IROCZman15

iTrader: (25)

Hey fellas, I've done plenty of searches on this forum as well as across the internet. I was thinking about calling MAD electrical next week, but in the meantime, perhaps someone here can help guide me along.

I am going to be relocating my Optima RedTop 75/25 battery to the back of the car, inside the spare tire area. I have bought and partially installed the metal Taylor box model #48200, which complies with NHRA safety rule 8:1.. in that it is sealed and will be vented once I drill the vent hole. It it currently just mocked-up in place so I can get an idea of the length of my cables. It is not bolted to the "frame" of the car because we don't have a "frame" actually back there, but it is bolted to two side brackets that are connected to the sheetmetal, AND it has two long 3/8" threaded rod through bolts connecting to the underside sheetmetal at the bottom of the spare tire well using large washers underneath. it is already very solid, and its only hand tight as of now. I will post photos later. thoughts?

The next area I have to handle is the battery disconnect switch. This car will be a street/strip/autocross car and I do want the switch to be mounted in the passenger tail-light (black panel by license plate) and I want it to be the type of switch that you turn (not a push/pull handle). My questions arise about the type and capacity of the switch :
-Should it be a 4 pole switch or the 2 pole switch? The car has an 1 wire alternator (Powermaster Model #37802) which produces 140 amps max and 95 amps idle.
- is a high capacity/weatherproof switch the type I need? such as the Longacre # 52-45791 switch ? max amps and continuous amps seem to fall within parameters? or longacre 52-45783 ? the car is a street car so weather and water might exist so i am thinking the "weatherproof" version is worth the extra $10
- http://www.longacreracing.com/produc...---4-Terminal-
- I want a switch that has a "dress plate" like the one above for a cleaner install, but on the inside of the car, will I need to drill a big 3" hole in the sheetmetal in order to feed the thick wires to the back of the switch, or is the switch housing long enough that it will protrude past the inner sheetmetal. (I will be installing the oem black panel over everything when its completed, but was just curious if I should plan on cutting a huge hole to route the wires to the backside of the switch?
- I think the 3/8" stud size would work well with the 1gauge positive cables, but not sure if I went with 0 gaugge cables would need bigger terminals and a bigger stud size??

The wire itself:
- will 1 gauge welding wire be sufficient for the positive power wires connecting battery, switch, starter, amp, and junction block? or do I need to go find 0 or 1/0 wire? the local speed shop only has up to 1 gauge red wire and he says he uses it on all the race cars he builds with no problems.
- will 2 gauge black coated welding wire be sufficient for the ground wires. from battery to chassis, from cylinder heads to eachother and then to chassis, and a ground wire from engine block back to battery? or do I need to upsize the ground wire to something bigger than 2 gauge?

wire routing:
- see attached diagram. I created this after much research and I would like feedback from you guys who know this stuff well enough. the one thing I am defintiely unsure about is, should the power wire coming from the alternator be going to the optima battery, or go to one of the studs on the kill switch? I'm thinking this would depend on if I got a 2 pole vs a 4 pole kill switch right? or ?

fuses:
- I intend to run a 175 or 200 amp megafuse on the positive wire coming from the alternator and heading to the back of the car (see above..either to batt +, or to kill switch terminal). a fuse here is a good idea right?
- I also intend to put a fuse after the junction block (in engine bay) on the wire leading to the fuse block... the junction block will send power to the starter's solenoid and to the fuse panel. a smaller fuse would be needed here since I plan to use 8 gauge wire from the JB to the fuse panel. correct? The junction block can also act as a jump-post for if I need to jump start the car from the front ?



please let me know your thoughts and tech advice. my next step is to find the proper kill switch, order it and install it. then remove some interior components and run string-lines in the car and engine bay to get an approximate number of feet I will need when ordering all the wire. then I'll have to know what size wire is ok, as mentioned above 1g for power and 2 g for ground? or ?







for those of you who are wondering what the heck I am even working on.. please see my other thread here:
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...rior-next.html

IROCZman15

iTrader: (25)

yikes! nobody ??

I just am not 100% confident in this project until I hear from a few other people that this plan/parts/schematic seems proper. I have no problem doing the work, but if my plan is wrong or missing something, I would really like to know about it before making any huge mistakes.

any help is MUCH appreciated. thanks guys

redneckjoe

I'll comment because nobody else did. I have a battery cut off switch inside my car just for ease of working on it, and possibly anti-theft. My battery is in the back. My shut-off switch is in the middle of the positive wire going to the engine. I dont have a 1-wire alternator,...just stock. If i turn the switch to off with the motor running, it will continue to run. So i dont know if your diagram will work or not? Maybe it should be on the ground?

IROCZman15

iTrader: (25)

thanks redneckjoe for the reply. I appreciate it.
unfortunately it is against NHRA rules to put the battery kill switch on the ground/negative lines. NHRA rules require it to be on the positive power wires. While I am not going to be building any type of competitive drag car, I would like to occasionally run the car at loca tracks, and do not want to fail tech before even getting to race, so I am trying to make it nhra legal, and also as safe as possible.


from my calculations I will need:
about 48 feet of red 1 gauge power wire
31 feet of black 1 gauge ground wire
18 1 gauge ring terminals for 3/8" studs
2 battery terminal mounts 1 gauge
2 fuses (or possibly resettable circuit breakers???)
10 feet of 8 gauge red power wire (from junction box to dashboard fuse panel)
2 8 gauge ring terminals
a 4 post weatherproof kill switch (longacre 52-45791)

articwhiteZ

iTrader: (56)

hope this helps..its easy

Jeff

IROCZman15

iTrader: (25)

thanks dude. yes it does help. thats why I did want a 4 studded switch. I like the look of that longacre one that comes weatherproofed and with a nice square dress panel. I am assuming i'll have to cut away a large access hole in the stamped sheetmetal of the car's inner tail light area...so that i can run the wires to the switch itself. the length of the actual switch doesn't seem like it would protrude all that far past the black plastic taillight housing, so I'll need to cut a large hole in the sheetmetal for inner access right?

QwkTrip

iTrader: (22)

So why not busbar the battery side of the switch instead of running alternator cable back and forth 3 times?

Edit: Nevermind, the alternator B+ post would be hot all the time. Engine would shut down in an emergency (no fuel, spark) but I guess they want everything dead outside of the battery.

QwkTrip

iTrader: (22)

Although you could busbar the other side of the switch (engine side) and avoid another run of alternator cable to the front of car.

QwkTrip

iTrader: (22)

And you may have already mentioned this, but I'd put a power distribution block in the engine bay with a post where you can attach B+ for jump start. You'll need that since no other points will be accessible after moving the battery.

If the distribution block has more than one post, then be sure the starter B+ cable is attached to the same post as the main battery B+ cable. That will produce the least heat inside the power distribution block. Don't stack more than 2 large cables, plus 1 smaller gage wire on a single terminal. (A stack with more terminals can relax and allow the terminal nut to loosen.... bad news!)

Basically, you'll have 1 large cable from the battery, 1 large cable for starter, and 1 hefty wire that goes to the power centers (fuse/relay box) for the vehicle. I did all my vehicle power (other than starter motor) using a 6 AWG wire to a Littlefuse MTR fuse holder. The holder has 4 slots that can accommodate a variety of quick and slow blow fuses depending on your needs. I thought it was a pretty slick device. Part numbers are in post #419 of my build thread.

QwkTrip

iTrader: (22)

Regarding circuit protection of alternator wire, both ends of the wire are attached to a power source (battery on one end, and alternator on the other). Circuit protection protects the wire from extensive damage if there is a short to ground by interrupting the circuit. The battery is by far the more potent and dangerous power source, so circuit protection should be as close as possible to the battery. In your case that would be somewhere in the alternator circuit nearest to the disconnect switch as possible.

It's fairly impractical to try to put circuit protection on a starter cable. You can try, but nuisance trips might be in your future. Starter by nature has a very large in-rush current that is literally battery short to ground. The current drops as the motor rotates and back EMF increases. It's just hard to circuit protect a cable from a device that is already pulling more current than that cable can handle on a continuous basis.

IROCZman15

iTrader: (25)

awesome, thanks!!!
today I bought 75 feet of 1 gauge wire, in red. they did not have any in black, and for some reason the black was going to be almost twice the price for the same size 1 gauge wire if they had to order it. so I just got 75 feet of 1 gauge red. I will clearly label it as " - ground" with the new label maker I bought, every foot or so once I finally lay the cable in the car.

today I also bought a 200 amp re-settable optifuse weatherproof circuit breaker to install in-line between the alternator and where that line connects to the kill switch. it will be about 18" away from the kill switch like you mentioned. (does this sound right, is this the correct type of circuit breaker?!). I also bought a red junction block/jump post that I will be mounting up in the area where the battery USED to be. it will have the battery feed line terminal, the starter feed terminal (both 1 gauge 3/8 hole) and then a smaller gauge terminal/wire that will go to a smaller distribution block nearby, that I can run all my positive leads and relays to ..(taking them off of the starter's lug, and also for MSD box, and nitrous relay).

edit: I wont be using those taylor battery post terminal ends.. those will be returned. I got the crimp on style ends (just to the left in the photo) and wont use the taylor screw together ones.

I laid out the 1 gauge cable throughout the car, cut it to length, and labeled it. I put shrink wrap onto the cable loosely, prior to cutting off the insulation on the ends, and loosely installing the 3/8 terminals (I used a 5/16" hole terminal for the alternator connection, its smaller). tomorrow I will go to the speed shop and use his hyrdaulic press to crimp all these terminals on. then i can run the wire in the car and secure it down.



the last thing I need to buy (i think.. I hope) is the longacre 4 post weatherproof high-capacity kill switch part number52-45791 .anyone have any thoughts or other recommendations on this switch? or else I'll buy it tonight.

QwkTrip

iTrader: (22)

You could mark the B- cable with black electrical tape so it is recognizable anywhere in the car.

Sizing alternator fuse +15% above alternator nameplate rating should prevent nuisance trips. More is fine, you're just paying more $$$ for higher fuse rating. If there is a battery short to ground then the current will be so high that the fuse will pop right away.

Yep, mechanical crimps are the PROPER way to do it. Nice job.

QwkTrip

iTrader: (22)

Just to clarify, that was my main power distribution. 2 of those circuits go to the stock fuse panel for everything chassis. 1 circuit went to my add-on underhood power center for everything that has to do with the engine. 1 circuit powers the original HVAC high speed fan. And the 4th circuit I don't remember, LOL! (maybe it's my Boost-A-Pump).

articwhiteZ

iTrader: (56)

no need to cut big holes.. even the plate lights work..just go slow..and plan out what you want..
multiple image uploader

IROCZ1989

iTrader: (1)

I redid mine over the summer. I used 0/2 gauge wire. I have a 1 wire alt to make hookup easy. Cole Hersee makes all the shut off switches. So what ever you buy its rebranded. I just bought the biggest one and put it in the rear taillight panel pass side. Used a moroso box. The wire makes a big difference. I had the welding cable and the Taylor cable, but its stiff and thought to work with. C.E Auto electric sells the most flexable cable by far for this type of install. So basically to be NHRA legal the shutoff has to cut everything. I have a power distribution box where the factory battery was. So 5o run a timing light or anything the battery ties here . Off this it goes to the starter and various other things. Alt is a 2/0 back to the battery. So if power is cut, everything shuts off. Depending on how your attaching big wires, ferrules come in handy if you are using the screw downs to hold wires in place in a block or battery attachment. Saves the wire from being damaged. It's up to you but I did it. Was to fuse both the alt feed back to battery and battery feed to distrubution block. I have a thread on it. I dont have an issue giving some help. Seems others in my thread thought they were somehow punishing me by not giving their "expert" opinion. Lol

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/elec...ery-trunk.html

IROCZman15

iTrader: (25)

thanks QwkTrip, artic, and IRocz1989!

Qwk always knows what he is doing, so I am glad to get advice from you on this topic. thanks man. I wasn't really too afraid of soldering the connections, but wanted to use a professional crimper to get proper crimps and not screw up too many ofthe 1 gauge terminals that cost $2 a piece.. and like you said, a mechanical crimp is the best way to do it. I will be doing a positive power distribution bock up near where the battery used to be, unsure of wiring size and if it should be fused or not. I also wrote about this below.

Artic, when I meant big holes, I meant on the backside body's sheetmetal of the switch area. I ordered the longacre kill switch, and it will be here on thursday. I can't find the dimensions of it, but I am pretty sure its not going to be close to 6" in length/depth. therefore, I am wondering, when I get the front dress plate mounted, and gently carve out some of the tail-light housing structure behind it, how am I going to get the four 1 gauge wires to the back of the switch.. I am going to have to cut some hole(s) in the car's sheet-metal, especially to fit the four large wires, that all have to come in at different angles, to sit on the 4 posts of the switch. I was wondering how people did theirs basically. I know the inner trunk plastic panel will cover any holes I have to make, but I was curious how others had routed their wiring from inside the car, to the back of the switch basically.

IROCZ1989 - I actually had been using your thread as a reference in my early planning stages of this battery relocation project! I replied to your thread about 2 months ago and then you provided photos and info that were a huge help! thanks! I see you used 2/0 cable. I could not find anything that big locally so I went with 1gauge for everything. The lowest that anyone would recommend was 2 gauge, and I was told by a bunch of people that 1 gauge would be just fine as long as it is a reputable brand. I used the Taylor cable. I see you put a fuse on the battery --> junction block--> in car fuse setup. (same topic I mentioned above in my reply to Qwk) what size fuse did you use. I plan on running either 6 or 8 gauge wire from my engine-bay jump-terminal/junction point. one 1gauge wire from it will go to my starter, and another 6 or 8 gauge wire will go to a positive power distribution block nearby.. but I am thinking I should put an in-line fuse on it?? in your thread it looks like you used a 250 amp fuse. that seems high, but also, I am perhaps under-thinking what size fuse I should use.


As for an actual project update, I brought all the mocked-up wiring over to bruce's speed shop and used his hydraulic press back in the workshop area. that thing is cool and did a damn good job crimping on all of the 1 gauge terminals.... except the two terminals for the battery posts.. we soldered those ones together. photos below.

I then routed all of the wires in the car, labeled them accordingly, and mounted them in place with a combination of 1/2" wire clamps and zip-ties. Aside from the 4 wires that mount to the kill-switch, I have everything taken care of in the trunk area and the interior of the car.. up to where the wires will enter into the engine bay, by the firewall and lower foot panel.

I wired the ground wire, alternator wire, and starter wires up momentarily in the engine bay. then I bolted the companion connections together where the kill switch will go, and then hooked up the battery. turned the car on, and let it run for a minute. was happy that it started and ran! I then unbolted one of the 2 "connections" that are where the kill switch will be (battery wire -> all engine bay wiring) and the engine instantly died. dome light an other electronics died also. Awesome. Next I tried the same with the other set of connections that will be at the kill switch (alternator-->circuit breaker-->battery). engine was running and immediately shut off when I undid the bolt. great! So, it seems like the wiring is correct and once the kill switch is in, it all should work properly. cool!
... question though, should the engine die when i click the circuit-breaker to trigger it "blowing"? I had the engine running and I hit he button to trigger the circuit breaker, but the engine did not turn off or do anything at all... should it have? or is the circuit breaker just there in case of a massive amp spike, yet will not impede current if I were to manually trip it??

got the bulk of the interior back installed. once the kill-switch is here, i'll wire that up and take the car out for a short drive. after that, I'll be spending the rest of the winter working in the engine bay.. pulling out the old engine, redoing brake lines, eliminating proportioning valve, removing old radiator, removing old wiring and relays, welding up unused holes, primer, paint, and then installing the new engine.

some photos below of the progress... let me know if anything seems odd or wrong. thanks guys

the taylor box is bolted through the "floor" of the spare tire well, but it does not sit on the "floor". I built two aluminum side-shelves on each side of it, bolted the bottom of the box to these. next, I used the NHRA required 3/8" threaded rod to bolt the whole battery and box assembly to the "floor" of the spare tire unibody. I also cut some hollow aluminum tube to use as spacers between the bottom of the box and the foor.... to keep the box from deforming if I cranked too hard on the nuts at each end of the 3/8" rod. it may sound confusing, and I wish I took a photo of it, but it is damn solid.

QwkTrip

iTrader: (22)

I'm guessing you located the circuit breaker between battery and disconnect switch? That will cut the battery out of the circuits, but not the alternator (because alternator B+ cable doubles back thru the disconnect switch to the vehicle power distribution block).

Regarding cable size to front of car, there are two considerations: (1) Continuous current rating for alternator; and (2) voltage drop for starter motor.

I don't know the rated output of your alternator. Guessing it's 100A or less. That is fine with 1 AWG cable.

Starter motor is a different animal. It pulls a crap load of current, but it's only intermittent and for short duration of time. So we're not going to worry about the current carrying capability of the cable, we'll just focus on voltage drop and temperature rise while starter is operating. Guideline for starter motor is to make sure there is no more than 1.0 Volt drop in the entire cranking circuit from Battery B+ to B- terminals, at the max rated current of the starter motor.

That's something you're probably not going to figure out on your own. So just trust me when I say 0 AWG is enough. I kind of doubt 1 AWG meets that criteria but maybe it does, I just don't know without more info. But you already bought 1 AWG so.... what's the risk of using it? Not much, just slower starter motor cranking speed. The cable insulation is not going to overheat as long as you didn't buy cheap PVC insulation. Just be smart with the key switch and don't crank and crank and crank.

All the connections in your starter circuit are actually the big source of voltage drop. So if the starter does seem sluggish, then you probably need to look at fewer connections.

IROCZman15

iTrader: (25)

ok, yes I did. but I have a 4 post kill switch, not the 2 post style.
the longacre wiring schematic can be viewed here: http://www.longacreracing.com/instru...nnect%20Switch


Positive wiring setup goes like this"
~ Battery top post ---> post A on kill switch ---> large junction post in engine bay --> one wire to starter and another to the future positive junction strip
~ 95/145 amp 1 wire alternator ---> 200 amp circuit breaker mounted in the trunk area ---> post B on kill switch ---> battery side terminal

Ground:
~ Battery top post ----> engine block ---> chassis ground (and soon will be grounding both cylinder heads together as well)
~ battery side post ---> chassis/frame ground at rear frame-rail of car

with the 4 post style kill switch, I thought this was the appropriate place to put the circuit breaker. I know the circuit breaker is not a kill switch, but I had figured that if I manually tripped it, the car would shut off. I guess not though .....
..... the reason I did not put any type of fuse or circuit breaker on the battery--> starter wire is because I read that the huge power surge that the starter needs to function would constantly trip the breaker/fuse. I had read that a circuit breaker should only be used in the alternator line in case of a problem power surge, the circuit breaker would trip.. and prevent harm to anything beyond the circuit breaker. is this correct? I am not a pro at this, so I am doing research and asking questions while trying to learn and understand as best as I can.


As for the gauge wiring, I'll keep it in mind about the long cranking and heat in the wire possibility. When I did fire up the car to test the system 3 times the other day, it cranked right over. like .5 seconds of cranking before engine was alive. Hopefully that is the case with the new engine. I will be keeping the same exact high torque mini-starter that is in the car now too.

IROCZ1989

iTrader: (1)

Looks good. I have a ANL fuse on both the feed and the Alt return. Think 250amps on starter and 200 on alt I will have to double check. I have started the car a few times and no issues. Fuse goes between the battery and disconnect on mine.Depending on size motor, compression , crank timing etc...It will pull 150 -300 amps. ANL fuses are not instant blow type. So the 5 second crank or so is fine. My alt is a 170 amp unit. I might have missed if the car is carb or not and the electronics. I just went 2/0 because I have alot of electronics in the car. Still factory power seats, cnp setup, dual fans, bigger pump electronic trans, etc. You probably dont need it that big. But just a quick check at the battery, then at the starter will tell you if you have any drop. Telltale sign will be alot of voltage drop at key crank. Alot of initial crank timing can make it look like the system is struggling to crank. Motor kickback is a telltale sign.Just make sure you ground the motor good. Starters body is ground. So I would at least do 1 or 2, 1/0 off the motor to chassis. Front pass side head to ground is a good spot. On the other side I grounded the alt bracket. Then ran another wire across the heads in the back. Probably overkill, but I have zero issues in terms of starting and alt making power.

Your run of the wires looks nice and neat and you have to get creative hiding that big wire. Looks great though and seems like you did all your research.

IROCZ1989

iTrader: (1)

Sorry for the second reply. Missed this though reading through. I was confused about sizes of wire as well. When you say you have 1 gauge is it 1/0? Basically the gauge scale goes as such somewhat.
000=3/0
00= 2/0
0= 1/0 This is usually referred to at 1 gauge alot.
Never seen 1 gauge it usually jumps to 2 gauge.
So size of wire is bigger the lower the number until 1/0. Start at say 18 gauge autometer gauge wiring, then the lower you go the bigger until you get to 1/0.2/0 is bigger than 1/0 . 3/0 is bigger than 2/0. Anyhow is should be printed on the insulation the gauge of the wire. Cant quote insulation thickness as some wires are thicker than others. If it's a Taylor kit it should be 1/0.

articwhiteZ

iTrader: (56)

all the switch is inside the tail light end..with only 2 holes cut for the cable.. then sealed. switch is bolted the black tail light panel..

IROCZman15

iTrader: (25)

yup, I'll see what the new engines electrical power demands are, but the big power consumers will be the starter, holley sniper efi unit, racetronix 340lph fuel pump, dual electric fans, nitrous (whenever I do get to hook it up), stereo, power windows, and exterior lights. I will not have an air conditioning unit, never use the power locks, don't have power mirrors, no fancy digital dash gauges, the powermaster alternator is a 140 amp version.

I definitely planned on two ground wires from the engine block to the nearby chassis frame area. I also planned on a wire grounding the heads to each-other also.

the wire is from Taylor and written on the insulation is "TAYLOR CABLE SIZE 1 600V MADE IN THE USA X0417 FT". similar to what is sold in some of these kits.. but I bought 77 feet of it off of a spool that was at the local speed shop. http://www.taylorvertex.com/battery/boxes/ and https://www.jegs.com/i/Taylor/895/21550/10002/-1
photo:



currently searching for a nice looking power distribution block to put up in the engine bay. I'll want to fuse this also. I am not sure if I want to/or need to use a ground wire junction block. I had planned on running the grounds in the engine bay over to a nice clean metal part of the chassis. should I use a distribution block?

here are some that I have in mind:
1. https://www.google.com/shopping/prod...f90AR8Q8wIIhwM

2. https://www.google.com/shopping/prod...DHQ4PBDzAgjzAg


3. https://www.ebay.com/i/152141092075?...UaApOvEALw_wcB


4. https://www.google.com/shopping/prod...f90AR8Q8wII6QI


thoughts? do I need a ground junction block? what size fuse should I put prior to the power distribution block so it doesn't get blown away if something goes awry when the starter is cranking?

IROCZ1989

iTrader: (1)

This is what I have. An old Phoenix Gold. Try Ron Francis they may have something. If you do use this type of power distribution block like me use ferrules on the ends of the wires. Protects them from the screw heads when you tighten them down. To be honest alot of car audio dealers and site that sell stuff like these kinds of power distribution blocks work well. You should be fine on the wire. Like I've said many times I do things in electrical in overkill mode. I could not and I dont think anyone can exactly figure out how many amps your car will need at idle and cruise up on the alt. Stock is 105. So I have everything I had stock but a few different things. Stock amps at idle is around 60-70 amps. So I added a 340 pump, Dominator ecu, bigger injectors,cnp(40 amp fuse)Full autometer gauge display and electronic trans. So what would that be at idle? No idea. I guessed 100 or 110 at night with all the lights on. So my alt is 140 amps at idle and 170 max 2400rpm alt speed. You should be at 13.5 or 14 at idle. Mine makes 14.1 at idle. It will be easy to see if its cutting it. Start the car and put all the lights on. If the voltage is low 13s or under 13 then it's time for a bigger alt. There is a caculator I used to pick my wire size and went by that. Ft adds voltage drop. Front to back your looking at 15 ft or so depending how you run it. Here is the link to that caculator from Wire barn where I bought alot of wire as well.

http://www.wirebarn.com/Wire-Calculator-_ep_41.html

I put the fuse on the side of the box it was what I wanted for ease of install.

Hope this helps some.

scooter

iTrader: (11)

1 gauge and 1/0 gauge are different sizes and 1/0 gauge is never referred to as 1 gauge

IROCZ1989

iTrader: (1)

http://12voltconnection.com







I have used this guy In NH quite a bit for stuff as well.

http://12voltconnection.com/products...nd-accessories

He has a store on ebay as well. Quick shipping. Check out the sealed power blocks.

IROCZman15

iTrader: (25)

awesome thanks guys

artic: thanks, I now understand that the entirety of the kill switch body will be outside of the sheetmetal. I had assumed it would protrude into the body a bit deeper, so I was concerned about the accessibility of the 4 posts on the back of it. Glad to know it will be less complicated than I thought. I am also glad I paid the extra $ for the weatherproof option on the kill switch

scooter: yup, I was pretty sure that my 1 gauge wire was 1 gauge. I knew it was not 0 or 1/0 because the 1 gauge terminals that I crimped on the ends went on perfectly snug. it was $2.40 a foot, but i got it locally so I avoided shipping costs

Iroc1989: cool. I have never heard of the electrical ferrules, but I searched it and those do look really cool and certainly better than just cranking down on stranded wire ends. nice! I will look into ANL fuses a bit, but I am thinking I might be better off with a re-settable circuit breaker just like I put in the alternator line. I put a 200 amp in that line, but I am thinking I can do a 150 amp one up front.

Basically the Battery postive line will go to a positive jump-post in the engine bay. one wire will go directly to the starter. the other wire will go to a 150(??)amp in line circuit breaker, and then it will go to the power distribution block for all things engine and chassis that require a positive power lead.

I was thinking this for the distribution block because it has several large and several small screw terminals to use. thoughts? https://12voltconnection.com/product...busbar-3-8-red

And for the circuit breaker (instead of an ANL fuse) I was thinking this: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/s...iABEgKcxvD_BwE

scooter

iTrader: (11)

You could get both the circuit breaker and a buss bar from waytekwire.com That is where I buy all my stuff

IROCZman15

iTrader: (25)

ah, damn!! I wish I had read that earlier! I just ordered a 150 amp circuit breaker and the bus-bar/distribution block a little while ago.



and



I don't think I'll be using the black "ground" one, but I might decide to. unsure if I want all grounds going to it, or If I will just run grounds elsewhere nearby each component that needs a ground. I might use the block though, . I'll have to see how much space I have in the old battery tray area and how I can lay things out; neatly, spaced apart, and safely.


thanks for the help everyone. keep the comments, suggestions, and advice coming. This is my first time doing this, and I want it to be done correctly.

IROCZ1989

iTrader: (1)

You are misinterpreting me. I know they are different sizes. 1/0 is often referred to as 1 gauge....incorrectly. I never said this was so. 1/0 is the standard battery box relocation cable. Some refer to it as 1 gauge, others as 0 gauge. It just 1 aught, labeled 1/0.

IROCZ1989

iTrader: (1)

Ce auto electric carries all that stuff plus the breakers. He recommends them for battery box installs. Owner wrote a few books on the subject.

IROCZman15

iTrader: (25)

ok cool. thanks guys. if I am unhappy with the circuit breaker and junction block that arrives on Friday, I'll return them..and order from the places you and Scooter suggested.


My Longacre 4 terminal switch arrived and I had some time to install it to test my wiring. it is not 100% fully installed, as I want to neaten up the wires, mount some wires better, and basically get everything cleaned up and put in place properly and securely. But, the switch (and my wiring) works!! car fires up, and when I flip the switch off, it kills everything instantly. AWESOME
















and a video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y9kT-HgKb8

https://youtu.be/3y9kT-HgKb8







next, I'll probably drive the car around a little bit just to enjoy a running engine for a few more miles. then, I'll switch focus to the engine bay, and begin removing what needs to come out.

IROCZman15

iTrader: (25)

switch works great. a very solid click when turned on/off. I tested voltage at many connection points and terminals. battery itself was 12.33 volts. I got pretty mucht hat same exact number at every connection point...even up in the engine bay at the jump-post, I got 12.32 volts.

Project complete