Home Made Secondary Fuse Block

Just made a secondary fuse block. I bought a waterproof container that i used as the housing. I drilled two holes and inserted rubber grommets in the side so wires can go in and out. I then ran a 10 gauge wire from the positive terminal into the box. That ten gauge wire then went to a 12V 40 amp circuit breaker. Then into a 12V 40 amp relay. The relay is powered by a fuse tap that i ran from the original fuse block. I test the slot where i inserted the fuse tap to make sure it only comes on when the truck is turned on. After the 10 gauge wire came out of the relay it then went to a 6 circuit fuse block that i bought at Autozone for $6. I then ran 6 different color wires out of the fuse block into the cab of my truck. I drilled two new holes and inserted grommets so i can run the wires into my cab. So now i have no more mess of wires. Each add on has its own color wire. The fuse block only turns on when the truck turns on and automatically turns off when the truck is turned off. And its water proof. All for a total cost of $16. How do you guys think i did?

 

looks pretty good

 

whoa that's muddy! Good to see none of your wiring got dirty

 

nice, but you really need to clean your engine bay thats nasty

 

Thanks, and yes i do need to clean my engine bay. Im just scared to use a hose on it. I think im going to try and do it by hand first and see how it comes.

 

Nice work!, I would have used something bigger then 10 gauge wire for power, But I guess that depends what your running off the fuse block.

 

Nice Job!

Well on a Cold engine, spray it down with simple green, let it soak in for a bit(I usually clean out my interior, vacuum and armorall everything) and then I spray down the engine with a garden hose. I've been doing it for years with no problem.

 

I agree with the Simple Green. I worked in a wash bay at a dealership years ago and thats what we used to clean everything except the windows. Spray it, let it sit, spray it off, repeat if needed....beautiful.

 

I installed this aux fuse box a few years ago, it's holding up nicely so far.

 

Nice Job Mikey!

I've been thinking about something similar, just haven't found the right parts yet. The relay add-in is very cool!

 

Very good and inexpensive!

I have a question. Your 40A relay in the waterproof box...It has a wire that runs to the factory fuse box... What is being used to sense the "ON" condition?

Thanks.

 

The empty fuse slot that i inserted a fuse tap from is only powered when the vehicle turns on. I used a voltage tester to test what one comes on as the truck turns on. After testing a few that were on all the time i found one that only was powered when the vehicle was on. I inserted the fuse tap into that slot ran it to the relay and then the wire that comes out of the relay grounded. Now the relay turns on when the truck turns on. Only giving power to the secondary fuse block when the truck is on. Does that explain it?

 

MikeyD, I was unaware of any switched power inside the fuseblock area. I'm going to PM you so you can possibly clarify for me. This would come in very handy for a lot of other mods.

 

Hope the PM i sent you helped

 

Thanks im going to have to try this soon. My engine bay is in need of a washing badly.