[mickey1031]

hey all i am trying ti figure out a way to make a switch panel for some of the stuff that i have added to my 03 Monte Carlo SS .

what i would like to do ideally is to hook in a separate fuse panel for this or to use breakers for this and to have it set up to allow me to add more circuits later to it.
The biggest questing i have for this is what Gage wire should i use for this as a feed line and a ground line?
The plans are to put this in the center council as it is hollow and i have room there.

can anyone hello with this? also where do you find a breaker panel for this type of thing? I don't really want to go to a junk yard to find one for this my luck it would be the cause of the Donne's car reason to be there,

I only need some thing like 5-10 circuits max.
Thanks

[johnnymopar]

if you go to an auto supply place, try and find a Cole-Hersee catalogue. they make little fuse panels and things. you could also try Grote, they have a lot of electrical stuff too.

JB

[Fast Orange]

I bought a 6 circuit Buss fuse panel at a local Advance A/P store a while back.This particular panel used mini-fuses,but I believe they make a simular panel for glass tube fuses,in which you could install circuit breakers.
As for the wire sizes,I would total amperage for all loads and go up 1 wire size for the feed to the panel and install an inline fuse or c/b to match wire ampacity.
I haven't yet found an ampacity table for wire sizing in automotive applications,but the std. tables for ac current have worked for me over the years: <10A-16 awg
15a-14 awg
20a-12 awg
30a-10 awg
40a-8 awg
60a-6 awg
I believe these ampacities to be approxiamately correct or even a little oversized.If anyone knows of a real ampacity chart,please post it.


HTH,George

Just noticed you're in Germany-no Advance A/P there! I would still try an auto parts or stereo store.

[455c-10]

as for the switching panel i would use relays that go into larger wires. it is easier on the switch. if you use large wire then you have to use a large switch and i am sure you dont have that kinda room. by the way what is it going to be used for?

[mickey1031]

first off thank you for the replies. I need to look for somethign on line as far as the parts go. if you have any ideas ? LOL. sorry forgot to add im in Germany with the mil. so i cant go to corrner auto parts store as easy ( I wish i could i miss them)

as far as what they are being used for: I want to add a power point in the trunk for one of them
Also have some strobe lights that i use in shows and would like to nothave to hack the wire harness up to wire them in.
I also have a small TV /dvd. thing that we put in the car while on trips and i would liek to have3 a power point for it so if it gose bad it wont take out the wireing in the car. also any thing i decid to add in the future to that car i would add threw this pannel instead of the cars pannel, this will prevent having to hunt a ground down and also give me a place that is easier to get to. and still allow me a attachment/power point.


This car is going to showes etc. so it has some lights i would not normally have on the other cars we have , also it has a stereo in it that i would prefer to have it's own circut to eleminate the chance to have of the noise inteh speckers etc.

also this would almost be easier to get to then the factory pannels in the dash there are three of them. so this would centralise all of the extras on the car to one place instead of three diffrent places.

in short the thinking behind this was if i put every thing in one place i know where to find it when or if i need to. and it wont cause a issue with the cars computer ect... if somethign dose happen to over load a circut some how,

[docvette]

Doc here,

First you need to decide if this will be controlled by the key or not..(assuming not...)

You need to run a main buss wire for total draw of all components on your switch panel (I.E. 4 ~ 25 amp circuits will require 100 amp Buss protection...)This line can be installed on the main starter lug with a properly sized fuse link, then next size the wire for just OVER the draw of the link.

Run this wire as the "Common " to all your circuit protection for each circuit..

If you want resettable circuit breakers and since your in the service, get a "Bud" in Comm, or better yet Avionics, and see if he can' liberate a few "Klixon" breakers for you..these are commonly used in Aircraft avionics busses, can be reset, or you can manually pull them off yourself too..If you can't find anybody to help you out..don't bother looking for them, as a TSO'ed 2 amp breaker will run you about $100 each on the civil market..

Allen /Bradley makes a few too but are a bit spendy also...

After that hump, the low side of your breakers, will wire into your device switches, then out to their respective devices or relays...REMEMBER: a switch will only handle a few amps on it's own without a relay..so keep that in mind.

Doc

[455c-10]

i concur with doc those breakers are extremely easy to install, use, and they last forever. on the f-16s out here there is all from 2amp to 25amp. if you work flight line get with an e+e guy and see if he has an old breaker panel in his scrounge.

[mickey1031]

well it looks like im going to see about getting my hands on a air craft pannel with the breakers on /in it.

But if this dose not happen would it be good to go with the mini blade fuses? that is what is in the car now for every thing else.

the biggest this is i know what to do with it after i get it hooked up it is just a matter of gettign this thing all hooked in and mounted so it wont short out or arc out somethign LOL

If i was building the car from scratch i can see how it gose in it is trying to tap in to a power source that kind of scares me . i dont need it catchign on fire on me . this is the reason im doing this in the first place ,

I have seen some nice custom cars that were done for shows and they put lighs in them and later you see them burned to charcoal, due to them not knowing how to do it or doing it wrong.

I dont want to make this same mistake. I have way to much invested in this thing to see it as a marshmellow fryier .

thanks for the help on this i will also see if i can get ahold of oen guy i know that works with the eletronics in the avaiton feild .