Negative battery cable

[Dino]

What do you think of this AL fuse and holder?  It's recommended for fuses up to 300 amps.  The other one has ceramic fuses that go from 300 to 750.  That may be overkill!   

https://www.vtewarehouse.com/content/electromech/fuse/html/anl/anlfuse.php

[MaximRecoil]

Looks good. It looks like it is made the same as the other one they sell (glass filled nylon base, stainless steel posts), plus it is lower profile, which is good.

[Dino]

I received the ANL fuse holder.  Man that thing is huge!   

First thing I'll try is to mount it under the battery tray, if that doesn't work then...I dunno, somewhere out of sight.  Unfortunately the terminal insulators are way too big, the hole to push the 6 gauge cable through is 3/4" wide so I'll either have to sue a lot of tape to make it smaller or get new insulators somewhere.

Not bad for $10 though.

[MaximRecoil]

Unfortunately the terminal insulators are way too big, the hole to push the 6 gauge cable through is 3/4" wide so I'll either have to sue a lot of tape to make it smaller or get new insulators somewhere.

That won't hurt anything. Think of all of your high-current connections that don't have any cover / insulation on them at all, such as your battery terminals, starter relay post, starter solenoid posts, and alternator post. The idea of those insulators is just to provide a cover to prevent an accidental short if you're working around it with a wrench or something, it doesn't need to be airtight. Pretty much all ANL fuse holders with covers are like that, this one for example. The openings aren't designed for a tight fit around the wires; they make them oversized so you can fit extremely large cable through there (4/0 gauge for example), or multiple smaller wires.

[Dino]

Unfortunately the terminal insulators are way too big, the hole to push the 6 gauge cable through is 3/4" wide so I'll either have to sue a lot of tape to make it smaller or get new insulators somewhere.

That won't hurt anything. Think of all of your high-current connections that don't have any cover / insulation on them at all, such as your battery terminals, starter relay post, starter solenoid posts, and alternator post. The idea of those insulators is just to provide a cover to prevent an accidental short if you're working around it with a wrench or something, it doesn't need to be airtight. Pretty much all ANL fuse holders with covers are like that, this one for example. The openings aren't designed for a tight fit around the wires; they make them oversized so you can fit extremely large cable through there (4/0 gauge for example), or multiple smaller wires.

Oh good!  That'll make it very straight forward then!  Now if only I had some time to actually work on this car!   

[Dino]

Two ISO relays, also known as "Bosch Relays". I used a pair of these, because the plugs are good quality, and the wires coming out of the plugs are all good quality as well, 14 gauge, thick flexible insulation, tinned copper strands. If you want to get "fussy" about it though, remove the wires/terminals that come with it from the plug, and crimp new female terminals (using open barrel crimpers) on the ends of the wires you will be running to the relay, and snap them into the plug housings (prevents having to splice).  

I found that my headlight wiring had been cut already.  I 'think' there is supposed to be a big grey plug connecting headlight harness to the engine harness.  That's gone and replaced with butt connectors.  Not done badly but time to redo anyway.  Unless the lads on those sockets are 18" long, I won't be able to directly connect them.  Oh well, the idea was nice but I'll have to splice anyway.

The ling for the relay shows it's a 40 amp instead of 30.  Is that okay or should I get one of these:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/via-80237/overview/
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/via-80238/overview/


I ended up bolting the ANL fuse holder to the bottom of the battery tray which worked out real nice.  My custom cables are done and should be here before the weekend so I'll keep you posted.

[Pete in NH]

Hi Dino,

You should be fine with a relay rated for 40 amps rather than 30. So many times manufacturers play little ratings games to get a marketing edge. It all depends whether they want to be on the conservative side or play it a little close to the absolute maximum. In any case in the head light application you are using them for they will likely never see more than 15 to 20 amps and that is very likely on the high side, so there is plenty of safety margin even with a 30 amp part. You can always go higher in current ratings on a part like a relay, just gives you more margin and hopefully longer life.

[Dino]

Hi Dino,

You should be fine with a relay rated for 40 amps rather than 30. So many times manufacturers play little ratings games to get a marketing edge. It all depends whether they want to be on the conservative side or play it a little close to the absolute maximum. In any case in the head light application you are using them for they will likely never see more than 15 to 20 amps and that is very likely on the high side, so there is plenty of safety margin even with a 30 amp part. You can always go higher in current ratings on a part like a relay, just gives you more margin and hopefully longer life.

Thanks Pete!  That's good to know.

I kinda like the ones with the double socket but it will limit me in relay placement as well. 

[MaximRecoil]

Hi Dino,

You should be fine with a relay rated for 40 amps rather than 30. So many times manufacturers play little ratings games to get a marketing edge. It all depends whether they want to be on the conservative side or play it a little close to the absolute maximum. In any case in the head light application you are using them for they will likely never see more than 15 to 20 amps and that is very likely on the high side, so there is plenty of safety margin even with a 30 amp part. You can always go higher in current ratings on a part like a relay, just gives you more margin and hopefully longer life.

Exactly.

I kinda like the ones with the double socket but it will limit me in relay placement as well. 

Yeah, plus I bet they would be a pain when trying to pull the plug off the relays, with 8 terminals being gripped at once, and you'd have to drill your mounting holes for the relays perfectly just so they line up perfectly to accept the double plug in the first place. More hassle than it is worth in my opinion. Plus, all of those relay plugs aren't created equally. I don't know about those in your links specifically, but I know some of them cheap out on the wires. The wires in the Pico plugs that I linked to earlier are very good quality, and full 14 gauge for all of them. 

[Dino]

Hi Dino,

You should be fine with a relay rated for 40 amps rather than 30. So many times manufacturers play little ratings games to get a marketing edge. It all depends whether they want to be on the conservative side or play it a little close to the absolute maximum. In any case in the head light application you are using them for they will likely never see more than 15 to 20 amps and that is very likely on the high side, so there is plenty of safety margin even with a 30 amp part. You can always go higher in current ratings on a part like a relay, just gives you more margin and hopefully longer life.

Exactly.

I kinda like the ones with the double socket but it will limit me in relay placement as well. 

Yeah, plus I bet they would be a pain when trying to pull the plug off the relays, with 8 terminals being gripped at once, and you'd have to drill your mounting holes for the relays perfectly just so they line up perfectly to accept the double plug in the first place. More hassle than it is worth in my opinion. Plus, all of those relay plugs aren't created equally. I don't know about those in your links specifically, but I know some of them cheap out on the wires. The wires in the Pico plugs that I linked to earlier are very good quality, and full 14 gauge for all of them. 

That's pretty much the conclusion I came to so I order the Pico ones you linked.   

I also ordered the Bussmann breaker.  The guys that made my cables did not have the smaller terminals, as they are more specialized in bigger wiring, so I'll have to go out and buy a few #10 rings and a spade but not until I have everything mocked up under the hood because something tells me I may need more stuff anyway.   

[Dino]

I received the custom cables and could not be happier!  They look great!

I'll post pics tomorrow and will start a new thread once everything's in place for those who want to do the same.

Basically I combined the alternator upgrade with the ammeter bypass and the headlight upgrade so I would like to adapt the existing Charger wiring diagram to show exactly what needs to be done.

For those who can't wait, this is the place I got the wiring.  The owner is a real nice guy and answers email very timely.  I ordered 6 or 7 cables on Monday and received everything yesterday.

http://gregsmarinewiresupply.com/Zen/

You can pick the wire gauge, color, length and what connectors you want on each end.  All connections are covered in dual wall heat shrink so if you're looking for the oem look, this is not for you.  If, however, you want something that looks good, will likely outlast the car and is at a good price, you can't go wrong here.

[John L]

Dino,
How are you attaching the fusible link to the heavier gage wire?

John

[Dino]

Dino,
How are you attaching the fusible link to the heavier gage wire?

John

John, I'm not using a fusible link, I'm using an 80A ANL fuse.  Scroll up to the see the fuse holder.  It's currently mounted under the battery tray so I'll post some pics when it's installed.  Go to page 2 to see two diagrams Maximrecoil posted.  That's how I've set it up.

[Dino]

I have spliced the black and red ammeter wires so the gauge is no longer hooked up.  I found that the black wire was already adapted by a previous owner as it no longer used the plain bulkhead connection.  The connector was drilled and the wire ran right through it.  Same for the dark blue right next to it that goes to the ignition switch.  Funny enough the red wire still had its old connection, although the slip on connector was already drilled.  Somehow it never got finished.  I'm going to need at least part of the bulkhead connector but now I'm wondering...after all these upgrades, should it not be ok to use the factory design without having to drill he bulkhead connector?  I'd like to just buy the whole thing brand new and set it up stock.  Also, the red wire coming from the ammeter is supposed to go to the starter relay by fusible link no?  It's just a wire on mine...
Do I still need a fuse there after these mods?

Oh and I finished the headlight wiring upgrade as well.   

[MaximRecoil]

...after all these upgrades, should it not be ok to use the factory design without having to drill he bulkhead connector?  I'd like to just buy the whole thing brand new and set it up stock.

Yes, it is fine to use the factory design, because the biggest load on those bulkhead connectors is the battery charging circuit wiring (the red and black 12 gauge wires that connect to the ammeter), and by running the 6 gauge wire from the alternator > starter relay > battery, the load is removed from the factory 12 gauge wires (because electricity takes the path of least resistance). There will still be some semi high current connections running through the bulkhead connector, like the blower motor, windshield wiper motor, and cigarette lighter wiring, but as long as the terminals in your bulkhead connector are clean and tight, those aren't a problem.

Also, the red wire coming from the ammeter is supposed to go to the starter relay by fusible link no?  It's just a wire on mine...
Do I still need a fuse there after these mods?

Yes, you should still have a fusible link (or fuse) there (always 4 AWG sizes smaller than the wire it is protecting, so a 16 gauge fusible link, about 3" long). Even though those 12 gauge wires won't see much load after your wiring modifications, they still have a direct path to the battery, and if a dead short happens to one of those 12 gauge wires, it can start a fire if unfused.

Oh and I finished the headlight wiring upgrade as well.   

Is it working good, or is your rewiring not yet complete enough to try it?

[Dino]

...after all these upgrades, should it not be ok to use the factory design without having to drill he bulkhead connector?  I'd like to just buy the whole thing brand new and set it up stock.

Yes, it is fine to use the factory design, because the biggest load on those bulkhead connectors is the battery charging circuit wiring (the red and black 12 gauge wires that connect to the ammeter), and by running the 6 gauge wire from the alternator > starter relay > battery, the load is removed from the factory 12 gauge wires (because electricity takes the path of least resistance). There will still be some semi high current connections running through the bulkhead connector, like the blower motor, windshield wiper motor, and cigarette lighter wiring, but as long as the terminals in your bulkhead connector are clean and tight, those aren't a problem.

Also, the red wire coming from the ammeter is supposed to go to the starter relay by fusible link no?  It's just a wire on mine...
Do I still need a fuse there after these mods?

Yes, you should still have a fusible link (or fuse) there (always 4 AWG sizes smaller than the wire it is protecting, so a 16 gauge fusible link, about 3" long). Even though those 12 gauge wires won't see much load after your wiring modifications, they still have a direct path to the battery, and if a dead short happens to one of those 12 gauge wires, it can start a fire if unfused.

Oh and I finished the headlight wiring upgrade as well.  

Is it working good, or is your rewiring not yet complete enough to try it?

I figured a fusible link was still needed!  I'll get one today.  I cannot test the headlights yet as the bulkhead is disconnected now, but I'm sure it will be a vast improvement!

Thanks!