is it possible???

[greasy58]

howdy yall ive got a question for the electricians out there. ive got a 47 chevy pickup with the 6 volt system. im just wondering if i can crank the motor over buy hooking up a 12 volt battery directly to the starter after disconnecting all the other wiring and stuff im just trying to do a compression test on the motor to see if its any good before i get deeper into this thing. thanks a bunch!

[changethis]

yes it is possible make sure the only wires hooked to it is the wires to the battery if anything else is hooked to it stuff could fry. Also don't crank it for a extended amount of time just long enough to do your compression test.

[mr48chev]

And you may want to give it an extra minute or two between cylinders. There are a lot of guys around running 12 volt systems and 6 volt starters. Over the long haul the 6V starters don't tend to last as long but they sure do spin the engines over.

If you have never done a compression test make sure you have all of the plugs out and the throttle and choke propped wide open to get the best results. I've seen guys try to run compression tests by pulling one plug at a time and that doesn't give any where near an accurate reading.

[greasy58]

thanks for the replies, maybe the ol' gal has some life left in 'er, we shall see!!! I still got a couple broken valve springs to change and a little of this and that to do before I can do the test.