12 volt or 24? Opinions wanted

[powerwagontim]

OK, here is the dilemma I have been chewing on. Do I do the 52 Air Force truck in 12 or 24 volt? I am not looking for a 100 point resto, just looking for a good solid driver, that looks right. I have most if not all of the stuff to do either way.
I have a 12 volt military distributor, that is indistinguishable from the 24 volt units, so can keep the waterproof ignition looks. Starter and generator I also have both flavors, so here it is an appearance issue. I can use a 6 volt starter, and modify the starter arm to line up with the foot pedal, lights, are no problem, just bulbs.
The place I really waver is the gauges. I know I can get new ones that sort of kinda maybe look OK, but not really.
If I did go 12 volt, I would run a 2 battery setup, which I have in my Power Wagon and the redundancy has saved me on more than one occasion.
So, what do you guys think, 12 or 24?
Thanks,
Tim

[Master Yota]

My preference would be 12 volts - parts are cheaper (commonly - may not be M37 specific) and more readily available at most parts stores. If you're fully re-wirning the truck then I guess its the same amount of work to go either way.

As for gauges, don't feel bad about swapping them out. Having just done so, I replaced mine with a set from Autometer (Z series - black face, black bezel, red pointer and white numbers for the fuel gauge - Autogage for the other 3 gauges - same black bezel, and black face, white numbers, but with a white pointer, which I may paint to match the other). The reason I went this route was it was cheaper; 75 for the Autogage triple guage set, and then 60 for the Autometer fuel gauge - vs almost 400 for a complete set of strictly Autometer gauges. Autogage is manufactured by Autometer, so I'm not sacrificing quality, just selection.

As an alternative to Autometer, both OMIX-ADA and Datcon have a great looking set of black gauges that would fit the "patina" of an M37... Plus the question of accuracy comes up, as who knows how accurate the stock gauges are after 50 or 60 odd years of being bounced around. Don't forget to match the sending unit in the fuel tank to the new guage as well...

Best of luck, I hate wiring at the best of times...

[cuz]

If you have a fully functional 24 volt system and you aren't headed into the Rockies with it then leave it 24.

If you have several 24 volt items dying or dead and don't wish to keep up with the 24 volt Jones next door then by all means go 12.

If you are interested in keeping the resale value up then your market of buyers is about 80% MV buyers who will want all the stock stuff.

Yes the 12 volt stuff is usually easier to find and cheaper but when you add up the cost of an entire set of 12 volt components you'll find that it is a good deal more than what it would cost to have to maintain an existing functional 24 volt system.

[RobertTX]

Are you going with new wires? Remember that a 55 watt 12 volt headlight will use twice the current of a 55 watt 24 volt headlight. Doubling the current on original or old wiring could have negative results.

[Cal_Gary]

I went with 12V. I like the single-wire alternator plus the fact that any 12V electrical part (bulb, fuse, etc.) is readily available if I get stuck out in public....
Gary

[Lifer]

There are valid reasons for both, some of which have already been expressed. I would stay with the 24V system, myself, but I'm a "purist" at heart.