Electrical Upgrades

[Mikes91]

I want to add a fuse box for aftermarket accessories to my truck.

I'll need certain items to be on at certain times... my guess:

- Holley Red pump on at key "Start" position and above
- CB on at "ACC" position and above
- Gauges on if parking lights or headlights are on

Awhile back, I think I saw a post that listed an aftermarket fusebox that would handle this. My computer got a nasty virus sometime after I saved the link... and I forgot to back up my Favorites before reformatting.

At any rate... I don't want to add items to the under-dash fuse box UNLESS it will accommodate more items and I can tie add-ons into the circuits mentioned above. Was wondering if anyone knows of an aftermarket fuse box I could add under the hood to handle these items. I'm worried that hooking into the ignition and headlight system will be a bear... hopefully there's a way to do that which is not shabby.

Also... anyone know of an easy way to hook up multiple items to a common ground? I have 4 items held down against the metal under my dash with a bolt... looking for a better way to give my components ground.

Thank you,

Mike

 

[JPR]

Advanced Auto Parts had several 6 to 12 fuse holders for less than $10 when I bought mine. Not sure if any of the stores on the above link are near you. I checked NAPA and they were much higher for the same one. If you have a good marine supply, you may want to check them.

You will need to add a relay to the supply of the fuse block so it will turn off and on when needed. I realized I would need 3 separate fuse blocks and 3 relays to get what I wanted. So I purchased an under the hood fuse box from a wrecked Explorer that has the relay sockets and the fuse holders, although the unit is a little big.

Below is the fuse block from Advance Auto and pictures of the Explorer fuse box.

 

[Mikes91]

Thank you for your reply. Looks like an challenging job. :-O