i replied to your other thread

 

time for a good, old-fashioned update:

i got to work on my buss-bars today (yes, on mother's day. don't worry, i did the whole brunch thing)

drilled out the new bar. the old one has half a 10-32 tap in it


taped the holes






1 down, 1 to go



done!



also had to thread my new j-bolts for the battery



moved some stuff around, took some stuff out (for now)



general layout of everything



found a label maker at a yard sale, for a buck

 

for your e-fan swap. you are looking for a t-stat housing with the sensor spot?

 

What are the bus bars for? I figure future mods....

 

not anymore, thanks though
one positive, one negative. i want to be able to connect high-current items without splicing. also, the blue sea fuse box is going to be on a high-amp relay, so i don't have to install a relay for each individual device

i'll be finishing it up next weekend, and then it's on to the fan swap. then fixing up the trailer a bit.

 

are you going to cover/protect the high power(positive) bus bar? plan?

 

yep. that's what the off-white box is for. i'll be attaching it to the inside with nylon hardware, sealing with goop. the metal screws from the mounting structure will be on the sides of the bottom of the box, and won't enter the inside. i will have to think of some way to make the wires enter and exit, but i think i'll just drill holes as needed

i'll take a bunch of pics next weekend as i build the structures

 

i'd like to discuss your concept more indepth at some point. Getting another perspective may help me settle on a game plan. Wiring is something you will always be messig with on vehicles of this type/purpose. If i could add all the goodies right this second, i would have probably come up with a system that was usable, but not user friendly...wanna add lights, tear apart, solder, tape, repeat....wanna add a fridge, OBA, winch...again,tear apart, solder, tape, repeat... i want a system that is modificationally(made that word up) friendly.

 

yeah, that's basically what i'm doing. stay tuned 'til the end, and i think a lot of your questions should be answered.

for this mod, i did have to move the ignition coil/pack to lower on the fender, and i'll be mounting all the hardware to existing mounting points. there's a few more parts i need to order, so i need to get on that

and on a side note: i went yard-sale-ing this weekend. spent a total of $15. everything is probably worth $500...
i got a plasma sphere for a buck, some dikes and spark plug boot pliers, a label maker, window air conditioning for $2, and an aviation gps for $10. suh-weet. the a/c is going in the trailer, sphere in my room, and tools in the truck. pics later

 

Hey Ian, ...

For the wire in/out's, they make great grommets for those, some with weatherproofed enter/exits where you can heat up a lil and it oozes stuff and shrinks, lol. Maybe that'd work?

PS> GREAT FINDS!

 

i thought about it, but i'm going to be adding and removing stuff, so i don't want anything permanent. i might make a "hood" over the hole(s), though. thanks for the suggestion!

i saw the gps sitting there... heeelloooo ... it wasn't marked, so i asked the guy, "how much for the 10-year-old gps?" to which he replied, "eh, ten bucks." it was hard to keep a straight face after paying $12 bucks for $500 worth of stuff
yard sales rock

 

stupid job, won't let me see pictures!!

On a water proofing note...
Unless you have a componant that has complete circuitry(positive and negative contained inside) moisture/water should only affect corrosive materials. It is a best practice to allow water/moisture to 'dry-out' after a dunking. Notice that Toyota doesn't make underhood fuseboxes that are water proof?
If you make a waterproof box, it may not allow moisture to escape once it is inside, and corrosion will be accelarated.
This isn't a blanket statement for everything, notice how your alternator doesn't care how deep a pubdle or water crossing is.

Just sayin...

 

yep, yep, and yep. drainage/ventilation holes all around. i'm going to have to re-position the buss bar inside the box because of the terminal lugs, but it'll still work the way i intended. the waterproof box is meant to keep me from dropping tools and shorting something out

 

Good point, RB! Heck, .... use enough dielectric grease and non corrosive contacts, ...you should be fine, just with a good spot on top for evaporation, right? I mean,....if you end up taking a swim that deep, as deep as it would take to submerge that set up....yeah, I don't think it would be your biggest concern, right? lol. HEY, that reminds me,....is a snorkel in the works anytime soon? hehehe.

 

snorkel? i wish! if i did that, i'd have to buy a new fender to use, so i don't damage my dad's (legally, it's his). heck, who knows. maybe i'll get to it after this mod is done, the fan is in, the other seat installed, i get a center console, i fix up the trailer, and get bj spacers

 

Woot! "Snorkel'n Ian, ..... Come see his MOD'I'FIED 93 Yota, only today, .... he's got a Snorkel, Bus Bars, Alternators out of GM's, 14 Batteries, OBA, hovercraft capabilities,......" ok, I'm getting off the mark there, lol. Awesome, Ian, ... really admire your ''adventurous" and "practical application" type ambitions!

 

that made my day! thanks mark!

 

My pleasure, Homie! lol.

BTW, .. updated my thread a bit, couple posts back, regarding what I've found, whom I've found, etc. lol. I FINALLY found a machinist that's going to make this all right on the CHEAP, out of a favor for my neighbor(another GREAT GUY!)... No matter what, ....this thing will be PURRING, for SURE, next time I pull it out of the garage! haha. I swear, Ian,.... I can't IMAGINE how far I'd be with this rig if I'd not been CHASING MY FREAKIN TAIL FOR A YEAR! lol. Heck, ...even then, I got SOME good stuff done, eh? hahaha.

Have a good'n, Ian,....can't wait to see what's next! lol.

 

jeeze, mark! what a year this has been for ya! highs and lows... glad about the machine work, too bad about the block. j-b weld should work just fine haha! i know, never in a million years. it's not the end of the world, so i know you'll get it right back to where you want it. i'm rootin' for ya

meanwhile, in virginia:
i picked up a can of sea-foam. i don't think i let it sit long enough, or put enough in, but it didn't give me the satisfying leak-detecting smoke. but i did find a major leak. the exact same spot as the last one: where the down-pipe meets my extension pipe. i thought i got it . oh well, i guess i'll hafta break out the 14mm tomorrow morning . other than that, all is well. still need to take care of a small tick, but i'll be spending a majority of my weekend working on the buss-bar stuff.

and on a side note, in reference to the size of bolts chosen:

> 10-32 for the smaller accessories
-- smallest hole size that accepts larger gauge wire
-- about .5 inches outside diameter. since i have 2 of them across a 1" bar, it works out
-- easy to find hardware
> 3/8-16 for the battery, alternator, etc.
-- same size as side-post battery terminals. meaning i can add "charging terminals" if needed later
-- reasonable size for larger gauge wire
-- with a 3/8 inch hole drilled, the buss-bar has about the same cross-sectional area as 8/0 cable

 

Ian....did you use new nuts on that down pipe connection? I did not and mine leaks there.