Quick question for those who have modified their firewall to give a clean look. I am wondering if there is a good or a bad place to locate the fuse box and also route the loom out from the inside. I was thinking of blanking off the standard Loom exit point but was wondering where would be best to route it to keep everything clean looking but still be practical. I was thinking of mounting the Fuse panel in the driver side kick panel area then coming out underneath the cab and running the loom along the chassis rail back to lights etc. and forward to the front end and up to Lights etc.

Any advice from anyone who has already done this one?

Cheers
Lee

 

I mounted the FB to the left of the column, on a swinging panel from the dash to the FW. (hinged at the dash). .then I ran the wires up and over the column, down the center of the firewall setback, and out the floor at the tranny cover. (see pic 1, doesn't show after completed )
they split there, one section to the engine, the rest to the drivers side chassis rail, then they split forward and back. they are heat shield protected here (tranny to chassis, chassis forward) due to the proximity of the long tube headers I am using. (see pic 3) (since replaced with aluminized shielded tube) I had welded a small 1/4in angle iron to the floor here with holes to wire tie the wire harness to before finishing the floor.

I had to lengthen the wires to the front lights/horn section. (6 wires, this comes out the front of the chassis behind the roll pan, into a weatherpack waterproof connector, pull front clip without wire disconnect) I replaced those direct circuits with waterproof relays behind the drivers headlight with direct power from the battery (thru a weatherpack waterproof connector, up thru the passenger headlight, across the grill to the drivers side).

engine etc wires come up the back of the engine, thru 2 weatherpack waterproof connectors(unplug and pull engine without wire disconnect), then thru a polished stainless tube, then down the front of the engine. (power, start, fan, oil, coil power, tach, temp, alt sense and feed, choke power, a/c compressor power) (see pic 2)

brake light switch is mechanical under the dash to remove the wires from the chassis and engine bay (altho the master has a builtin port for the switch)

sam

 

Thanks Sam,

Very Nicely done by the way, and I really like the idea of the Weatherproof connectors to allow easy dissasembly. Think I will use that one.

 

the connectors I used (notice i changed the maker name above) I got from here
http://www.ledfoote.com/store/index....b436fb3cdf0db2

they also had the sealed relay kit I used for the lights, and air bag pump
http://www.ledfoote.com/store/produc...roducts_id=214

I used the big 3 outlet connector for the heavy wires, and the smaller 10 outlet connector for the rest (at the engine, and front cowl).

sam

 

I have found that the drivers side becomes very congested and for any future wiring work the steering and brake etc are anyways in the way, if you don’t do a hinged bracket like Sam the passenger kick panel allows a lot more accessibility.

 

ahmen to congested.. add in the A/C vents, and radio, and A/C & Heat... wow.. it gets ugly under there fast.

I had to work on my wipers to pass inspection, and ended up taking the seat out so I could lay on my back..

Sam

 

Oh, one other thing.. water pours onto the bottom of the kick panel from the front wheels in the rain, which is why I selected center of the cab, over the trans..

Sam

 

Yes thats a good tip Old F1, I will have a look at the passenger side alternative. I still have the louvers over there, but will be covering them on the inside with a blank cover as I am fitting an AC/Heater unit behind the glove box on the firewall.

Thanks for the links to the connectors Sam, They actually look like the same ones I have on the Air ride valves so should be able to get over here in the UK too. As I got some a while back to be able to connect the Air Ride technology Valves to a Dakota Digital control unit.

Cheers
Lee

 

Lee,

I also did not want the big old wire harness coming out of the stock location in my 49 (big hole on the upper drivers side of firewall) nor did I want to poke holes in my firewall to mount the fuse block. I fabricatad a bracket that attached to my hanging pedal assy to attach the fuse block too. I routed my harness over to the pasenger side and out down near the bottom. My harness comes out very close to the starter. I routed my harness outside along the frame rail and brought all of the engine wiring (alt, dist, choke, etc) up from the bottom which keeps things pretty hidden.




Bobby

 

No pictures but a buddy of mine has a 56 with the wiring run down through the lower cab corner below the lower door hinge. He drilled a 1 inch hole in the inside cab pocket (I know, hard to visualize without a pic) and then he used flexible plastic coated electrical conduit to route the wiring out into the engine bay. He did this on both sides of the cab and it is one of the cleanest setups I have seen...not to mention that it is bulletproof when considering weather/water and abrasion damage. Fuse panel is mounted behind the driver side kick panel. My truck isn't that far along yet but this is the way that I will be running the wiring.

 

I purchased a 1994 Buick Roadmaster LT-1 engine/4L60E tranny. Along with the wiring harness was the fuse box which looks like I can attach to the right side of the engine, on the inner fender area(1950 F-1). I resently purchased a wiring manual for the engine/tranny/car from ebay so I haven't had time to look at the harness to see what other wiring goes thru the engine area. All the fuse box wiring collects above the engine in the top rear to go thru the firewall. I like the idea of a water proof box in the engine bay as many newer cars do this, and makes it easy to check fuses. Research will tell if it is usable option. I thought I would present the idea. chuck

 

Thanks Bobby,

Yes I have an aftermarket brake pedal assy that I may be able to use in the same way (Firewall Mounted) I was thinking of trying to mount the Clutch pedal off of it too, but I still need to work out what the clutch pedal will be yet. I still havent even decided if it will be a cable or hydraulic.

Do you get any issues with water getting in through the hole if it is out near the wheel well? Or is it behind a shield or panel?

Cheers
Lee

 

Lee,

On my 49 there is a factory hole located just above the tranny cover on the lower portion of the firewall. I assume it was the hole for the emergency brake cable. I don't have any moisture issues with the hole, the harness runs through a grommet. Right now I have bigger issues with water coming in around my windshiled, the ill fitting doors, etc....lol

Bobby