Philosophy of Use - OR - Why would I want a fuse block in my cab?
We live in an era that is both simplified and complicated by new and exciting electronics and being able to power those devices while you're on the road becomes more and more complicated. Especially for us overlanding types, we're probably running a 12V fridge, a CB and\or a HAM radio, a GPS, a tablet, and probably a phone charger or two in our cab (let alone external lights, etc). From my past experience, adding more and more electronics into my rig has always resulted in a rat's nest of wires run all through the cab and dash. So this time, I'm going to do it differently! This time, I'm going to do it nice and clean, power everything I need, and leave room for the things I don't yet know I want\need.
The Hardware and the Install
The hardware here is pretty simple...appropriate crimp terminals, some 10 AWG wire for ground and power, a Blue Sea 12 Circuit w\ Negative Bus fuse block to simplify grounding of new accessories, and a handful of machine screws. After searching all through the cab looking for a easily accessed and minimally-obtrusive location for this fuse block, I settled on the cover of the factory fuse block on the passenger side kick panel. For me, this make the most sense as it left the fuse block protected and away from the elements, while easy to access when needing to add new accessories or troubleshoot existing ones. I'm never a fan of drilling holes in factory dash components, but I felt minimal guilt in this small amount of drilling. The 12 circuit panel fits really wells as mounted. Why a 12 circuit? Why not? It fits, I already had one from another project, and it gives me plenty of room to expand. So a few holes drilled, a few 10-32 screws trimmed to length, and I've got a new fuse block!
Note: the fitment is tight, and it might seem like the fuse panel will pop off with a hard bump. I haven't had issues with it so far, but I also have Weathertech Floor Mats that run up to this kick panel and hold it in place, so I'm not worried about it swinging open randomly.
Wiring
I went with 10 AWG wire (as opposed to something bigger) because it's a short run (only a few feet to the fused source) and all the interior accessories are generally really low current draw. A 6 foot run of 10 awg is rated for around 30 amps max, and I doubt I'll ever use that much. If I find it's an issue, I'll upgrade (and update this post accordingly). There's a large grommet hidden up in the kick panel that I used a coat hanger to thread the wire through to maintain a water-tight seal. Just be careful! The last thing you want to do is create a short in your factory harness! There was a good, solid, factory grounding point behind the factory fuse block that I grounded it to. I made sure to leave enough slack in the wire so that I could remove the panel easily and work in it as necessary.
If you're interested in the "fused source," check out this post.
First Accessory! A 12V plug for a backseat fridge freezer.
If you've got a crew cab F-150 and a 12V fridge, you may already know that you can pop up the shorter of the two rear seats on the passenger side and have a perfect little home for your fridge (I've got an Indel B, your mileage may vary!). There is an outlet behind the center console, but if you're like me, you want to know that your wiring is appropriate for the accessory (especially one as important as the fridge). So, I pulled up the bottom door trim and ran some 12awg wire from my new accessory fuse block back to the B pillar. There's already a little "channel" that exists for factory wiring, so I just used that. After carefully pulling up the B-pillar cover and drilling a 1" (or 1.25", I can't remember...) hole such that a new Blue Sea 12V socket doesn't in any way, shape or form, interfere with the operation of the seatbelt, I installed my new plug and cover. Now, I've got the perfect spot to plug in my fridge when I'm running it in my backseat.
Conclusion\Final Thoughts
I really like this upgrade; being able to easily wire up new accessories without patching into the factory harnesses or doing crappy butchering jobs and excessively long wiring runs makes life much easier. There's a certain amount of peace of mind that comes from leaving the factory wiring harness unmolested. Plus, I've got plenty of room to add more accessories! If I need to run heavier wire as time passes, that's an easy job. I've got a related upgrade that I'll be writing up as soon as the parts come.
I really like Blue Sea stuff...I've used several of their products and they always seem well thought out, heavy duty, and with plenty of variety to fit a large variety of needs. The fuse panels are great, simple to install, and have a solid, protective cover. Plus they're easy to label so you can keep track of all your new electronic toys!
We live in an era that is both simplified and complicated by new and exciting electronics and being able to power those devices while you're on the road becomes more and more complicated. Especially for us overlanding types, we're probably running a 12V fridge, a CB and\or a HAM radio, a GPS, a tablet, and probably a phone charger or two in our cab (let alone external lights, etc). From my past experience, adding more and more electronics into my rig has always resulted in a rat's nest of wires run all through the cab and dash. So this time, I'm going to do it differently! This time, I'm going to do it nice and clean, power everything I need, and leave room for the things I don't yet know I want\need.
The Hardware and the Install
The hardware here is pretty simple...appropriate crimp terminals, some 10 AWG wire for ground and power, a Blue Sea 12 Circuit w\ Negative Bus fuse block to simplify grounding of new accessories, and a handful of machine screws. After searching all through the cab looking for a easily accessed and minimally-obtrusive location for this fuse block, I settled on the cover of the factory fuse block on the passenger side kick panel. For me, this make the most sense as it left the fuse block protected and away from the elements, while easy to access when needing to add new accessories or troubleshoot existing ones. I'm never a fan of drilling holes in factory dash components, but I felt minimal guilt in this small amount of drilling. The 12 circuit panel fits really wells as mounted. Why a 12 circuit? Why not? It fits, I already had one from another project, and it gives me plenty of room to expand. So a few holes drilled, a few 10-32 screws trimmed to length, and I've got a new fuse block!
Note: the fitment is tight, and it might seem like the fuse panel will pop off with a hard bump. I haven't had issues with it so far, but I also have Weathertech Floor Mats that run up to this kick panel and hold it in place, so I'm not worried about it swinging open randomly.
Wiring
I went with 10 AWG wire (as opposed to something bigger) because it's a short run (only a few feet to the fused source) and all the interior accessories are generally really low current draw. A 6 foot run of 10 awg is rated for around 30 amps max, and I doubt I'll ever use that much. If I find it's an issue, I'll upgrade (and update this post accordingly). There's a large grommet hidden up in the kick panel that I used a coat hanger to thread the wire through to maintain a water-tight seal. Just be careful! The last thing you want to do is create a short in your factory harness! There was a good, solid, factory grounding point behind the factory fuse block that I grounded it to. I made sure to leave enough slack in the wire so that I could remove the panel easily and work in it as necessary.
If you're interested in the "fused source," check out this post.
First Accessory! A 12V plug for a backseat fridge freezer.
If you've got a crew cab F-150 and a 12V fridge, you may already know that you can pop up the shorter of the two rear seats on the passenger side and have a perfect little home for your fridge (I've got an Indel B, your mileage may vary!). There is an outlet behind the center console, but if you're like me, you want to know that your wiring is appropriate for the accessory (especially one as important as the fridge). So, I pulled up the bottom door trim and ran some 12awg wire from my new accessory fuse block back to the B pillar. There's already a little "channel" that exists for factory wiring, so I just used that. After carefully pulling up the B-pillar cover and drilling a 1" (or 1.25", I can't remember...) hole such that a new Blue Sea 12V socket doesn't in any way, shape or form, interfere with the operation of the seatbelt, I installed my new plug and cover. Now, I've got the perfect spot to plug in my fridge when I'm running it in my backseat.
Conclusion\Final Thoughts
I really like this upgrade; being able to easily wire up new accessories without patching into the factory harnesses or doing crappy butchering jobs and excessively long wiring runs makes life much easier. There's a certain amount of peace of mind that comes from leaving the factory wiring harness unmolested. Plus, I've got plenty of room to add more accessories! If I need to run heavier wire as time passes, that's an easy job. I've got a related upgrade that I'll be writing up as soon as the parts come.
I really like Blue Sea stuff...I've used several of their products and they always seem well thought out, heavy duty, and with plenty of variety to fit a large variety of needs. The fuse panels are great, simple to install, and have a solid, protective cover. Plus they're easy to label so you can keep track of all your new electronic toys!