Like a lot of you guys, I have way too many powered accessories! Which, of course, includes a bunch of power wires, cluttering up my engine bay and/or fuse panel. For example, I have: one wire for the alarm, one for my Ipod controller, one for my power amp/subwoofer, one for my external T-Rex fuel pump, and finally one for my Crane ignition box!! That is too many wires, with three directly on my battery, and two on the starter solenoid. It looked like crap, to put it plainly. It needed to be cleaned up, and with my 1st show approaching, now was the time.
So I began my search looking for a power distribution block. Sounds easier than it was. Believe it or not, there is not that much out there! There is plenty of stuff for the bling crowd, mostly car audio related. All of these products have flashy colors, lots of clear plastic, gold plated terminals, blah blah blah. Nothing that I would put under the hood of my now 20 year old Stang. Luckily, I discover Wiringproducts.com. They have a few decent, well-made products, mostly finished in black and stainless steel. I also learned the difference between a power junction block, and a power distribution block. The junction is useless for distributing power, it is, as the name states, used for only a 'junction' or single connection. Luckily, that lesson only cost me $50 worth of wrong parts, that I can still return! lol
So I ended up with this:
Here is the link: Wire Terminals, Automotive Wire, Battery Terminals & Electrical Supplies
Next I fabbed up a nice large gauge cable. I did use the blingy type of audio cable, simply because I had some on hand, and it was going to be hidden, in the fender well, for the most part. I used heavy duty copper terminals, soldered in place, with a torch. I also used a really good quality glue infused heat shrink tubing. I want this setup to last, function well, and be indestructable! Here is the cable:
Originally, I wanted to mount my block, behind the battery, up against the fender, as there is actually a good deal of room there. However, the distribution block I ended up using would not fit. It is kind of bulky, and features a large 3/8" stud. You could even wire one of those single wire alternators to this thing if you were so inclined. I neatly tucked the large gauge wire, in the fender well, routing it through the washer fill opening, and one of the many 'swiss cheese' holes in the fender. That part was easy.
In all of my 'messing around' in the area behind my battery, I broke off one of the plastic tabs, holding my washer fluid reservoir in place! Never fails, a 'simple' project just keeps getting more and more complicated! The damn thing is full, and heavy, and I haven't used it since I bought the car! (that was when I foolishly filled it, to the brim) Next car wash I will be judiciously dumping most of that fluid! I was able to fix it with an industrial width/length zip tie of sorts. My friend gets these for free, they are used by the power companies to hold overhead electrical lines in place, so needless to say, they are tough! There are plenty of holes and slots to route the tie, but I did have to lift the car and attack it, from below, to thread the damn thing through! As I hoped, the fix cannot be seen, and it should last a good bit longer than Ford's inferior mounting system! I also found that before the mounting tab broke, the tank was sagging, due to the weight, and the rubber hose was rubbing on the horn mounting bracket. If I didn't plan on emptying this thing, it would have emptied itself at some point! If you don't use your windshield washer, I highly recommend emptying that reservoir! It is not mounted very well, and if it left full, over time, the plastic tabs will break -- you have been warned!
Anyway, I found another spot, bolted to the radiator header panel, in front of the battery, towards the front of the car. This necessititated lengthening all of my power wires, save one, which was a major PITA, considering that all of my cables were hidden in split loom, heat shrunk etc. etc! Here is where it ended up:
Note the desired end product, of nothing wired up to the battery, except for the positive and negative cables, as it should be. Although it can't be seen, due to the coil cover, there is nothing 'extra' cluttering up my solenoid, either.
And a close up pic:
I used on of those red boots off of a one wire alternator, just to insulate the connection. It was not necessary, but I tend to incorporate a lot of overkill in my projects! I tested it out, and so far so good, everything powered up just fine!
ps. The battery is a custom made, high powered Interstate battery. Interstate dealers generally don't stock the MTP (high power) 58 series, for some reason. They all have 58R's with reverse terminals, though?! Strange. Anyway, the custom order didn't cost any more, and it comes through finished in plain black. A couple of eBay Champion stickers later, and it really complements the look, underhood, with ties to Champion being the original battery supplier to Saleen.
So I began my search looking for a power distribution block. Sounds easier than it was. Believe it or not, there is not that much out there! There is plenty of stuff for the bling crowd, mostly car audio related. All of these products have flashy colors, lots of clear plastic, gold plated terminals, blah blah blah. Nothing that I would put under the hood of my now 20 year old Stang. Luckily, I discover Wiringproducts.com. They have a few decent, well-made products, mostly finished in black and stainless steel. I also learned the difference between a power junction block, and a power distribution block. The junction is useless for distributing power, it is, as the name states, used for only a 'junction' or single connection. Luckily, that lesson only cost me $50 worth of wrong parts, that I can still return! lol
So I ended up with this:
Here is the link: Wire Terminals, Automotive Wire, Battery Terminals & Electrical Supplies
Next I fabbed up a nice large gauge cable. I did use the blingy type of audio cable, simply because I had some on hand, and it was going to be hidden, in the fender well, for the most part. I used heavy duty copper terminals, soldered in place, with a torch. I also used a really good quality glue infused heat shrink tubing. I want this setup to last, function well, and be indestructable! Here is the cable:
Originally, I wanted to mount my block, behind the battery, up against the fender, as there is actually a good deal of room there. However, the distribution block I ended up using would not fit. It is kind of bulky, and features a large 3/8" stud. You could even wire one of those single wire alternators to this thing if you were so inclined. I neatly tucked the large gauge wire, in the fender well, routing it through the washer fill opening, and one of the many 'swiss cheese' holes in the fender. That part was easy.
In all of my 'messing around' in the area behind my battery, I broke off one of the plastic tabs, holding my washer fluid reservoir in place! Never fails, a 'simple' project just keeps getting more and more complicated! The damn thing is full, and heavy, and I haven't used it since I bought the car! (that was when I foolishly filled it, to the brim) Next car wash I will be judiciously dumping most of that fluid! I was able to fix it with an industrial width/length zip tie of sorts. My friend gets these for free, they are used by the power companies to hold overhead electrical lines in place, so needless to say, they are tough! There are plenty of holes and slots to route the tie, but I did have to lift the car and attack it, from below, to thread the damn thing through! As I hoped, the fix cannot be seen, and it should last a good bit longer than Ford's inferior mounting system! I also found that before the mounting tab broke, the tank was sagging, due to the weight, and the rubber hose was rubbing on the horn mounting bracket. If I didn't plan on emptying this thing, it would have emptied itself at some point! If you don't use your windshield washer, I highly recommend emptying that reservoir! It is not mounted very well, and if it left full, over time, the plastic tabs will break -- you have been warned!
Anyway, I found another spot, bolted to the radiator header panel, in front of the battery, towards the front of the car. This necessititated lengthening all of my power wires, save one, which was a major PITA, considering that all of my cables were hidden in split loom, heat shrunk etc. etc! Here is where it ended up:
Note the desired end product, of nothing wired up to the battery, except for the positive and negative cables, as it should be. Although it can't be seen, due to the coil cover, there is nothing 'extra' cluttering up my solenoid, either.
And a close up pic:
I used on of those red boots off of a one wire alternator, just to insulate the connection. It was not necessary, but I tend to incorporate a lot of overkill in my projects! I tested it out, and so far so good, everything powered up just fine!
ps. The battery is a custom made, high powered Interstate battery. Interstate dealers generally don't stock the MTP (high power) 58 series, for some reason. They all have 58R's with reverse terminals, though?! Strange. Anyway, the custom order didn't cost any more, and it comes through finished in plain black. A couple of eBay Champion stickers later, and it really complements the look, underhood, with ties to Champion being the original battery supplier to Saleen.