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Positive to Negative Ground

mamoose124

Gold Level Sponsor
This is a final check before I wire up my SII as a negative ground system. Remember, that the engine is not yet installed, and I have removed the old wiring harness and installed one of Pete Almjeld’s Rebel wiring harnesses for Sunbeam Alpines. Let me know if I have overlooked any major issues.

1. TACH: I had my mechanical tach converted to electronic by Nosinger Instruments. It may be wired either as negative or positive ground.
2. BATTERY: I need to reverse my battery (180) so the ground cable can be connected to the negative post and the positive post connected to the starter (I purchased new connectors for this).
3. COIL: I will hook the positive terminal (Contact Breaker) on the coil to the ignition switch and connect the distributer wire to the negative coil terminal.
4. GENERATOR: My generator has been out of the car for two years so, unless it has some kind of memory, I’m unsure if it needs to be polarized to negative ground. Let me know what you think on this point. Assuming it won’t hurt the generator, I will follow this procedure: With the generator D (Cutout) terminal connected to a 12V battery, and no wire connected to the F (Field) terminal, connect a short jumper wire to the D terminal making sure I have metal-to-metal contact, momentarily flash the jumper wire to the D terminal producing sparks. Carefully, do this three times, producing sparks each time. This should polarize the generator to Negative ground.
5. AMMETER: Again, my ammeter has been out of the car for two years and unless it has some kind of memory, I think I will simply wire it up. As I understand it, doing it incorrectly will only make the ammeter read backward.
6. ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP: My SII is fitted with an electric fuel pump. I understand some are voltage sensitive. How do you determine this without buggering something up? So, I’m thinking the best course of action would to purchase a negatively polarized fuel pump. Do any of you have recommendations on the best pump to purchase?

So, fellows, if I have missed anything or made some egregious error let me know.
Thanks,
Mike
 

pruyter

Donation Time
If you have a clock you have to alter the inside and if you have a radio you have to take some measures too. On some radio's there is a switch on the backside that can be set on either negative or positive ground. If there is no such switch the radio have to be isolated in the dashbord.

Regards,

Peter
 

mamoose124

Gold Level Sponsor
Thanks for the information, Peter. I have been told that some clocks are sensitive to polarity and some are not. I assumed I would need to wire it up to find out. Is there a way to tell ahead of time? And, do you know how or what to do to alter the clock? My radio may be switched to either positive or negative ground.
Mike
 

pruyter

Donation Time
Hi Mike,

I don't know what have to be altered inside the clock, but what I do know is that the original clock is ground sensitive and if you wire it up the wrong way you destroy the clock. I had my clock sent to a specialist in order to alter it to work with negative ground.

Regards,

Peter
 

mamoose124

Gold Level Sponsor
Thanks again Peter for the information. I will check with Nisonger Instruments to see if they can alter my clock.

Mike
 

Alpine 1789

SAOCA President
Diamond Level Sponsor
I will check with Nisonger Instruments to see if they can alter my clock.
Nisonger is certainly an alternative, but I highly recommend Mike Eck, at https://www.jaguarclock.com. You should verify this with Mike, but I am pretty sure Mike's modification - which replaces the fragile bits with solid state components - is totally invisible and not polarity sensitive.
 

mamoose124

Gold Level Sponsor
Thanks Jim, for your information. As it happens, I had Mike convert my Smith clock six or seven years ago but didn't realize his conversion would make the clock immune to polarity. In fact, I emailed Mike this afternoon about the polarity issue and am awaiting his reply.
 

Tom H

Platinum Level Sponsor
Peter , what kind of clock do you have that is polarity sensitive? My original Alpine clock uses a pulsed coil and contact arrangement which is not polarity dependent. Unless it has been upgraded with a solid state "repair" kit that replaces the original contacts with a solid state circuit board. Any clock updated with a solid state circuit will be polarity sensitive. Of course I have not seen a pulsed coil type clock still working, including mine, so maybe we can assume any working clock has a solid state circuit!

Tom
 

pruyter

Donation Time
Hi Tom,

The fact is that I don't know, it concerns an original clock that I had in my Alpine in the early nineteens. I sold that Alpine to a guy in Switzerland, so I can't check now this clock in order to find out what type it was. I only know that it was an original clock in an Alpine series IV with positive earth. I changed this car to negative earth and before I did this I was warned by experienced guys in the Dutch Alpine Club that the clock was earth sensitive and that I needed it to be altered in order to avoid damage to the inside of the clock.
So unfortuneately I can't help you on this one.
My Tiger has an original clock too, but of course the Tiger has negative earth as all of them have.

Regards,

Peter
 

Tom H

Platinum Level Sponsor
Hi Peter,

So did you have the clock altered when you switched it to Neg earth? I had an SIV with a clock and I removed that clock when the car died of rust and crashes. I later installed that clock in a Neg earth SV. But first I dis-assembled it to make it work. I cleaned the contacts inside and it ran for about 6 months. There is a company that makes a kit to replace the mechanical contacts. Their kit used to be a "single polarity" version, but now they sell a dual polarity version. But the original clock was not [polarity sensitive, https://www.clocks4classics.com/

This looks like a neat product for anyone wishing to update their original clock. Lots of info about the clocks on their website

Tom
 

Alpine 1789

SAOCA President
Diamond Level Sponsor
There is a company that makes a kit to replace the mechanical contacts. Their kit used to be a "single polarity" version, but now they sell a dual polarity version..https://www.clocks4classics.com/

This looks like a neat product for anyone wishing to update their original clock. Lots of info about the clocks on their website
Interesting website, and certainly a good option for those wanting to do this themselves. But I looked at the instructions and it looks like a time-consuming and potentially frustrating job. And, at about $75USD + shipping for the kit vs $100 from Mike Eck, this is one job I think I will pay someone else to do!
 

pruyter

Donation Time
Hi Tom,

I did send the clock to a specialist and told him to alter the clock so that it could adapt negative earth. He accepted the commission, did the job ( I suppose) and I paid the bill afterwards. Of course I have no idea if he did something with the clock and if so what he did. I know he sent me a bill.....
Perhaps I am doublecrossed and maybe the only thing this specialist did was charging me.
One is never to old to learn something....

Regards,

Peter
 
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