Anyone replaced the glass fuse box with new style?

[67F250CS]

Id like to update the old fuse box to the newer style plug in fuse box. Anyone ever attempdedthis change over
The "painless" way without the painless price.
Thanks much

[Faithful Old Road Dog]

Are you having problems with your original box? I've known that sometimes the connections on the back side get rusty and crusty. I personally wouldn't go through the trouble of using the style fuses. Just much easier to either find a box in better shape (in case your's melted) or rebuild/repair the old one.

[bluef250]

Seems like a lot of work for little gain. I don't remember replacing a fuse in the fuse box on my truck. On the other hand, wires do get old and I wonder what the heat has done to the wire insulation in the Arizona desert, etc. If the wiring and fuse block are bad (messed up) :twisted: , why not update? I have read that the ATO/ATC fuses are more reliable. I took a fuse box off a '70 f100 and looked it over. I counted 9 wires for the 5 fuses, 3 power supply and 6 loads. Then there are 2 "spare" spades on the front. It would be simple to get an 8 space fuse block for the loads and run all from the 3 supplies. If you wanted additional spaces get a larger fuse block, either a 10 or 12 space block, and run an additional supply or two from the starter solenoid. Will post a diagram when I can. The individual switches could then be run separately. Might simplify the replacement or reconstruction of the wiring system. Essentially, this is what the aftermarket vendors provide.

[67F250CS]

Thank you for the advice. Plans include include power doors, windows, locks, alarm, amp and other items. I dont want to overload the tired box.
What I know about electricity fit between these 2 lines / / aint much.

[bluef250]

Don't really know much either, certainly not enough. One of the neat things about these trucks is that the electrical system is relatively simple. Without rewiring, you could also use the accy. spaces to turn on relays if you wanted to the run some loads (windows, stereo, etc.) when the ignition switch was on accy (in accy or run position). Regardless, you probably want to run additional power into the cab. Since the locks and alarms need to be on all the time, you could run a new fused circuit off the starter relay circuit into the cab or connect to an existing hot circuit under the dash with a relay. I think the manufacturers and/or vendors have wiring diagrams for these items. You may want the alarm off when you are running the truck. Some use relays (SPDT) to control power to the circuits especially the alarm system. You are dealing with control and with power circuits. Lots of information on the web concerning how alarm could be wired and triggered. The amp, depending upon how much power, needs special consideration. If you want it on only when the accy. circuit is on, run a relay to control power off one the accy. spaces. If the amp is extremely large, with lots of power, you might want a dedicated circuit with a capacitor in line to handle the peaks. Pull power as closed to the battery or alternator as possible. The capacitor acts like a power reservoir to get over the peaks. Discuss the system with a good sound shop. A larger alternator may also be needed. To avoid the dead battery blues, you might want to consider a 2nd battery for running the stereo. The second battery is connected to the electrical system only when the engine is running. That way it recharges and you still have the 1st battery for starting and running the truck. Not all this needs to done at one time, but you may want to plan the improvements incrementally. Lots of options and definitely to much rambling.

[67F250CS]

Thanks again for the advice. I thought my old truck had a 2 batt system but never found any proof other than a spot for 2nd batt. I read somewhere about our old trucks having a lack of relays controlling things like lights and stuff and it looks like Henry ran the power to the item right from the batt to a switch and then to the accesory. Is this where a lot of us get the dim headlights and burned switch contacts from? Some of my plastic plug ins look to have gotten real hot at one time or another and appear to have signs of melting. This is really what I am trying to overcome. Adding relays seems a logical choice. But where do you install them? Between battery and switch or between switch and acessory?

[bluef250]

I put a 2nd battery in my truck on the left side and used a 4-position boat battery switch for control. Don't like to have dead battery. I bought a Ford tray for the left side and ran cables to a boat twin battery switch from the batteries and to the starter solenoid. RV manufactures have battery isolators and I am working to put a system in place. There are very few relays, only one, on our trucks. The Starter Solenoid is just a relay, built just for brief uses to start the engine. Others have said that the headlight switch is weak and wears with age. The dim and flickering headlights can be the result. :twisted: There are also other causes. Do a net search for installing headlight relays and read several of the articles. I plan to use the right side headlight plug connected to a male H4 plug to control the relays and run power from the starter solenoid to run the 60/55 watt H4's I installed. Thinking about buying new headlights with “city lightsâ€Â

[willowbilly3]

I think I would leave the old fuse block in place if it is working, and just add another for additional circuits. I like the ones under the hood on the newer trucks, much easier to access.

[oldschool]

Try these guys...

http://www.ezwiring.com/

I rewired my 66 impala with the ez wiring kit.....Best $165 I spent. And that was a 18 fuse, 21 circuit kit.... Compare that to Painless for $365.00