts - including your ignition system as long as the draw on the battery is not great enough to pull the voltage down. Even with a large draw the voltage will be above "safe" limits for the electronic and electrical gear. Will it work? sure! but for how long? The starter motor can run on 24 or even 36v without damage as long as it is not stalled but the rest of the electrical system is a fuse waiting to blow. If you are running all mechanical gauges then the only issue is your ignition system and the lights. The lights are no big thing and you don't run the ignition system long enough to overheat it to the point of failure so you should be fine. The problem is that the higher voltage will lead to failure unless it is designed for the higher voltage. A failure will likely cost a race at some point. No big money in in your immediate future so it isn't a big deal. When you are racing for big money you can install dual ignitions and constant voltage regulators for your ignition and tach.
Thanks Paul for saying it for me... this really is a funny thread. I work on yacht electrical systems with 12, 24 and 32 Volt systems.. and their coresponding chargers.. inverters, converters.. WOW!!! my starter is cranking soooo fast! So clever! (not) omg. reminds me of a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay: I burn my candle at both ends, It will not last the night. But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends, It gives a lovely light.
I`m still miffed on the wacko that thought he could build a engine with the valves in the head,,, it`ll never work,,, I gotta go,,, have to install a choke in the house wiring to keep the 110v at110. At times voltage was reading 128-129 volts,,, cant be good
....I know i'm wasting my breath but i'll say it again. For those of us who actually go racing and actually have race cars and hang out at the drag strip. There are enough racers running 16v systems in there race cars successfully, (some w/ alternators, most without alternators) that it can be done easily with great success and without burning up electrical components all the time. PERIOD
Dkstuck; I am with you, my other love is the Ford Flathead, 289ci with 315hp.....which is more than 1hp per cubic inch...............although it has a 141cfm Weiand SC sitting on top. This has been an interesting thread and although I do have a drag race only Maverick...............hang out at the track (with my Maverick) as much as possible I will certainly look a little deeper into the 16v systems the next time I attend a race. My current motor is a 15:1CR and I am always interested in being able to spin her on startup a little faster............but the one thing that is always on my mind is the damage I could do if I ever flood the motor (I use a carb not FI and have a strict procedure I follow on start up everytime........no exceptions) fluid does not compress very well and I have seen some people hydraulically lock the motor on startup..............which can be a little expensive...................maybe I shouldn't worry so much, but I do. Kind of like having an oil accumulator, oil pressure sending unit that will kill the motor at under 10psi, and fuel pressure kill switch for anything less than 5psi...............I guess that is the curse of being a ME......................... When I was young I raced in NHRA SS classes for some 15 years and tried to be competitive with the National Record Holders, now it is just for fun and to prove to myself I can still cut a good light and get better than a 1.4 60' time....................and make sure the car stays together for another 5/10 years before I have to go through this again. I guess the bottom line is that you could always use a voltage stepdown for everything other than the starter......................... IMHO
Yep, now that you mention it, I remember it had a setup using Ford starter solenoids. It cranked over that 15.1 383 bowtie like it was turning over a 5 hp Briggs and Stratton. Whirl, whirl, boom! That was about 25 years ago {or longer}, before they made the gear reduction starters for everything....
That's why I don't visit here much anymore. Y'all build yours the way you think is best and I will do the same. May the best man win! 78 Fairmont, 347ci running Rons flying toilet on methanol. PG trans foot braken, 1.38 60's, 1/8th mile ET-6.46-48, 110mph with 4.86 gear. Reaction times are my worst enemy at the track, along with being 71yrs old. Still a blast though. By the way Paul the 1500.00 I won on 1 Jan. 2011 "Is big money to this good old boy"
I haven't been real active on the board in a while either......for the same reasons. So many so-called experts. Some do it and some talk about it.
Ever the self-righteous know-it-all. Never done it before but damned if you don't know exactly how it is supposed to be done. :16suspect
I have spent over 40 years working on vehicles for a living. I have worked on electrical systems and electronics systems from 6 to 72 volts. There are lots of ways to do things and I just named one of the many that work. What are your qualifications to diagnose my personality type? Are you a psychiatrist?
Yes, so you seem to keep telling everyone. Despite the fact that you have been proven wrong on numerous occassions. Especially when it comes to high performance/racing or higher technologies currently used. As noted by others in this thread your continual inferior conjecture appears to be driving away the more knowledgable members of the site. Then again, I'm sure that does not bother you in the least. Just gives you more free reign to peddle your mediocrity among the members that remain.
PaulS rocks... he is very knowledgeable and freely gives professional advise...Paul I got yer back bud.. Hey the guy that designed the space shuttle never flew it... (checkmate) This reminds me of one yacht I was doing and installation on... the owners friend turned the boat around in the slip and then plugged back in the shore power cord.,.. a three prong Hubbel 50 amp 125V cable. But he accidentaly idioticaly jammed / forced the plug into a 50 amp 250V outlet. So i went to drill a hole in a bulkhead to pass some cables, and WOW...my poter cable drill was rocking! For about 20 seconds, then it started smoking and burned up. It took me awhile to figure out what happened.. In the end three televisions and any light bulb on in the boat fried.. the 2500 watt AC inverter/converter.... very expensive. Another boat we used 32V bulbs in a 24V system to achieve dimmer lights, but would never go the other way to get brighter lights. A long as one knows the electric devices are going to have a shorter life at the too high voltage in exchange for the increased performance is one thing, but to think it is an acceptable practice and not understand or acknowledge that the brushes are FRYING is ignorant.
