RonA

I must have at least a dozen wires going to each battery terminal. Has anyone seen a subpanel like what we use in buildings except for automotive.
It would be nice to just run a wire from the battery to a subpanel and then hook everything up to it.
Thanks

RonA

j_martin

Typical first gen is an electrical fire looking for a place to happen. Here's my solution to the hairy battery terminal. There's a row of breakers bolted to the inner finder to the left of the picture.


Trailer wiring likewise was a rat's nest. Here's my trailer wiring, fed by a fused 6 gauge wire going to the terminal in the first picture. Truck circuits feed relay coils, which switch fused power to the appropriate trailer circuit. This box is mounted in the frame under the cab.

j_martin

here's another view of the 8 way connector, showing the heavy ground lug beside it.


here's a picture of the 8 point power block, available at Del City.



All to avoid this sort of scene. My friend's 2006 Chevy burned out by a well known heater wiring problem.

bannerd

I need to get you to wire my truck! Looks sweet!

j_martin

Transmission guy's comment on the trailer wiring. "You obviously have way too much time on your hands."

ClassA4x4

8pt power posts and bus bars

VTE warehouse sells them cheaper (half the price) than Del City.

ClassA4x4

Yes, Blue Sea is a popular mfg of panels for marine and RV pplications.

RonA

Went down to the auto parts store just now and they didn't have anything. I'll put on my surfing attire and check out the internet this weekend and see if I can just order it online.

93flatbed

My friend's 2006 Chevy burned out by a well known heater wiring problem.



Guess when that blower motor stopped working on #5 he shoulda went off to the dealership to get if fixed for free under the special policy that he got a letter in the mail about?

j_martin

He didn't get a letter. Dear wouldn't own up to it. He wasn't even aware of what might have happened till I started asking questions about his air conditioning. It had just started acting up about a week earlier.

I think there's gonna be a class action on this one, but I suspect Govm't Motors will duck out of it somehow. This regime gets the best court action money can buy.

rustydiesel

Try West Marine for the fuse box, Ron A.

The trailer wiring is neat and compact, J_Martin, but I would be wary of packing heat-producing relays in that pvc box without a vent. I would install a 3/4" fitting at the top of one side, (whatever side is facing the rear of the trailer), with mesh from a screen door where the cable would normally exit. That way you keep it cooler and critter-free.

dieselJon

Blue sea is what i am looking at.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001P6...ing-goods?is=l

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

ClassA4x4

Go all the way :-) get the one with lighted circuit breakers and digital volt / ammeters.

RonA

If I could find one with 4 circuits at around 30 amps each that would be about right. I need to run 2 FASS fuel pumps and a 30gpm water pump for the intercooler. That would leave me with a spare slot.

RonA

j_martin

Appreciate the concern, but here in the rust belt, salt spray intrusion is a whole lot more to worry about than 8.2W dissipation from the relays if I'm backing up with the lights on and holding the brake. Most of the time it'd be 3.2 W

We build propane bobtail's at Arrow tank, and the control boxes usually have a couple of relays, a couple of solenoids, and usually a radio board. It's in a sealed PVC box smaller than that. Never had a heat problem.