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[oletrucks] wiring harness

To: Old Trucks List <oletrucks@autox.team.net>
Subject: [oletrucks] wiring harness
From: J Forbes <jforbes@primenet.com>
Date: Thu, 11 May 2000 20:45:53 -0700
Antonio--

I've had good luck with the Chevy Duty harness....but I modify it some,
mainly in the power feed.  Modern cars have fuses or fusible links, and
the old trucks don't, except that the original truck light switch has
built in circuit breakers for the lights.  I usually add a fusible link
to the wire that supplies power to the rest of the harness...it connects
at the starter, the big black wire.  A fusible link should be two wire
sizes smaller (bigger number by 4) than the wire it is protecting...so
if the feed wire is 12 gage, you'd use a 16 gage fusible link in it.  If
the feed wire is 14 gage, then use a 18 gage fusible link...etc. 
Fusible links are available at auto parts stores.

If you are adding any accessories, then you will want a fuse panel for
them, either the original GM type that was installed if a truck had a
few options like radio and heater, or a universal fuse panel from a
parts store.

If you want to make some more work for yourself, and do a real good job,
you could get one of the $80 fuse blocks you mention, and incorporate it
into the Chevy Duty harness.  keep in mind, if you add lots of
accessories, you will want to make the power feed wires bigger, perhaps
10 gage from the starter to the ammeter.

Wiring is something you have to be careful with, you can catch your
truck on fire if you don't do it right!  Remember that wire will melt if
you connect it from the battery to ground...so make sure there is a
proper size fuse, circuit breaker, or fusible link somewhere in every
circuit.  If the fuse is bigger than the wire, then the wire will burn
first...you want the fuse to burn first.

I just want to scare you enough that you'll be carefull.

Jim Forbes
59s in AZ
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959

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