Bussmann Bracket for 1st Gen Manual Trans

Hey TW! I've been building out a 1st gen regular cab (2.7 4x4 MT) for the past year. I've lurked here during my build and maybe this will be helpful to somebody. One of the problems that I ran into is that, while Bussmann mounting brackets for ATs are out there, it seems that nobody makes and stocks a 1st gen MT bracket.

The problem with the MT is that the clutch fluid reservoir is in the way of where these brackets typically mount (open space to the rear of the battery and OEM fuse box). As a result you don't have much room to work with compared to the relatively roomy area in the AT truck shown below.



I mocked up the area with a piece of cardboard and worked up a drawing in freeware CAD, excuse the watermarks. The bracket has mounting points for a single Bussmann 15305-2-2-4 RTMR panel (Waytek P/N 46343), two Blue Sea Systems 2304 100 amp 5-gang terminal blocks with 10-32 mounting holes (Waytek P/N 78255), and one Blue Sea Systems 5005 ANL fuse block holder (Waytek P/N 78159). Here's the plans if anybody wants to replicate them:



There's a great thread somewhere else on how to build out the panel itself, so I won't go into those details. Here is the completed RTMR ready to be mounted into the bracket. For this bracket design, the Blue Sea bus bars are mounted directly to the RTMR from the bottom (the screw holes line up perfectly). Nuts can then be used to secure the entire assembly to the bracket, and excess threads are cut off.



I had a friend with a CNC mill help me out with the bracket, which was made from 1/8" aluminum flat stock. Thanks, Eric! The bracket turned out awesome. You could probably have these laser cut with your local fabricator; I just happened to know somebody with access to a mill.



You'll note that the angled mounting point is way too long, and doesn't have a hole. I did this intentionally since I wanted to measure, drill, and re-bend if necessary at the time of install.



Once I located the bracket in the truck, I chopped the rest of the "neck" off and drilled a mounting hole in the bracket and the truck by hand. The most difficult part of the project was that there isn't good access to the back of the mounting hole (this section can be accessed from the wheel well, but is boxed in). The sheet metal is too thin for threads, and I didn't want to cut a hole in the frame of the truck, so I wound up fishing in a nut taped into a ratcheting box end wrench. After about an hour of frustrated finagling the wrench through a factory cutout with my fingertips, I finally got the threads to catch and got it tightened down. I guess this bracket is now a permanent feature of my truck! This is a weakness of my design, and something I would re-consider in my bracket design if I did this job again.

With the install complete, all I had to do was plug in my accessories! Definitely a really nice alternative to fuse taps or a rat's nest tied in directly to the battery. I've been lurking here for a year now while building my truck out, and this forum is by far one of the most helpful resources I've ever used...you guys are great! Hopefully this write-up helps somebody else with a 1st gen MT!

-B

 

Welcome to Tacomaworld; awesome first post. This seems like an application where a nutsert (aka rivnut) would be useful.

 

Yes, that would have worked really well. I'll keep that one in my back pocket for the future!

 

Well done!
Too bad that doesn’t work for the early Tacoma’s

 

Yeah is that the charcoal canister in that spot? Nice s/c BTW

 

Yes, the 1996-2000 I believe have it under the hood and 2001-2004 is by the gas tank

 

That's super clean, well done. Nice ninja edit of having the master cylinder changed from pic one to pic 4, I was about to recommend you flush your brake fluid

 

I would say it’s a bit dirty hehe

 

Thanks! Yes, the fluid in that truck is nasty. I can't recall where I found that image, but definitely not my truck; just a photo of a bracket in an AT for comparison. I should have been more clear.