Mid 1950's Auto Lite Starter - 12v or 6v?

[cgodfrey]

Acquired a 1955 25hp parts motor for $20. Owner was going to scrap it, but I saw the complete Auto Lite brand starter, bracket, and flywheel bolted to it, so decided to roll the dice.
Before I put power to it to see if it spins - I want to double check that the voltage is indeed 12v.
I seem to recall Grampa's early 50's OMCs hooked up to 6v batteries... but it's been a while

Also, in the likely case it's toast, is getting this thing refurbished a prudent decision?

Chris

 

[HighTrim]

She is a 6volt starter. They can still be rebuilt.

 

[cgodfrey]

I'm not sure I want to tackle rebuilding this starter motor myself.
Are there any iBoats members who've made a niche hobby-business out of rebuilding these? Or will any local alternator/generator/starter repair shop do?

Is there a relatively simple way to convert the old OMC motors to 12v?

 

[F_R]

You can run the 6V starter on 12V with no troubles. But the starter solenoid and choke solenoids should be changed to 12V units or resistors inserted in the leads. The resistors are an easy way to go.

EDIT: Extensive discussion of the topic here: http://www.aomci.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1409638928/28#28 Note post #17 for possible resistor values.