Where to mount fuse block 55-59 Truck

[HeloCrewChief]

I've been reading through some old threads on wiring as I'm ready to purchase a harness for my 55-59 build. Seems people are all over the place on recommendations. My biggest question is where did most of you guys mount your fuse block? Pictures would be great to and of course if anyone has a wiring harness recommendation I would love to hear it.

[56hotrodred]

I am very interested in this also as I hope to be buying a universal wiring harness sometime this winter for installation in spring.

Pretty sure it will be at least 20 circuit box!

[OrrieG]

Most are designed to be mounted in this location, left of steering column tucked up on the fire wall or kick panel, without adding any length to the wires. After all the wiring was done I made a cover plate painted to match the dash to hide it.

[dsraven]

there are a few considerations for mounting depending on what you have for other items under the dash. consider having to work on the system after.if the park brake, vent tubing or pedals etc are in the way it makes it difficult. also, consider how you will get the wiring through the firewall. take a look at how the manufacturers have done this on newer vehicles, they do a good job of being water tight. remember to leave room for that on the inside of the firewall when laying out your system. maybe a system like the newer vehicles use could be incorporated using new wire connectors in the salvaged bulkhead connector? another thing to consider is fusible links, or the like,near the battery so things don't fry before the fuse box. use relays for high amperage circuits. use shrink tube on connections that may get wet (anything under the hood). use cable clamps and wire loom to keep things tidy. make a wiring diagram as you go, then transfer to a good copy when you are done. leave a couple extra circuits for future use.
just some ideas. not complete by any means.

[Jesse Z]

It's crowded under the driver's side dash, so I always mount fuse blocks on the passenger side or near the center, depending on heater configuration. Painless Wiring kits are long enough to reach without extending the wires; other kits must be extended to reach dash components.

[HeloCrewChief]

American Auto Wire has a pretty nice kit on eBay. The only thing holding me back was the reviews on the forum a few years back. Not sure if they corrected those issues but, it is by far the best harness for my needs. Comes with a mounting plate and switches plus the wires are long enough to tuck them out of the way for a show truck.
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[rgunlock]

Originally Posted by HeloCrewChief

American Auto Wire has a pretty nice kit on eBay. The only thing holding me back was the reviews on the forum a few years back. Not sure if they corrected those issues but, it is by far the best harness for my needs. Comes with a mounting plate and switches plus the wires are long enough to tuck them out of the way for a show truck.
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If you get the AAW kit, get their crimpers as well. Night and day difference in the crimps versus a generic crimper. On my 78, the kit did come with almost all of the connectors needed, but you do have to cut wires to length after routing them and crimp on the terminals.

[_Ogre]

i didn't think of the fuse panel until after i had painted the firewall
i made a bracket that uses overly long hood hinge bolts to tuck on the firewall behind the headlight switch
wired properly you will access to the fuse panel as much as you would the fuse panel on a new vehicle
aka never

[dsraven]

did you say wired properly? hahahaha. how many times have you fixed somebody else's poor wiring job and thought "if only they had thought about repairing this mess". for me, LOTS.
I agree with ogre, if wired properly you will probably never have to look at the fuse panel for a long time.
here are a couple of pointers that work for me

get yourself a good set of cutters, strippers and crimpers
use quality components
don't overload circuits
think about fusible links or fuses at the source of power-the battery- so if there is an issue the whole harness isn't melted up to the fuse panel
use relays for larger draw items
use the proper size of connector for the guage of wire used
tug each crimped connector after crimping to ensure a good crimp was made
use wire loom to keep things tidy
use double walled shrink tube, don't tape over connections thinking it is water proofing
make yourself a wiring diagram as you go
don't twist wire conductors, after stripping, before inserting into crimp connector. overlapped wires can cut each other off inside the connector when crimped and make a resistance/heat source

another thing that can be done is to use auto reset circuit breakers that have threaded terminals. they can be placed on a common bus bar set up (they can be bought already set up on a clip on rail with mounting screw holes and a common bus bar) and can work well to supply circuits or a bank of relays. a single, fused, larger guage supply wire powers the bus bar. I have a few pics for reference. the breaker clips into the rail bracket. there are also ATO style auto reset breakers that can plug into the panel where an ATO fuse would normally go.

see the chart below I found on pirate 4x4 site. good indicator of wire size required for load and run length.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by dsraven

...don't twist wire conductors, after stripping, before inserting into crimp connector. overlapped wires can cut each other off inside the connector when crimped and make a resistance/heat source

Hmmm, I've never heard of this before but then again i don't know jack about ACTUALLY completely wiring a vehicle other than what i've read....but i've read a LOT about it because i havent yet. Good advice

Originally Posted by dsraven

....another thing that can be done is to use auto reset circuit breakers that have threaded terminals. they can be placed on a common bus bar set up (they can be bought already set up on a clip on rail with mounting screw holes and a common bus bar) and can work well to supply circuits or a bank of relays. a single, fused, larger guage supply wire powers the bus bar. I have a few pics for reference.....

Pleased post the pictures. I'm curious to see how this would work. Mentally, I'm picturing a bus bar in a house electrical box....on a smaller scale i suppose.

[dsraven]

this is an example off the net of what I am talking about. imagine that the bus bar can be supplied with fused battery power and then each breaker runs it's own circuit. clean look for underhood stuff especially.
I have seen a few guys with the electronics behind the seat as well.

[dsraven]

another example of something to grab at a wrecker (if you plan on wiring the unit from scratch or are on a tight budget) is the fold away fuse block used in some gm's. it snaps into it's bracket and lays horizontal under the dash, or wherever, and if access is required at some point then it can be unclipped and hinged down.

[Dan in Pasadena]

I didnt read EVERYone's response so i don't know if this has been mentioned but I remember seeing in a magazine a guy that mounted his fuse block on a small piece of aluminum and then on a short drawer slide under the driver side seat. He could pull it out to service it but otherwise it wasn't visible.

I remember being impressed with it and have thought about doing that on my '55.

[Coupeguy2001]

I was thinking of adding a hinge on the botom of the battery box, and mounting an aluminum plate on it with relays and a fuse strip. That way, you can flip it down and check fuses or change relays, then flip it back up.
This requires filling the drain hole in the battery tray with a rubber plug. Using sealed batteries with this set-up is a must.

[zenchal26]

If I was going to do it over again I would put it inside by drivers side cab corner area.