Relay and Fuse Block Plate Mod - In Front of Battery (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Oct 9, 2018
Threads
14
Messages
213
Location
Santa Rosa, CA
Hello,

I have not posted much and this is my first mod post on IH8MUD. I bought my 1997 Landcruiser in December of 2018 after losing my 1989 4Runner in the Tubbs Fire here in Santa Rosa in October of 2017. It was in the garage when the house burned down, may it rust in peace.

My son and I have been building the '97 as our pandemic project (we actually started in December). It started out bone stock with 172k miles on it, second owner, never off road, dealer serviced. It it is now on 37's with a 4" suspension lift (Slee), 1" body lift, 4.88 gears, ARB air lockers, Wits End turbo kit, 3.11 transfer case gears, shift kit in the trans, Slee armor all the way around. It will be a mild rock crawler / expedition rig, mostly for use in the Sierra's.

As part of the mods we put some lights on it. 13" light bar on the bumper, 40" light bar on the rack, pods on the bumper, mirror mounts, and rear mounts. These all need relays, fuses, etc. I had been eyeing that space in front of the battery for a plate that would mount 10 relays and a 12 position fuse block.

This first pass is kind of a prototype. I used a piece of plastic decking material as the plate, as it would not rot and would be very fast to place screws, or move them if need be. I used a Simpson bracket to attach one end to the side of the engine bay and drilled holes in the radiator support for screws on the other. Right now you have to take the battery out to remove it. A better design would be for it to slide in from the top in guides and somehow lock into position.

But, it came out pretty clean and is functional. Pictures below

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Nice planning and location. Looks super clean. Looks like it wouldn’t take much to alter your prototype so it will slide straight up. Like the setup !!

What gauge wire and master fuse amp did you go with? What’s your total planned load?
 
Is this more prone to water contact from light housing area during a storm? What if you flipped it around with a couple of space brackets? This way there is a solid backing plate that is between water and electrical?
 
@OutlawMike great work. I did something similar but i mounted my relays in the space between the fenders and the fuse box on the back of the battery tray. The relays are reasonably accessible just by removing the corner light. I now wish i had put the fuse panel in there as well. I did the same on the passenger side including mounting my ACR.
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Far nicer than mine on our '93. That one's mounted to the battery holder, on 1/8" aluminum. A pain to get to fuses when necessary, and it's been pointed out to me (by Kevin Patterson, RIP) that I 'wasted' the space customarily reserved for the spare bottle oof engine oil. Haven't noticed any corrosion issues, but the truck lives in AZ, and moisture is typically scarce around here. Only 'failure' I've had is that one of the connector screws on the BlueSea fuse block decided to unthread itself and leave the vehicle, and I was wondering why my air lockers wouldn't work...
 
Nice planning and location. Looks super clean. Looks like it wouldn’t take much to alter your prototype so it will slide straight up. Like the setup !!

What gauge wire and master fuse amp did you go with? What’s your total planned load?
The master wire is temporary. It is 4 ga battery cable. Currently there is no master fuse, but will be when I replace the master wire and put it in-line. The load right now is 75 amps max with all the lights on and the ARB compressor running. The fuse block is rated to 100 amps. The master fuse (or circuit breaker) will be in the range of 90 amps, depending on what is available.

Edit: Going with a 100 amp in line AGU fuse in a waterproof holder. Using 6 AWG welding cable, very flexible and these are very short runs. Also, should mentioned that I have a Mean Green alternator in the rig for higher output for these lights, etc.
 
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Is this more prone to water contact from light housing area during a storm? What if you flipped it around with a couple of space brackets? This way there is a solid backing plate that is between water and electrical?
It is more prone to water contact from the light housing area. I looked at flipping it around, for that reason, but did not like the risk of the battery clipping the parts on the way in and damaging them. The way it is mounted right now the relays, fuse block, and wires all tuck in nicely out of the way from the battery going in / out.

Also, there is a good bit of "stuff" in that area behind the light that prevents the mounting plate from sitting flush on the radiator support flange. It would have to be spaced further towards the battery, which would lead to losing some of the usable volume.

I am thinking about a shield that goes over the top of the whole thing if water becomes an issue. But, there is an issue with all the "stuff" tucked in behind that light that would interfere with a shield also.
 
@OutlawMike great work. I did something similar but i mounted my relays in the space between the fenders and the fuse box on the back of the battery tray. The relays are reasonably accessible just by removing the corner light. I now wish i had put the fuse panel in there as well. I did the same on the passenger side including mounting my ACR.
View attachment 2325112
I thought about putting them in there also. There is a good bit of wasted volume in there that you put to use. Access was the reason I did not go that route. But, once you get it all dialed in, they are out of harms way and should do nicely in there.
 
Far nicer than mine on our '93. That one's mounted to the battery holder, on 1/8" aluminum. A pain to get to fuses when necessary, and it's been pointed out to me (by Kevin Patterson, RIP) that I 'wasted' the space customarily reserved for the spare bottle oof engine oil. Haven't noticed any corrosion issues, but the truck lives in AZ, and moisture is typically scarce around here. Only 'failure' I've had is that one of the connector screws on the BlueSea fuse block decided to unthread itself and leave the vehicle, and I was wondering why my air lockers wouldn't work...
I am new to Landcruisers. Guys put oil in that space? I would worry about it leaking and causing a mess.
 
It's great that you made this post, I have been working on wiring the past few weeks and was planning on using that space too, thanks for the great ideas. I'll post up what I come up with.
 
It's great that you made this post, I have been working on wiring the past few weeks and was planning on using that space too, thanks for the great ideas. I'll post up what I come up with.
Would love to see what someone else comes up with. After doing this prototype, I have some ideas on how to improve the design. Really would like for it to drop in from the top without removing the battery. Also, would prefer for it to be on an aluminum plate, rather than the plastic deck material. But, the plastic was very forgiving as far as putting screws in and moving things around for the prototype.
 
I can only assume with so many lights that it must get very dark where you live.
 
It is more prone to water contact from the light housing area. I looked at flipping it around, for that reason, but did not like the risk of the battery clipping the parts on the way in and damaging them. The way it is mounted right now the relays, fuse block, and wires all tuck in nicely out of the way from the battery going in / out.

Also, there is a good bit of "stuff" in that area behind the light that prevents the mounting plate from sitting flush on the radiator support flange. It would have to be spaced further towards the battery, which would lead to losing some of the usable volume.

I am thinking about a shield that goes over the top of the whole thing if water becomes an issue. But, there is an issue with all the "stuff" tucked in behind that light that would interfere with a shield also.
I have my relays for my accessory lights as well as a circuit breaker in the same area. I am continually fighting relay issues in there that I am sure is moisture related. I have replaced the relays in there twice in the last 4 years to give you an idea.

I have a fuse block that is inboard from the battery box and I have no issues with that. It's above the ABS module.

I need to move my relays and such from the area in front of the battery to reduce the issues I am having, but that means I need to re-route some of my wiring. Right now, it costs me less in time to just keep swapping relays.
 
I have my relays for my accessory lights as well as a circuit breaker in the same area. I am continually fighting relay issues in there that I am sure is moisture related. I have replaced the relays in there twice in the last 4 years to give you an idea.

I have a fuse block that is inboard from the battery box and I have no issues with that. It's above the ABS module.

I need to move my relays and such from the area in front of the battery to reduce the issues I am having, but that means I need to re-route some of my wiring. Right now, it costs me less in time to just keep swapping relays.

Have you given them a good spray of ACF 50 before you put them in, connectors also?
 
Have you given them a good spray of ACF 50 before you put them in, connectors also?
ACF 50? No idea what that is.

ATF 50? 75W-90? :rofl:
 
@OutlawMike great work. I did something similar but i mounted my relays in the space between the fenders and the fuse box on the back of the battery tray. The relays are reasonably accessible just by removing the corner light. I now wish i had put the fuse panel in there as well. I did the same on the passenger side including mounting my ACR.
View attachment 2325112
How do you plan to get to this if you ever need to replace a relay? Just taking my fender flares off was a pain using that little hole in the body. Im looking for ideas myself. I like this a lot but it doesn't seem maintenance friendly. I guess you just plan on taking the fender off if you need to get to it?
 
How do you plan to get to this if you ever need to replace a relay? Just taking my fender flares off was a pain using that little hole in the body. Im looking for ideas myself. I like this a lot but it doesn't seem maintenance friendly. I guess you just plan on taking the fender off if you need to get to it?
The relays i have used are fully waterproof and a brand which i have had on my truck for a few years so i am confident that i won't have premature failures. If i do have to replace one it takes about 10 minutes to remove the fender. There is no need to separate the flares first.
 
ACF 50? No idea what that is.

ATF 50? 75W-90? :rofl:

I figured you would have used this product in your trade :hmm:


It’s da chit ;)
 
I figured you would have used this product in your trade :hmm:


It’s da chit ;)
Now I'm gonna check into it. We have an application that could use that or something close.

Thanks!
 

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