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Has anyone done a conversion from a 12 volt system back to a 24 volt system? I would be interested in the cost and any eventual problems encountered. It looks like everything from the distributor, generator, starter and VR to the wiring harness would need to be replaced. If one follows the TMs and wiring diagrams, I assume it should be a pretty straight forward task. Right?

Never done it. Day dream about it. Waiting on winning the lottery.

Yes.....pretty straight forward job.
All that you said plus 24v light bulbs all the way around --- and 2 batteries from there on out.

And somewhere about $1,500 to $2,000 bucks ought to do it.

You didn't say -----> M38? M38A1?

Let us know how it goes!

Good luck!

Depends on what all was removed to convert it to 12 Volts. While the major 24V items can be costly, the small items will be just as bad. I would advise taking inventory of what you have and what you need. For example, do you still have the double groove (original) crankshaft pulley, same with the water pump, original generator bracket, correct front engine plate, Voltage regulator splash shield, VR bracket with the rubber pads and of course the original blackout lights front and rear, hopefully they were left and only the light bulbs were changed.
The change back to 24V is going to be costly if you plan on just ordering what you need. Between the price of the parts and shipping, you will most likely never do it!!! If you are committed to making the swap back to 24V, I would suggest going to military swap meets near you and ferret out what you need. most of the time they just want to get rid of it (they most likely converted to 12V) and you can get a good price on what you need. That is how I did it and I do not have thousands $ invested in swapping back to 24V. While you are at these swap meets, there are plenty of people that will talk to you about what you need and you can see what your vehicle needs as there are many examples to look at and take pictures off. Keep us informed!!

Add one of these 24v Adapter Kits to the list: http://willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules.php? ... ht=adapter

Also need 24v gauges and senders (fuel level, oil pressure, engine temp, and ammeter or voltmeter).

Give us a little more info to help with our replies!


1 - M38, M38A1 or M170?
2 - Returning to factory stock?
3 - Converting to modified 24V? IE with alternator instead of heavy DC generator. Many civvy vehicles run on 24V and use the lighter weight civvy alternators offered by Prestolite/Autolite, Ford and Delco.
4 - Or if a radio jeep perhaps you are thinking converting to military 60 Amp or 100 Amp DC kit options
5 - Or possibly military one wire heavy 24V 60A alternator system?

And you’ll most likely need a wiring harness.

Hasn't been back. Might have scared him off?

I still think to do this job today would run north of $1,500 easily.

Like a lot in this labor of love hobby -----> if you have to ask what it costs, you can't afford it.

i was fortunate to start with an unaltered 24v system on my M38 build. During the build there were 3 or 4 other builds in progress and we all got together from time to time swapping this for that in needed parts. I was able to acquire a spare starter, genny, VR, dist etc. At that time (about 15 yr ago) , doing mutual swaps with like minded fellows it was not a bank breaker to stock what i consider "essential spares".