QuestionMy husband and I have just purchased a 1956 Ford Fairlane with a 312 Thunderbird Engine. How can we tell if our voltage regulator is a 6 volt or 12 volt?
AnswerYour car certainly came with a 12 volt regulator for a negative ground system - but I'm not sure that is the question you meant to be asking.
If someone put a 6 volt regulator in it by mistake, it would be wrong polarity AND voltage. The 55 T'bird did use a 6 volt positive ground system, so maybe someone got confused? If that happened, your battery would go dead in short order, and you'd run the risk of a fire due to the contacts in the regulator sticking.
If you what you wanted to know was how to tell what some boob might have put in it, there is a way, but you'll have to have very good eyesight and a strong light - in fact you'll probably have to take it out of the car for inspection. What you will look for is a stamped-on notation "12N" somewhere on it, probably on the mounting bracket. If it is a 6 volt positive ground unit, it will be stamped "6P".
I hope this is clear enough, but if not, let me know via a "follow up" question.
Dick
