Well I purchased a power distribution box off ebay for $10 that came out of a at the time running 09 Ford Escape. Came with all the Motorcraft relays and fuses.


Problem is though I was going to retrofit this into my truck to go with my 3G alternator upgrade. But just recently I gutted all the wiring out of the power box and the thing is still way too heavy for my tastes.


The method of mounting was going to be a mounting bracket that would "L" off the inner fender on the back side of the battery to allow for easy connections from alternator to mega fuse then from mega fuse to solenoid right behind it.


So I am asking one of two questions.


1) If I were to take and hack this box in to a smaller size eliminating relays I do not need and fuses that I do not need how would one make it look professional as well as resizing the lid to look like it was ment to be like this?


2) If I decide to go with another smaller power box is there any aftermarket ones available? I have been looking at cant find anything. I can find fuse boxes and relay boxes or even mega fuse boxes easily but I cant find a box that has atleast 5 fuses, four relays, and one diode along with a mega fuse to power the box as well as to reduce the number of boxes I would have to mount.






If anyone has any ideas I am open to suggestions. I thought of doing just a mega fuse box on the fender and be done with it but I still want to clean up the headlight relay kit I installed as well as add separate relays for my auxiliary lighting which is currently piggy backed off my high beam relay.

 

I wanted to ask if anyone has used this box before?


Universal Waterproof Fuse Relay Box Panel Car Truck ATV UTV RV Boat 4x4 Marine | eBay


I like the compact size of 3.2 x 1.5 x 2.9 inches. I also could gut it and rewire it where one 20A fuse powers the high beam and low beam relays and use the other fuse for the aux. lights. The final fuse I could use as a diode by grinding the nub off the diode for my three position switch which would be on the ground side for my "Flood/Off/Flood&Spot" positions. Only thing is I would still need to get a separate mega fuse box for my alternator upgrade but in the mean time I wouldn't need it just yet anyways.


I could clean up my engine bay and get rid of that bulky universal headlight relay kit and have a nice plug in relay box for them. I also could use a low profile bolt and mount a megafuse box on the side of this case to clean everything up as well.






I am also looking at the following as well.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Waterproof-Fuse-Relay-Block-Panel-Car-Truck-ATV-UTV-RV-Boat-4X4-Marine-HWB60/181818729720?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131003132420%26meid%3D595e4c74b43f4b6ea2e00ec8e4c46367%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D181835098358

This one is slightly larger than the above at 4.6 x 2.0 x 3.2 inches but it is a do it yourself kit and it will accept diodes already. Down side is it uses micro relays and I don't know enough about micro relays to know if they are durable enough to run headlights let alone auxiliary lighting that would be in combination be pulling 40 to 50 amps alone.

 

I've done a couple of fuse/relay box retrofits on my RX7 and have to say that if you are considering altering the dimensions of the donor box, do yourself a favor and start over. Trying to cut and glue/plastic weld the box and lid smaller introduces a weakness in the structure, and it will never look quite as good as the original due to the seam.

How many fuses, fusible links and relays does your intended application need? Also, something you might consider is having a few extras in the box for future upgrades. It's also handy to have a few extra sockets for spare fuses/relays too. Keep in mind that regular Bosch-type relays can handle 40A, while the smaller Micro Relays are suitable for up to 20A.

Since you're seeking to accommodate 5 relays, 4 fuses and one diode, you'll have a VERY easy time doing this. I had the opposite problem with my RX7 as nearly every fuse/relay box I looked at either had an overabundance of fuses, not enough relays or both. Try checking out a 96-05 Taurus fuse box. i'm not sure of the dimensions, but it should have enough circuits to suit your needs, and has a 175A Mega Fuse on the end for the alternator.

3 40A relays
3 20A micro relays
11 micro fuses
14 Maxi fuses
1 Mega Fuse
3 diodes

What I ultimately selected for my RX7 was originally from a Durango as I needed a TON of relays available to handle the added circuits as well as superceeding all of the original relays to eliminate a branch in the body harness. It was quite a pain in the butt to disassemble, and I had to cut a small notch in the car's radiator core support to fit the cover. I also had to modify it to add a 140A fuse for the Alternator. All of this took awhile to do, but the results were very well worth it. I still have 3 relay sockets open and I'm using only half of the fuse sockets.

To put it over the top, I gave it a new diagram with all of the original circuit information (from the RX-7 Factory Service Manual), all of the new circuit details and some additional items here and there, all with a custom font I made years ago. Gave the Expedition a more evolved version of the labeling treatment, but added relay terminal information in too.