Recently got through with a complete rebuild of my 1951 8N. It is completely stock, with a good 6V system. Other than an annoying rear main seal leak that i'll eventually deal with, very happy with the results. Hydraulics work perfect and hold position, brakes are balanced and clutch is smooth. Good 28 to 30 psi oil pressure with 5W-30 synthetic.
I was trying to set the timing perfect so wanted to mark the flywheel with a dot of paint at 4 deg. Just wanted to jog the engine a bit, but had the key on. Stone cold it started up just with a quick half second hit of the starter. Idle is a bit high right now while I work out governor and rod adjustment, but still pretty amazing compared with the old pre-rebuild days when it would take several minutes to get it going, playing with the choke and throttle position.
For me this really proves the point that converting to 12V is really just a bandaid for an engine in poor condition.
I was trying to set the timing perfect so wanted to mark the flywheel with a dot of paint at 4 deg. Just wanted to jog the engine a bit, but had the key on. Stone cold it started up just with a quick half second hit of the starter. Idle is a bit high right now while I work out governor and rod adjustment, but still pretty amazing compared with the old pre-rebuild days when it would take several minutes to get it going, playing with the choke and throttle position.
For me this really proves the point that converting to 12V is really just a bandaid for an engine in poor condition.