New Fuse Panel with Relays

[klweimer]

All,
Trying out a new image host (Flkr), as I've given up on Photobucket. Thought I'd show you what I'm working on right now. It's a new fuse panel with ATO style fuses and integrated relays to power up almost everything. The items that aren't going through relays are fed from an 8 gauge cable running up from the main starter stud with the big battery cable on it. It fits in the same space as the old fuse box and eliminates the old in-line fuses for cig lighter and FI. I started on this design project about 2 years ago and just installed it yesterday. Going through each circuit one at a time now.
Kirk

[PhillySpider]

Nice little project you got going there. I'm just starting to think about how to get my cigar lighter working again

[RRoller123]

NICE!!! Can you maybe give some info on the use of flkr, and how to post here, i.e. do we need to use the img brackets? what code is copied from flkr? etc?

[klweimer]

Hi RRoller123,

Signing up for Flickr (I spelled it wrong earlier), was pretty easy, it's a Yahoo thing, I guess. You upload pictures using either drag and drop or a browsing screen. I'm still struggling to figure it out, but there's a camera roll view that if you full screen the picture, you can then right click and get a "copy image address" option. Click on that and then you can paste the image address between the brackets. If it worked, it shows up as a picture in preview. If I figure it out on a consistent basis, I'll try to post something for the group.

Kirk

[spider2081]

Wow that is a lot of work. Very neat.

[klweimer]

Removing the dash and pulling out so much of the wiring is not for the faint of heart. My wife is convinced the car's never leaving garage, but at this point I hope to have the car back together and running in the next month (or so).
Kirk

[DRUMMOND]

Hi klweimer

Looks great. lot of work and thought there! keep us informed how it works out

[spider2081]

Removing the dash and pulling out so much of the wiring is not for the faint of heart

I think there is a lot of unnecessary wire and connectors in our Spiders. I believe much of this is done to enhance speed in manufacturing the cars. Once the total car is assembled there are many connectors that will never be used again. As the car ages some of these connectors can be the cause of intermittent operation. An example of this is the single bullet connectors in the power wires near the alternator on the later model Spiders. They become corroded and intermittent and contribute to the infamous "dreaded click" and intermittent start issues.

[baltobernie]

I think there is a lot of unnecessary wire and connectors in our Spiders. I believe much of this is done to enhance speed in manufacturing the cars.

Also, the reluctance to make wholesale changes to the harness. It's easier to add circuits than to start afresh when new features appear. It got to the point when the Lada was last in production, a second 6-position fuse box was added, even though only two additional circuits were required! By then (1990), there were ten wires going in and out of the hazard switch

I admire your ingenuity in designing and fabricating a new electrical system for your car. I chose the more conventional route of incorporating a modern universal harness from Painless. Still a huge amount of work, but all of the wires have their function printed every foot of length, and a wiring diagram is included for the next owner.

I think Mark was investigating a plug-and-play solution, using OE-style connectors where required. It is possible to prune a fresh Lada harness to fit the Spider, but the end result would need to sell for at least $500. I don't think there's enough interest to justify that amount of engineering.

[klweimer]

I agree there are a lot of wires that are not needed. I've removed a whole bunch of wiring I don't need (like power window stuff). This is not work for people who aren't comfortable with wiring diagrams (Brad's schematics have been invaluable) and electrical knowledge. It's not rocket science, but it's not easy either. I really wanted to get the electrical load off the ignition switch, so I put almost everything through relays.
I did the Painless route on a '46 Willys jeep, but felt this wiring on the Fiat was salvageable.
I also replaced the whole FI harness, as there was an open circuit waaaay down in the harness somewhere.
The weather is warming, so I really want to get this wrapped up!
Kirk