Electric Wiring/Grounding

[summerinmaine]

I've got some equipment to wire up inside the cab, and want to do it a bit better than the PO had done (hot leads for various equipment like CB radio and stereo are just wedged into the blade receptacles in the stock fuse block). I plan to clean up prior wiring efforts as well.

 

So I got a BUSS fuse block that has a common lug to take power from the battery, and 10 fused output blades. Each circuit can then have a different ATC fuse. I plan to mount this inside, on the passenger side.

 

It occurs to me that a similar, albeit fuseless, block or collector would be a nice way to ground the new circuits back to the battery. Anyone hear of something similar? I could just wire a lug back to the negative pole, and simply collect ground wires there, rather than chassis grounds. Is there any reason I shouldn't ground radios, GPS devices, etc. in this manner? Seems to me that its better this way than the often dodgy grounding through the chassis.

[jbhill]

i would ground it to the chassis. best way IMO.

[HOrnbrod]

I've got some equipment to wire up inside the cab, and want to do it a bit better than the PO had done (hot leads for various equipment like CB radio and stereo are just wedged into the blade receptacles in the stock fuse block). I plan to clean up prior wiring efforts as well.

 

So I got a BUSS fuse block that has a common lug to take power from the battery, and 10 fused output blades. Each circuit can then have a different ATC fuse. I plan to mount this inside, on the passenger side.

 

It occurs to me that a similar, albeit fuseless, block or collector would be a nice way to ground the new circuits back to the battery. Anyone hear of something similar? I could just wire a lug back to the negative pole, and simply collect ground wires there, rather than chassis grounds. Is there any reason I shouldn't ground radios, GPS devices, etc. in this manner? Seems to me that its better this way than the often dodgy grounding through the chassis.

 

I use an auxilliary Maxi-ATC fuse panel for all my higher amperage stuff, like the electric fans, H4 headlamps, power windows, etc. You just have to make sure to keep the main feed to the new fuse panel as short as possible and ensure that it is sized large enough to feed 100% of the total branch circuit load plus 25% minimum.

 

As far as a grounding buss bars, this is done sometimes with non-metallic bodied vehicles. I had an old fiberglass Studebaker Avanti once that used copper buss bars for grounding that were all tied back to a single negative point on the battery. But if your chassis and body grounds are large enough and tied in a standard loop configuration at corrosion-free tiepoints, I see no reason to do this with a steel bodied vehicle. HTH

[90MJext]

 

So I got a BUSS fuse block that has a common lug to take power from the battery, and 10 fused output blades. Each circuit can then have a different ATC fuse.

I use a fuse block similar when outfitting patrol units with emergency equipment. it has six outputs w/ common power lug and at one end ten spade and a ground lug.

I agree with Hornbrod about using the correct wiring. Also use at least butt connectors and shrink tubing, stay away from wire nut, no matters how tempting. use them and your truck will burn,.

[Eagle]

A complete circuit runs from the positive terminal of the battery to the device (ideally through a fuse) and perhaps a switch of some kind) and then back to the negative terminal of the battery. If the "wiring" ends somewhere on the chassis before getting to the negative terminal of the battery, and corrosion in any way and at any point interrupts the flow through the chassis or from the chassis to the battery -- you don't have a circuit.

 

Your idea of using a multi-terminal bus and wiring the grounds directly to the battery using (I hope) copper wire of suitable gauge is far superior to the OEM wiring. The only reason the manufacturers do it the way they do is because it saves a lot of wire, and wire costs them a few pennies per vehicle.

 

Go for it.

[summerinmaine]

A complete circuit runs from the positive terminal of the battery to the device (ideally through a fuse) and perhaps a switch of some kind) and then back to the negative terminal of the battery. If the "wiring" ends somewhere on the chassis before getting to the negative terminal of the battery, and corrosion in any way and at any point interrupts the flow through the chassis or from the chassis to the battery -- you don't have a circuit.

 

Your idea of using a multi-terminal bus and wiring the grounds directly to the battery using (I hope) copper wire of suitable gauge is far superior to the OEM wiring. The only reason the manufacturers do it the way they do is because it saves a lot of wire, and wire costs them a few pennies per vehicle.

 

Go for it.

 

Thanks. My thoughts precisely. BTW I always use copper wiring (typically 14 gauge or larger), butt connectors (or soldered) and heat shrink tubing. I only use wire nuts to set up and test the circuit, then re-do it for a permanent set-up.

 

Tho I confess that my distaste for chassis grounds probably developed from the two Lotus Elans I currently own. Fibreglass bodies definitely limit one's grounding options.