ADD ~ADDITIONAL~ Fuse Box

[03GTMatthew]

Hey Guys ~!~

I'm starting this Topic as a point of interest and also brain storming.. So Please help me in my quest...


I'm wanting to add a fuse box located under the dash or under the hood. ( placement inst to important at this point)

The purpose for the fuse box would to house the additional lights i'm wanting to add to the vibe. Fuse box should have at least 10 slots.



List of accessories I want to add :

~Constant 12V to back of the vibe for a "cig lighter"
~4 USB plug in's to charge devices.(2 in front and 2 in back)
~LED lights in each door(4) to light the ground when door is open
~LED light in the hatch door for when sitting behind the vibe and hatch is open
~LED strip in headlights for daytime running
-2 LED 18w 6inch Light bars on the roof rack
-Under glows

SO my question starts here... Is it possible to get a fuse box from the junk yard from ANY vehicle and wire it in? or is there a universal fuse box?
Also what gauge of wire should the fuse box have to the battery?

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR THE ADVICE

[Derf]

Depending on your choice of lights, guesstimate on fuse rating

15 Amp ~Constant 12V to back of the vibe for a "cig lighter"
5 Amp ~4 USB plug in's to charge devices.(2 in front and 2 in back)
5 Amp ~LED lights in each door(4) to light the ground when door is open
3 Amp~LED light in the hatch door for when sitting behind the vibe and hatch is open
5-7.5 Amp ~LED strip in headlights for daytime running
10 Amp -2 LED 18w 6inch Light bars on the roof rack (fuse separately at 5 Amp each)
3-5 Amp -Under glows

Assuming that not all features will be turned on at the same time, and allowing for overage you will need 50 Amp Service, a 4 gauge wire from the battery to your box will cover this need.

A tour of a junkyard may reveal a compact fuse block that can be converted, but in my experience most of them use press fit connectors and various gauges of wires that make it hard to adapt to specific needs. There is room under the dash to mount a fuse box, which would provide a central point to tie in all your listed accessories without running a wad of wires through limited firewall space. Also, many junk yard vehicles have issues with the electronics or sensors (flooded vehicle?), for the price I would use a new fuse block.

This fuse block may fit your need:
(Bussman Part Number 15600-12-20) PDF http://www.cooperindustries.com/content ... _15600.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(Prices) http://www.summitracing.com/search/Bran ... e/ATO-ATC/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They come in sizes from 4-12 slots and use the same ATC fuses already found in the Vibe. Plus it has a ground lug to tie in all the accessories at one point.
For LED lighting, they also make 1 Amp, 2 Amp and 4 Amp ATC fuses, but they are usually a special order item.

[03GTMatthew]

DERF~!!!~ THANK YOU SO MUCH!

You've been a huge inspiration for my projects for the vibe!!

Once i got my vibe, i started to see what people have done. And I found you on youtube and I'd done a lot of what you have shown.

Your videos are very to the point and helpful!

Thank you again DERF!! (Fred)