Show off your aux fuse panels.

Can you provide a link to the switch pro?

 

If the fuse block is 12” away from the battery, is it necessary to run a circuit breaker? Since every accessory is fused individually? Wouldn’t the fuse block itself have to go bad for the short to reach the battery? Just curious

 

1. Convenience
do you want to disconnect your battery to wire in a new mod?

2. safety
the breaker is to protect the wiring going to the block and the block itself. it out definitely possible to pull 200+ amps continuous through even a small aux panel without overloading any single fused circuit.

 

Thanks!

 

..... and done!!! Super happy with how it came out. Now on to the grill and lights!

 

Those Pelfreybuilt panels look sweet but how the heck do you get into the stock fuse box since the hasp is now buried? I made mine specifically to allow for my short fingers to get at it.

 

Hoping the likelihood of having to get in there is minimal! That said, I have skinny hands. I’ll poke around in there soon and see what the best way to access it is... probably loosening it up and tilting it (or something like that!)

 

The issue with them is that they're designed to be universal for each AT and MT trucks. The ATRAC trucks have more room because there's no booster so you can push the panel back further - there's more room to reach the fuse box.

My experience with the MT bracket was less than ideal with my truck... the edge is resting directly on the ATRAC/ABS controller so that was money down the drain.

 

After reading 31 pages I have some questions for guys building their own mounting plates. I think I have the electrical part down and planned but am curious about the mounting plates.

1) Are you making the bends and cuts yourself?
1.1) If so is steal or aluminum the preferred? I can see how steel might be cheaper/stronger but a little more difficult to bend/cut.

2) How thick is too thick to bend with a table vice and some 2x4s?
I was thinking 14 gauge steel, will that be thick enough to hold the weight without a support leg going down to the wheel well? Or could I go with something thinner and easier to bend, then add the support leg?

3) I don't currently own any metal cutting tools. I am planning on buying an angle grinder/cut off wheel for this and future projects. Would a dremel be a wiser purchase?

4) Can you get the rubber grommets at local home improvement stores? eg: lowes/home depot?

 

While I haven't made specifically one of THESE plates, I do a lot of fab work with metal.

1) When I get around to doing mine, I'll do it myself.
1.1) I will opt for aluminum or polycarbonate for mine, but based on this question (especially the wild assumptions at the end), would recommend steel for you, or just purchasing a premade plate.
In general, the 'run of the mill' steel you'll find at HD/etc will be soft and take bends very well, cuts well with angle grinders, standard metal drill bits will drill it, etc. Sand and paint when you're done. Aluminum stress hardens/can crack during bending if you're not adept at doing so with heat-treat, or using very particular alloys that bend nicely (These tend to cost quite a bit). On the upside, it doesn't continually corrode or require painting, and can weigh less in certain uses. But the tooling to cut it will cost more.

2) Depends on how nice you want it. Consider stopping by harbor freight for an 18in metal brake. It'll handle 14ga mild steel a few times at least. How much weight exactly are you putting on it, with how much distance? If you're custom-making it, these things are going to change and so this answer will also change. If you're worried about stiffness, but are already bending sheet steel, overcut 'tabs' on every edge, and bend them downward to make an inverted 'tray'. This will add way more stiffness than a simple leg will. Also consider two much thinner sheets with a piece of heat-resistant melamine or other fire-safe, stiff, low density material sandwiched between them. This makes an insanely rigid structure, and you only need some glue to attach the facesheets and core material.

3. I couldn't imagine trying to do this with just an angle grinder, unless you're going with surface-mount everything. A jigsaw and a drill/drill bits would do better.

4. Yes.

 

Probably should have prefaced that I already have a drill for the round holes but no cut off tool for straight cuts. I think I could cut the outside edge to match the area in the engine bay with an angle grinder, but cutting the holes to flush mount the 100amp fuse I wasn't sure if a small angle grinder would work better or if a dremel would work better.

I am planning a 100 amp fuse, blue seas 12 circuit with negative bus, and for start 5 relays with a single terminal for quick disconnect for future additions.


The last time I worked with metal was high school shop class and that was more welding than working with sheet.

*Edit* I guess a brake is cheaper than a vice and I dont have a great place to mount a vice. Might have to pick up one of those brakes.

 

I cut mine with by drilling the corners and connecting them with a metal blade in a jig saw but if I had to chose between a dremel and a 4" grinding wheel I'd probably use the grinder undercutting a tad then grinding to the line. A C-clamp or spring clamp will hold it just fine. I purchased some scrap aluminum that already had bends in it and worked around those to cut my plate along with a support and a few other brackets. Bussman plate at the top, aux center console fuse panel/air manifold brackets next piece.

I cut/bent the side down to make room for an additional breaker or relays.

I decided against a recessed breaker with connections on the bottom because I want the unfused side of the breaker where I can see/cover it. The Bussman connection I can deal with by opening the breaker.

Grommets are available at orchard, lowes, hd, lots of places as well as Amazon. A grommet with a 1/2" opening fits an 11/16" hole. They're made to fit 1/16" thick plate but might fit 1/8" thick with a 3/4" hole.

 

If I was picking between an angle grinder and dremel, I'd go angle grinder and skip flush mounting.

I might mention though, that if you have wood tools (tablesaw, router, etc), you can cut a limited amount of aluminum with finish-type wood blades (although negative angled tcg blades with carbide faces work much better for much longer). Not to talk you out of new tools.

 

I know I will need an angle grinder for more than just this project in the future so that is on the list for sure. I used my dads for years cutting stuff when I was younger but now that I moved away from where my parents live I don't have easy access his plethora of tools.

 

Having a hard time wrapping my head around a few issues here. Here is the info below. Can’t figure out all the connections between the rocker and relay. Bottom right switch pin (lower LED) will go to fuse tap (panel) so only lit up when lights are turned on. Understand the grounds. What is not clear is power to two accessories (light bar and pair of LED lights on front). Which wire do you use to connect the accessories (from the switch or from the relay?) and how do the remaining power wires get configured (I have a Blue Seas box in the engine bay)? Want upper LED only to be lit when I am using the accessory.



5 Pin Dual LED Rocker Switches

· Top two blades are grounds (ground all switches to common ground inside chassis)

· Middle pin is power in (this comes from relay through firewall)?

· Left bottom pin is power out to relay?

· Right bottom pin is lower LED lights (run to dimmer/panel)


Relay Switches

· Constant power (fused) to relay from battery (Pin #30) Understand this one

· Ground for relay (Pin #85)

· Power to switch (Pin #86) trigger wire

· Power out to accessory (Pin #87) (Not 87A)?

Appreciate some help please.

 

A relay has two circuits in one package, one has the switch to power it and a ground wire, this turns on the relay coil. The other gets power from the fuse block and feeds the accessory when the coil is activated. That's for a 4-pin relay. The wierd 30-87, 85-86 numbers get confusing. 87 vs 87a is for a 5-pin relay where the relay toggles between two functions, with the relay switch off pin 87a is hot, with the switch on 87 is hot. If you are simply using a 5-pin relay for on-off then ignore 87a but cap it since its hot when the switch is off.

 

What's the best way to cap the unused 87a if you are using 5pins for o/off only?

Shrink wrap around the exposed end or wire nut on the end?

 

If you're just plugging spade connectors on then just heat shrink it(preferrable with adhesive lined). If you're using a 5-pin connector plug then pull that spade connector from the plug.

 

The quickest would be to shove an insulated female spade connector with no wire on it.

 

I get how it works and know 87a is capped off. My question is how do these specific points on the relay and switch (the ones with the red questions marks) get wired. Which wire (from the relay or from the switch) goes to the accessory as a lot of guides note that either one can.

5 pin Rocker Switch
· Middle pin is power in (from the battery or from the relay)?
· Left bottom pin is power out to relay (does it attach to relay)?

Relay Switch
· Power out to accessory (Pin #87)?