DIY - Build and install a Bussmann RTMR Fuse/Relay Block

I sort of hinged the tray so I could more easily get to the connectors. I put in a leg down to the rear oem fuse box mount on the fender and notched my tray holes to be able to slide the fender side up and off. I couldn’t see being able to get under it to plug anything together otherwise. For me it was less about fitting the panel and more about fitting the fan of wires coming from it.

 

I'm having a tough time picturing the support leg you mentioned or why the fender side (black plastic piece?) needs to come off. Probably obvious once I have a visual. I didn't see it in your build thread, but I'm guessing you've posted it in this thread (or the aux panel thread) before?

 

My tray is 1/16” aluminum so the leg just takes some strain off the fender side. It’s an afterthought as are the slotted holes so they’re not shown anywhere. It lets me flip the tray up and push connectors together then drop the tray back down again.

 

See if I can do this.

I have it mounted so it sits as high as possible. You can see the leg at the left end facing you. There’s a 1/4” thick aluminum plate bolted to the fender with another 1/8” plate attached to it. The 1/8” plate has the slots. Against the fender are my 2-40A relays and peeking over the top of the foreground side are the fuse holders for two 40A fuses. Breaker just left of those and neg buss bars underneath. You can also see how I cut down the oem neg battery clamp to work on the Xscorpion clamp. Still have a couple wires to transfer.

 

I never thought of raising the mount itself. Brilliant idea! I appreciate your photos. They are a ray of light poking through the end of the tunnel.

I removed 2 of the fused accessory leads and then rerouted...everything. I swapped internal busbars for the ground (was on the right, when looking at the bottom, matching OP's guide) because I was nervous about all the ground cables running near the powered busbar post. I used that opportunity to get more creative with routing and spacing. I haven't test fit it yet to see if I actually improved anything but if nothing else, it was a fun puzzle. Also my fingers hurt from pulling and pushing on the wires.

I think I've alleviated all the concerns I have as an amateur electrical dude. Things like vibrations rubbing cables bare and causing shorts, or routing sucking, or rubbing against something, etc. Do you see anything else that is worth another look?

 

No problems per se but two things I did differently were I made my connector wires in different lengths so the connectors themselves aren’t all in the same place. The other is just as tacozord in that the switch trigger wires are routed in the jumper “tunnel” so they’re already gathered as the come out the end. Yours looks super clean. Nice work so I hope you can work with it.

 

Yes - agree. For minor stuff and 30amp stuff - the bussman's work well. Bussman's in and of themselves are just there for customized 30a lights - nothing really heavy like a winch or a compressor as far as sheer amps is concerned.

But - they do the job well for switches - which is why I like them. For the 30+ and up stuff, there are other options, but I'm that person who is *always* trying to go and do the impossible. My friends all call my truck a 'pavement princess' since I never take it on the dirt. They used plastic lines for the ARB front and rear lockers - I went with full copper lines. Why? Because - I COULD - and that's 100% me - it's more a labor of love and I want it to look completely crazy as hell that anyone would go to that level of effort. Do I need to do that? No. I could go cheap - but then I'd feel like there was no challenge.

 

For anyone with an Off Road trim considering an RFRM...don't plan on a clean install on the driver's side. I settled on 10 relay and 5 fused circuits and was able to squeeze things in with creative (but visible) routing. Test installed it just now. Nothing exploded and it powered up a ditch light. Just have to clean it up with wrapping, heat shrink, zip ties, etc then install permanently. Oh, and start wiring up the accessories.

No pictures because it's dark out but I'll take some when the job nears completion. What a journey. Overall fun. If had to do it again, I'd probably settle for the RTMR or opt for a passenger side install
Even considered putting it in the bed but decided against it because routing accessory and relay wires would be a pain.

 

I advocate using a few smaller panels strategically located, like a main and sub panels in a house. Our trucks already do this.

 

For sure. I envision myself redoing this with an RTMR once I have an idea of how many connections I actually need. Already thinking about an RTMR for the bed.

 

I need to post some updated pictures in the other thread. I already put together a second rtmr for the bed even though it’s a bit of overkill they’re so compact it makes sense anyway even if I only use half of it. Photobucket was problematic for awhile so I haven’t updated my build thread either in some time.

 

I look forward to additional sources of inspiration.

 

Could one use a fused location on the RFRM to supply switch power vs using an add-a-fuse? Is the juice worth the squeeze in this way?

 

It depends on whether you want always hot or ignition hot switches. You can get either from an interior panel add-a-fuse or just always hot from the rfmr. If your rfmr is on an HD relay you’ll still need a switch and power for that anyway. I left my panel always hot and choose which relays are also always active by how I power the individual switches.

 

That makes sense, thank you. I'm leaving mine always hot. I was gonna make a harness for switch power and the switch led and ground and could add another wire to give me access to hot and ignition hot power for the switches.

 

damn man my bad, totally forgot and haven't been on here since. better late then never I guess lol. if anyone uses these, double check the flange angle required. I made the angle too acute and it didn't come out perfectly flat, which was a huge pain during install --

forum won't let me upload DXF or OBJ but here's some PDFs

 

Indeed better late than never, as I've since finished the project but may come back later to make things tidier. Thanks for the files. Are you able to include measurements?

 

thankful for this thread and bookmarked

haven't had the chance to fully read yet but if I may ask,
why not put an existing kit instead of making one? Is it just as good?
I understand DIY may be cheaper.
Or maybe at the time of inventing DIY; the aftermarket kit did not yet exist?

by that I mean the Overland Equipped bracket ($70) designed to hold Blue Sea fuse board ($80) and kill switch breaker ($100)
= approx $250+ total, but possibly more easy to install/"plug and play"; maybe with even straightforward instructions included

Are they bad?
I don't think the Overland Equipped bracket holds relays, but I imagine that can be added if needed, or the relays can mount elsewhere. I have one extra relay so far, the maker of which advised I simply screw it into the inner firewall sheetmetal part of the fender area.

Have been thinking of doing the aux mod to clean up wiring. I seem to have too much shit gathering on the positive battery terminal and ground bolt @ fender firewall

So far the components I've added (which may become more in the future) is:
-Matt Gecko underhood LED
-upgraded headlight harness from Headlight Services
-rear aux backup lights
I forget what else; there may be one more thing.



I have SDHQ billet battery terminals which have more points on them to bolt to, but still, it's starting to get ugly

 

The process of learning how to put it together can be instrumental in many other mods you might do and while kits are handy when they fit your needs there are many instances when they don’t. Also, knowing how a system was built means you can repair it if it sustains damage, something that sometimes happens to moving vehicles. It’s not that other set ups are bad, each has pros and cons. For me it was a combination of small size and sealed relays, for the money nothing else comes close. If all you need is a fuse panel then Blue Seas is comparable in size but once you start adding relays the RTMR shows how much more capable it is. Spods are also small but much more expensive. There’s demand for each of them as well as other choices so it’s more a case of pick the one that suits your needs best.
R.E. the battery clamps, I kept the stock pos and went with an Xscorpion negative. All my auxiliary power comes from the Bussman and I only needed an extra lug position on the neg side which the stock clamp didn’t provide.

 

I hear what you are saying and found myself in a similar boat. I had already bought the OE panel before I found this thread, which is awesome BTW. I used this thread to learn and understand what I wanted to do. DIY in this case is not cheaper because of the investment of tools, time, materials, etc. but as the OP and others point out; the knowledge and ability to apply what you’ve learned in future projects is what makes it worth it.

Not trying to funnel traffic to my build, but in your case I feel like it might be helpful since we have seemingly similar setups/goals:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/roof-walkers-lunar-rock-pro.729322/page-2#post-27319161