fuses are for weak people with sucky hipster cars that cant handle true power, a blown fuse is weak with no power or purpose. bigger wires will handle the extra resistance, if the component is weak and blows a fuse it had no business being in your car to start with, likely made in Romania or something. I say wire your car with cut up booster cables, wire that big wont catch fire, it will be like having welding cables for wires, good strong wires to handle the dead shorts, let those ching chong components catch fire, easy to find the fault when the wiper motor is on fire. do you think army tanks have fuses? I doubt it. space shuttle, no fuses there ill bet. wires are like fuses anyways, when they start smelling like electrical burntness you know you may have a problem. sounds like you work for the fuse industry.
-- Edited by fatstax on Saturday 13th of July 2013 11:27:27 PM
Many years ago I heard about how a Corvette could burn to the ground in 3 minutes. Gasoline plus resin from fiberglass and other flammable items such as upholstery, wiring plastic covering tires all combine for one Jim Dandy fire.
I attended a seminar about automotive wiring and electrical components. It was hosted by Paul Horton Street Rods and the featured Tech was Connie Francis, daughter of Ron Francis, as in Ron Francis Wiring works.
Connie showed a video of a fusible link burning. Fusible Link as found on GM vehicles. It burned creating substantial fire and smoke for 11 minutes. A Corvette is gone in 3 minutes. A fuse blows in seconds, or less. With the various oils etc that accumulate on the underside of your car it is time to change your car to fuses. New cars use them. I suggest you check the rating on the fusible link and replace it with a similar value fuse.
Have a fuse for EVERY circuit. That's EVERY Circuit. Of course carry extra fuses in your car.
By the way, a 12 volt power interrupter switch will also prevent electrical fires. Add one to you cars.
You can thank me later.
the Kid
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In the words of Red Green "Remember, I'm pulling for you. We're all in this together".
That's why it's worth the money to upgrade wiring on any car older than 25 yrs. Aftermarket kits like the one I used from American Autowire use a maxi fuse instead of fusible links.
Hey Fatstax did you give Fourty Acres that picture of the delivery's fuse panel.Had to use screws ever since I quit smoking and ran out of tinfoil to wrap the fuses in. Ed
A cheap and easy way to re-do the power feeds to an existing fuse panel, or for use on rod builds, or adding higher amp draw components to car in general is to pick up late model power distribution blocks from the wreckers.
Most new cars will have a small panel close to the battery, fed with battery cable that allow you to branch power to multiple circuits. Eliminate old deteriorated fusible links and feed your fuse panel with maxi fuses. Many also have relay positions for high draw components like electric fans, fuel pumps, blowers etc.
These ones are Ford I believe. I've used many of them in EFI installs, wiring upgrades etc. I picked up a box of 10 or so of them at Barrie one year for $40.
Remember...fusible links, and maxifuses are to protect the power feed wiring to fuse panels. Not to protect any component downstream of it that should be protected by it's own fuse in the fuse panel.
Wire deteriorates and corrodes over time. It's resistance goes up causes heat in the wires.
I personally know 2 people that have lost their cars to electrical fires in the last 2 years. A nice well kept '68 Camaro SS, and an equally nice custom '73 short box step side C-10. Both gone.
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There is a very fine line between “hobby” and “mental illness.”
We put a 16" Spal fan on Ross's Nova and the inline glass fuse burned out, so we put another in and it got so hot it blew again, but the wires were cold. We bought an inline blade holder and it is perfectly cold, so get rid of any glass inline holders as the spring gets weak with usage and looses its tension.
