Fuse panel

J

jaguar6165

Senior Member
Has anyone installed a fuse panel in their A? I was thinking about doing one in mine i am but was wondering if anyone had any pics or diagram of the wiring setup.
 
I just did that last week. My 28 tudor is a driver so I'm more concerned about driveability, reliablity,and safety than I am about keeping it totally original. I mounted a 6 circut fuse panel just to the left of the steering column on the inside of the firewall. I got stop lights and turn signals on one fuse, head lights&tail lights on another,power port to plug in a GPS. That leaves me 3 open spots on the panel for anything in the future. The ignition circut will run off of the after market fuse mounted on the starter. I will be running a 12V negitive ground altenator. I got a 3rd stop light mounted in the back also that I got of ebay for six bucks. I know that might sound like over kill, but you would be surprised how many people run right up to your bumper to see what your driving.
 
Fuse Block
 

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Hey, Jaguar6165, come out to the ranch on the 21st. for
the club meeting and you can see the fuse block and the
wiring installation in person. See you there!

Jack :)
 
I decided it was a good idea to shelter mine safely inside the car. After several radiator failures and rain events under the hood, I have been glad to have minimized exposure of my electrical connections. And, believe it or not, I don't like to unnecessarily advertise my car's non-authenticities. It's pretty much out of sight on the inside firewall above the pedals.

You may be able to make out the relay for my brake lights. I was forced to go to with that after burning out several stoplight switches (hydraulic brakes). You can also see the wiring diagram rolled up and tucked up by the relay, although it wouldn't be much help to anyone but me. I also have the traditional big fuse by the starter motor and another up by the alternator. I've smoked a lot of wiring over my career and am trying to never do it again.

Steve
 

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I went to the modern blade fuses when the fuseholder on the glass fuse
started to show signs of wear, and the fuse no longer fit snugly in the
holder. Also, the fuse block allows me a place to store extra fuses.
another thing I like is that I can run the tail lights and the wiper fuse
seperate from the main fuse. that way I can "rob Peter to pay Paul" if the
main fuse fails. I might not have tail lights to get the car home, but at
least I can keep the car going if I have to borrow the fuse. Having just
one fuse to run everythng kind of scares me. Besides all of the above,
the wiper fuse needs to be a lower amperage than the traditional 30 amp
calls for. JMHO

Jack
 
Peter J ~ In answer to your inquiry about the diagram,
here is the simplified version.

The wire on the bottom of the block goes to
the starter switch.

One wire goes to the terminal box.

One wire goes to the generator/or alternator.

Any additional wires and associated fuses go to
accesories of choice.

DISCLAIMER: This information, as given, pertains to my
car only, and is not meant to be construed as an official
instruction for anyone using this site. This is a set up that
works for my car, and that is all that it is intended to be.
JMHO

Jack
 
Good for you! This is just one example of why there should be more
young fellers in the club. Old codgers like me have a hard time crawling
around and under the antiques. :)

Jack
 
Steve s: Care to elaborate on why so many smoked wires? Don't understand how you burn out stop light sw's w/hyd brakes, sw usually mounts on M/C and yes they do fail, many guys get a sw from harley dealer, much better luck w/them
Paul in CT
 
1931 flamingo said:
Steve s: Care to elaborate on why so many smoked wires? Don't understand how you burn out stop light sw's w/hyd brakes, sw usually mounts on M/C and yes they do fail, many guys get a sw from harley dealer, much better luck w/them
Paul in CT
Click to expand...

Paul,

I've had that car since high school in 1960 and used to hook up lots of stuff--heater, radio, extra horn and lights--without having any idea what I was doing. Smell of smoke was often my first signal that something was wrong. Even though nowadays I think I know what I'm doing, I still wind up popping my share of fuses, but at least the car is not disabled or burned up.

The pressure activated stoplight switch compatible with silicone brake fluid, used with my Cling brake conversion, had a marginal current capacity. After burning out two of them, I finally got out of denial, and broke down and accepted the manufacturer's recommendation to buy their relay. The switch then only carries the tiny switching current, not the full current to lights. No more problems--that was about 10 years ago so I'm a bit fuzzy on details. I think it was related to the silicone compatibility--never had a problem with the old V8 master cylinder/switch and DOT3.

Here's a picture of us (and my little brother and sister) back in the day, at the absolute bottom of the learning curve.

Steve
 

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steve s: Thanks for the update. Now I understand, been there done that but only a couple of times, now disc batt when working on electrical.
Paul in CT
 
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