Rewiring my Duster, but have a few questions

[Rudy`s Ride]

Hello all.
I have a 70 Duster 340 that I have been customizing for years, power windows, locks, A/C, electric cooling fans and big stereo. I did amp meter bypass, headlight relays and larger altenator wire and it all works fine but its a wiring nightmare so I ripped it all out and am starting over.
I have a new EZ wire harness I am going to install after I make a few changes to it. Fuse panel and relay panel will be located in glove box.
The battery, voltage regulator, solenoid switch and stereo amps will all be in trunk.
Here is a picture of my charging and starting system.

My questions are
1 With voltage regulator in trunk are #18 wire large enough
2 Should I use fusible link or breaker for Rad cooling fans
3 I will be using relays for headlights again to take load off switches, is #14 gauge wire good enough for headlights or should I step up to #12

I hope the experts here can have a look at my plan and let me know if I am doing anything wrong or have better suggestions.
Thanks all
Mike

 

[Professor Fate]

First impressions from a non-electrical guy:
1.) 18g. seems kind of light to me- why do you want the VR in the trunk? My meager knowledge tells me to keep it closer to the alt. and ignition for simplicity's sake and fewer potential issues...
2.) Self-resetting breakers. Where/how are you wiring in the temp. sensors for the fans?
3.) Depends on what you're running for headlights. Stock sealed beams, the bigger the better. LEDs have a lot less draw, 14g. should be fine. Halogens? Somewhere in between.
Other: Batt. neg. you can ground right to the frame/body and save yourself some $$ on single 0 cable, and then do the same up front- frame and body to engine block. You can't run too many grounds!
I'm sure others will chime in with corrections to my thinking, or other suggestions as well.

 

[crackedback]

1) I'd run the VR under the dash and pickup power for sensing at the fusebox as that is where the power matters for most things in the car.
2) breakers are fine for fans. I use them on my fans all the time. I don't like self resetting, prefer the push reset. If it trips, having it reset only to trip again means you are shorting out somewhere.
3) I use 12ga for headlight power runs in my kits. Not the place to skimp IMO.

If car is frame connected, drop your neg cable through trunk pan/extension and weld a nut on the rail. Weld a nut on the frame at front. Tie ground cables to the nuts for battery and engine.

Depending on loads, a # 6 charge wire running length of car may see some decent voltage drop. To minimize that load, run a wire #4-6 to a buss point to run your fans/headlights/ignition and anything else up front. No sense running power to the rear and back up front. Keep all runs as short as possible and your the alternator is the power driver with the engine running.

No cut off switch makes things easier, but you have some long hot runs at all times with battery connected.

 

[67Dart273]

You want larger wire for the VR. At least no16. That field wire from the VR can draw at least 6A in some cases You don't want to figure voltage drop (wire ampacity) as if it were house wiring. You want much less that is larger wire

 

[Rudy`s Ride]

Thanks for the quick responses and advice. I was hoping Del and Rob had a look at this as I read your advice all the time. Sorry I don`t comment often.
I had a better info of what I`m doing but lost it trying to post the first time.
I have customized allot of things on this car and am going for a hidden wiring look under the hood. It has Classic auto air with the vents in the dash so not much room under dash. It will also have push button start and a passive entry system.
I had wrestled with the idea of putting the fuse panel in the trunk also. I also thought about putting a main termainal block under the dash.
I will be using stock GE headlights. I already have more than enough 1/0 wire to do the negative wire back to the engine and enough #6 to go length of car. No frame connectors yet but my buddy just got a new welder so hopefully soon.
I can put the regulator under the dash or can run 16 or 14 to reg in trunk.
So my question now is if I put a termainal block under dash is it a bad idea to have fusible links under dash.
Also the EZwire harness calls for a fusible link for the main #10 wire going to it and none going to the solenoid wire witch kinda confuses me when they are both connected together behind the fuse panel.
I thought I read someplace that one of you guys had a EZ wire harness and were making some changes to it. What changes did you make?
Thanks so much for taking the time for all the great advice you guys give.
Mike

 

[Rudy`s Ride]

I have revised my plan a bit. If I put a main terminal block or buss bar hidden under my fender in a water proof box do I
1 Move the #10 fusible link wire coming off #6 Alt wire to terminal block. (as shown in picture) Or should the link be on solenoid in trunk as fan and headlights should be protected by breakers and ez wire harness protected by fusible link.
2 What size breakers would you guys recommend for headlights and Ford Contour fan.
3 Can you use a breaker on main Alt wire and Ezwire instead of fusible links or is that a bad idea.
Thanks Mike

 

[crackedback]

IMO, I would not use breakers on headlight. Run fuses.

Also run a dedicated power circuit for low and high beam. If only one setting, then one power circuit.

 

[Rudy`s Ride]

Ok, I will use a dedicated power for each + relays and #12 wire. Would 25 amp fuses be aproprate or some other size?