After starting this project, I completely agree. If that FL hadn't gone bad, I wouldn't have ever thought of doing this. In reality, this is a real PITA to do, because these MAXI fuse holder are 8 GA wire, and mating them up to a pair of 14 ga wires, or a single 14 sucks.

Now that I'm half way through, I have to finish it out, I guess. It's either that or go out and buy new fusable links like the OE had there and forget these fuses. I wish I never started this...

Oh well...

If my truck burns up, I'll go buy a ford.... and swap the engine in it..



Wire to alternator that now goes to the mega fuse below it.

 

Well after a total of 14 hours. I guess it was meant to be...

Fabricating new ends on the 4ga wire I bought



so they look like this..



These were extremely helpful for attaching the 8 ga to the 12, 14 and 16 wire


I crimped and soldered them.

 

Well, the truck runs, didn't catch fire, and the radio works, so I guess I'm good, eh ? I just need to replace that bolt where the junction is with a real post block I ordered online, as they're not available locally. I put fuse labeling on the tops of each fuse cap, but it didn't turn out in the picture, so I posted the clearest photo I had of the completed work. I put 30's and 40's in there, and I have the 60 amp fuse for the grey wire, should the need arise. I figured if it worked on 40 amp unit, why put a 60 ? We'll see. My headlights are on separated Jim Lane relays, so I don't think I need the 60amp fuse.



This is the little bugger that caused it all. I wrote up a diagram of what wires went where, and how the fuses related, so if I ever wanted to switch back, I have a cheat sheet to do so....

 

The plan I always had in my head if I had to do away with the fusible links on a first gen was to cut the "splitter" off the main cable, crimp on a cable lug, and attach it to a single post junction stud like this:

Then attach an inline fuse between the stud and each wire after removing all the fusible links.
Looks like you ended up with a similar plan. It should work well.

 

I sort of did just that, except instead of using that feed wire from the battery to a post, I went directly to the new Mega fuse in the back, so that the original configuration of the 6ga line from battery to alternator remains the same, except now it's fused by a 125amp mega fuse (back drivers side Mega). I ran a secondary 4ga cable from that feed post on the mega back forwards to the temporary bolt and connected it to those cable lugs I brazed onto the wires out of the fuse holders. I don't have a crimper that heavy duty, so brazing was how I chose to connect. It's Essentially the same thing you're talking about, just a little different routing.

That's the post I just ordered from Ebay. I saw it in one of the other threads about fusable links. I've temporarily put a bolt in there where all those wires meet the main wire that powers them off of the feed from the battery to the Mega Fuse. I wrapped it in tape for now, but supposedly I'll have it by thursday to replace the bolt.

I ordered mine in black, but there were some really nice stainless units with a boot as well for twice the money. (141244953073) Amazon has them too, but I haven't bought anything from ebay in a while, so I figured I'd bump my score up another greenie

 

Looks good to me. No more time bomb

 

Haven't dealt with the fusible links yet, but this is the way I cleaned up the rest of the haywire around the battery. I put a 14g mounting plate behind the battery, and put a multi-circuit post on it. All the auxiliary circuits added to this trailer tower go to that plate. The single ground stud is a convenient and secure termination for auxiliary circuit grounds.

The heavy (6G) wires go to this project.

Fusible links will be a gang box of maxi-fuses and one Mega-fuse.

Most of the parts are available at Del City.

 

The post came in and I finished up the mess..

 

Since you have become my idol with f/L's, here is a question for ya!

Have you figured out which link goes to the AMP meter? I have a 89 D350 gasser and a 78 Magnum that don't show anything on the gauge.

For now, a morning check with the DMM works, but a new VOLT gauge may be in the future. Just trying to keep the dash panel OEM.

 

Wow, that's really sad.... 27 years with the same woman, and she's never, ever said anything as nice as that to me....


I would use a test light, or a meter, and through process of elimination to see which one wasn't actually passing voltage, I would temporarily splice it back together, and see if the meter worked. Either that or have the car burn up..


I'm sure J. Martin will chime in, as he seems to be the resident electrical expert here. (in all seriousness)

 

It's getting downright syruppy around here.

Ammeters haven't been in general use since alternators started to put out real current, like over 30 amps. It's a voltmeter, and runs off the ignition switch fused feed to the instrument cluster. If everything else in the cluster works, the gauge itself, or the printed circuit and solder joints related to it in the instrument cluster are bad.

Another reason they went to voltmeters is that the voltage will stay within a fairly narrow range over a wide variety of conditions. An ammeter varies widely depending on conditions, and it takes some understanding to interpret the reading. Drivers aren't expected to be that educated these days.

 

Yea, I figure it is the meter in each of them. The 78 sat for 20+ years. The 89 has a hydraulic/electric dump. 4 tons and the meter pegged....

All other gauges in each work fine as well as indicator lights.

Think I'll pull the gauges on the 89 and take a look. The 78, it will be the devils nightmare to pull it. I know things will break, and there are NO replacement parts for it.

 

Don't bother then. Hang an aftermarket voltmeter somewhere and hook it up.

 

Whadda ya mean??

I saw a red thingy lighty thingy on my flat plastick area behind the gizmo that I turn the car with, and I ignored it like I do everything else.


I'm so confused by what ya said. Where is my smart phone so I can text someone else figure it out... Darn, I wish I had GPS in my hand so I could find my smart phone...

 

Ha ha!

If one actually used their cognitive processes and some logic - then how would the lawyers make their BMW payments?