Brent's '72 Custom/10 SWB stepside build

[brossow]

Originally Posted by sixnine

Wow! I just discovered this build and I must say I think this might be one of the best-documented and well-written project threads I've ever read. Keep it up! I'm working on a Camaro right now, but have a '72 stepside that I hope to start on next spring.

I would like to ask, how exactly did you tie in the new sub-panel to your existing panel? We just moved into a new house and I need to run a 220v circuit to my garage for my compressor.

I've ran 220v circuits before,for this very same compressor, but I've always had the fortune of working with 150 or 200 amp panels that had plenty of room for new circuits. The house we live in now only has a 100amp panel and it is packed full with no room to add another 220v circuit. Since I will be purchasing a welder when I start work on my '72, I would like to go ahead and add a sub-panel like you have done so that I can expand as necessary. Would it be possible for you to take a picture of your sub-panel connections in the existing panel? I'll sign a waiver if it'll make you feel more comfortable.

Wow -- thanks for the compliment!

Now, I'm no electrical expert as you can probably tell. I was lucky enough to have room on the main panel for another circuit, so I just added a two-pole 60A breaker and ran 4ga wire from the 60A breaker (plus one from the neutral bar) to the main lugs on the panel in the garage. If your main panel is full, I'm not sure what the best solution is. (Well, the best solution is buying a bigger main panel; see below.) I could make something up, like setting up two sub-panels, one in the garage and one right next to the main panel. Pull a few (at least four) adjacent single-pole circuits from the main panel and put them into the new sub-panel near the main instead, then use the open slots to run two new circuits, one to each sub-panel. No idea if that would be legal or even cost-effective compared with replacing the whole panel, but seems like it would work.

Having said that, you might consider replacing the 100A panel with something bigger, then using the old panel as your sub-panel in the garage. If you're going to be buying a new panel anyway, might as well spend more and get a bigger one for the main. That'll give you a lot more flexibility in the future, make a neater installation, and might be just as cost-effective as buying two sub-panels per my crazy idea above.

DISCLAIMER FOR THE ABOVE: I'm an idiot and nothing I say about electricity should be taken seriously.

If you still want pics, let me know. I still haven't put the cover back on the main so it'd be a snap.