47-59 Fuse block harness advise

[Marty68]

winter is coming. I am planning on putting a wiring harness in my 51. What harness is sugezted? Where did you mount fuseblock? Under factory seat? Under dash? I plan on keeping battery under floor.

[mr48chev]

Brand, that is a big can of worms as a lot of folks have their favorite brand of harness. I'll say that from all the feedback I get you want one with a stellar reputation for a good tech support system. Also one that has clearly marked wires and is said to have good instructions sheets.

I've spent too much time wedging my oversize bod under the dash to reach fuse panels and that quite often comes at inopportune times like when you are on a road trip and it is raining. The under the seat has a lot of appeal but that may cause a wire length issue. A buddy showed me his fuse block mounted on a slide down tray in his street rod a few years ago that made a lot of sense Hinged panel under the dash that hid the wiring if you got down and looked but with unlatching a latch the panel swung down and he could slde the fuse panel out several inches to reach it easily. He said he just left enough wire behind it to be able to pull it down without straining the wires. No photos because that was at a rod trot several years ago.

[mongocanfly]

I hate wiring...I just got thru putting one in my IH...I hate wiring...I used American autowire...i hate wiring...I'll have to say i was well pleased with it...everything is labeled..i went with the hwy15..it had enough circuits to suit my needs... make a list of all your electricals..then contact whoever you buy from and let them recommend what you need..I know there are other brands..but a local rod shop uses only AA...so that's who I went with..
Did I mention I hate wiring?...
As far as mounting the fuse block, you'll just have to find a place to mount it that you like..
That's step 1 in the kit...then you go from there..

[MiraclePieCo]

I've wired a lot of cars and trucks, using about every kit available. Most wiring harnesses are cut to fit under the dash on the driver's side. If you mount them anywhere else you may have to lengthen some wires to reach their accessories. If you want a premium wiring harness I'd recommend Painless - longer wires than most (for more routing options) and stellar tech help. If you want economy, go with one of the Speedway kits. I also like the American Autowire mongocanfly mentioned.

[Jemezcrusher]

I used American aoutwire universal kit (15 circuit I think). I mounted it on the fire wall underthe dash upside down so the main harness was pointing up. Location was just under the hole where the wiring goes through the dash and it worked very well. The only place I had to add any wire was to the right rear tail light. Everything works great. I used a classic update version on my 55 Chevy sedan and do to the ease of identifying wires and the simple instructions I chose AAW for the truck project. Very happy so far

[jwhotrod]

i agree with American autowire, in streetrods we build i like to put the fuse block on the passenger side cowl then if you are on the road looking for a blown fuse your feet are not out in traffic. I also highly recommend you install a mster disconnect switch someplace where you can reach it from the drivers seat, it can save the car in a accident or a electrical fire.

[MiraclePieCo]

Mine:

[layinrocker65]

I’ve used a few AAW. They are great and the service is great. There classic update kit was really easy to install and had plenty of length for me. I will not use painless anymore after receiving back customer service and paying higher prices then what the quality dictates. I bought a Speedway harness for the current project based on price. No comment on install yet but the harness appears to be made of quality parts.

[dsraven]

I like the idea of a hinged panel under the dash. I have worked on a few like that. accessible for quick look see but if work is required the whole panel hinges down. the down side is that extra wire is needed behind there to allow the panel to hinge. also, place a small light near the panel so you can see under there. for me, a light with a magnifying glass attached. lol.
behind the glove box door is a great option if not running a heater or using an a/c unit that requires the removal of the glove box "box".
behind a cosmetically covered kick panel is also high on the list if you have room. not too close to the floor so it gets wet easily.
behind the seat is also nice but requires the seat to be able to move waaay far ahead and also needs longer wiring. it's a great spot for a relay box/strip though.
there are gm cars that use a bracket to mount several relays in a single spot, if using several relays in your harness.
automatic reset circuit breakers are also nice and can be mounted on a strip out of sight.
you may want to ask about how the main fuse box is fed. is it fused from batt supply? since the batt is a fair distance from the fuse panel you may want to have an inline fuse near the battery box. this is what I used in my project. not a fan of the spade style fuses for large load because they don't have a lot of contact surface so they heat up. I have repaired several vehicles with the spade set UP (ATO30 fuse) drawing 30 amps. the fuse box was melted on all of them. best to protect the system with a fuse next to the battery for everything except the starter. figure out the max draw from all the circuits and go with a mega fuse that will support that.

https://www.littelfuse.com/products/...bolt-down.aspx

just some ideas and my thoughts. not worth too much in the big picture.

[jwhotrod]

The megafuse you refer to is an integral part of all of AAW wire harnesses, in fact they just updated the kits to include a double mega fuse to satisfy high amp alternators and heavy draws as you referenced. The insulation and wire marking is outstanding and they instructions are clear and concise. good luck you wont go wrong with AAW products and they are very nice knowledgeable people.

[mongocanfly]

On my IH, I was limited for space and still have the panel accessible ...so I made a drop down bracket for the fuse block..i used a drawer slide to do it..the slide has a locking position but for extra holding, I added a magnet to the bracket...its up under the dash outta sight, and will drop down for service..
I made a pulldown on it for your finger..works good for my truck..

[MiraclePieCo]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

On my IH, I was limited for space and still have the panel accessible ...so I made a drop down bracket for the fuse block..i used a drawer slide to do it..the slide has a locking position but for extra hlding, I added a magnet to the bracket...its up under the dash outta sight, and will drop down for service..
I made a pulldown on it for your finger..works good for my truck..

Super nice! Very clever!

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

On my IH, I was limited for space and still have the panel accessible ...so I made a drop down bracket for the fuse block..i used a drawer slide to do it..the slide has a locking position but for extra hlding, I added a magnet to the bracket...its up under the dash outta sight, and will drop down for service..
I made a pulldown on it for your finger..works good for my truck..

thats a great tip!

[Tempest67]

I used the 14 circuit kit from Kwikwire and mounted it up under the center of the dash, I added a metal shield on top in case the cowl vent leaks

I wasn't sure if I could do it, but the wires are put in 'groups', (engine group, headlight group, tail light group, and dash group), route each group to the correct location, and just start by connecting 1 wire at a time.

Take your time and it's not that bad of a job.

Good luck

[Marty68]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

On my IH, I was limited for space and still have the panel accessible ...so I made a drop down bracket for the fuse block..i used a drawer slide to do it..the slide has a locking position but for extra holding, I added a magnet to the bracket...its up under the dash outta sight, and will drop down for service..
I made a pulldown on it for your finger..works good for my truck..

nice

[Marty68]

Originally Posted by jwhotrod

i agree with American autowire, in streetrods we build i like to put the fuse block on the passenger side cowl then if you are on the road looking for a blown fuse your feet are not out in traffic. I also highly recommend you install a mster disconnect switch someplace where you can reach it from the drivers seat, it can save the car in a accident or a electrical fire.

this was my thought.

[Marty68]

Originally Posted by jwhotrod

i agree with American autowire, in streetrods we build i like to put the fuse block on the passenger side cowl then if you are on the road looking for a blown fuse your feet are not out in traffic. I also highly recommend you install a mster disconnect switch someplace where you can reach it from the drivers seat, it can save the car in a accident or a electrical fire.

this was my thought.

[MiraclePieCo]

Hey Marty, I just came across this truck with the fuse block located under the floor in the old battery hole. Not a bad idea!

[dsraven]

great idea. maybe wanna put a lip around the perimeter of the box and seal it so water can't get in, duct in some heater air, install a drain.....just thinking of weather in MY area.
for my battery box (enclosed area under the truck box) I used a similar idea and installed the drain from the box area of a chevy avalanche. it is a rubber oval with a couple of lips that seal against each other unless there is water collected and then the weight of the water opens the lips enough to drain the water out. same idea as an air filer housing on a farm tractor or some air conditioning units in vehicles. I also need to vent the battery area due to off gassing flammable fumes. haven't got to that yet.
just a thought, maybe your climate is different than mine. we have condensation issues at times.

[Marty68]

Originally Posted by MiraclePieCo

Hey Marty, I just came across this truck with the fuse block located under the floor in the old battery hole. Not a bad idea!

Except may be a moisture issue.

[MiraclePieCo]

Originally Posted by Marty68

Except may be a moisture issue.

It looks like the guy built a sealed box, probably with gaskets or seam sealer where it screws to the floor. But if under-cab moisture is a concern, why would you want to keep your original battery location? They are notorious muck collectors.

[NorCalGal]

I bought the AAW 22 circuit its overkill but better too many than too little. I was told by people that AAW uses copper contacts in fuse block instead of tin.

[dsraven]

I've seen some 4x4s that used a Tupperware style container for their fuse box or junction box to sit inside. The container gets mounted and wiring entering or exiting is sealed with grommets that are sealed with flexible caulking like skylight or window sealer. Some used fittings that seal against the container and have a screwdown compression style nut with rubber packing inside.
Personally, I have wired up a few things that needed to be weatherproof by using plastic weatherproof electrical boxes with sealed lids held on with screws. Wiring entering or exiting goes through the compression style sealed fittings. Works well for buggies or semi trailers etc where the wiring is exposed to water a lot. I have also used plastic air brake line to run wiring inside from light to light or junction box and this keeps the wiring from mechanical damage as well as keeping it dry.

[earl1951]

Ron Francis is my Choice.really like the front loading technology of the Express and Bare Bonz panels