>I recently inherited a 1954 3600.
>My problem now is that even with a fully charged 6 volt battery the truck
>will not crank fast enough to start.
Hey, Scott, welcome to the list.
You have a very common problem with these trucks. The immediate solution is
to take off the battery cables and wire brush the insides of the connectors.
Then go to where the wires connect to the frame and wire brush those places.
Then go to the strap from the frame to the starter and wire brush the
attachment points.
You will be surprised at how the oxidation at these points impedes the flow
of electricity. Eventually, you will want to replace the wiring harness,
which is not too hard to do, and makes a noticable improvement. This will
also eliminate the short that is draining your system. The short could be
in a lot of places, but I'd check the inside of the push button switch on
the starter, as the high amps inside these things often welds little pieces
into shorts.
In the long term, you may well decide, as have many list members, even those
who are basically stock oriented, to convert to 12v.
Regards,
Grant S.
54 3100 (mostly all there)
54 3100 (mostly not there)
55 1st 3100 (mostly rust)
Los Angeles, CA
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