"quick start for old Fords"

[rob love]

If the starter circuit is dragging the battery down to 4 volts, then what is the voltage at the coil after going through the resister in the normal set-up?

Personally, I just use a second battery (12 volt) which hooks to the starter only and does not get re-charged by the vehicle. The 12 volts runs through the solenoid which is activated by the 6 volt starter circuit.

On my UC, I can stand outside the carrier, tap the starter button for about 1 second, and the carrier will sit there and purr. Likely a sign of a too-rich carb, but I can live with it.