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Thread: Nomad final assembly

  1. #191
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    There are millions of cars built every year and if bad connections were causing fires they'd be using some sort of emergency disconnect that the driver could access to shut down electrical power. The fact that they don't use them tells me it's not a big problem. The issue can only happen when there's high enough currents to cause high power dissipation at a bad connection, and with GXL/TXL wire insulation fires are unlikely to happen in that scenario. It's not hard to make a good tight connection and it would have to be pretty loose to raise resistance enough to get hot. That's why you don't see this sort of thing happening much.

    A bigger concern would be an unprotected wire shorting to ground. With no fuse to blow, the wire would literally get red hot and could start a fire if there was anything combustible nearby like a plastic wire conduit or plastic clamp. That's why I think it's stupid that VA doesn't specify a fuse on the switched A/C ECU wire. I will have one.

    I have everything fused at some point, and fuses get smaller as my circuits branch. If any wire shorts, a fuse will blow before the wire gets hot. I will make sure all my connections are tight and that should take care of any potential problems. Usually a bad connection will show up as a device not working properly before it causes any other problems.
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  2. #192
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    Today it seems like I made some good progress on wiring. I've been working on it almost every day except I've been busy with frames/clips, seat mounts, and a lot of other stuff the past week or so.

    I'm still trying to figure out where to mount switches for the VHX gauges, the keyless entry/alarm, and a couple other things. I think I'm going to put them right below the stereo along with a USB and AUX jack. I installed the stereo to make sure everything fit....it didn't.

    The stereo was deeper than I remember and comes close to the bottom of the console. It looks like I placed everything so it would clear, but the new dual fuse module for the stereo didn't allow the stereo to drop in all the way, so it will have to be moved. Also, the 1"+ diameter wire bundle on the driver's side is too thick to allow the stereo to clear. I only have about 5/8" to 3/4" for a wire channel, so I'll have to address that. I'll probably put a piece of angle there to constrain the harness and make it oblong so it fits, and the stereo clears.

    I have a few loose wires for the switches, driver's side valence which includes a couple of switches I still have to mount, the VSS wires that I have to add a connector to, and the backup light wires that need a connector too. I have all the power wires run back to the secondary fuse panel, which is mounted. I also built a mount for the cutout controller which is laying next to the console. It will be mounted on the passenger side of the console behind the box. The keyless entry will go on the driver's side in about the same place.

    I'm a little worried about my keyless entry because I bought it a long time ago. I was looking for some tech info on it and can't find anything online. I have the owner's "manual" which is two pages and there's a lot of stuff they don't tell you about the operation. I may end up getting a newer one with 3-channels, since they're pretty cheap. Not sure yet.

    Here's a couple pics....the long wire ties are temporary since I may have to add another wire or two. I think I can see light at the end of the tunnel.

    20190510_004.JPG

    20190510_007.JPG

    Here's the amp mounted under the rear seat....

    20190510_005.JPG
    Last edited by chevynut; 05-10-2019 at 04:01 PM.
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  3. #193
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    I decided that rather than try to put oval lights on the console that match my door lights, I'll just add some footwell LED lights. These will go under the dash at the top of the console where you can't see them. Also, I'll add a pair under the rear seat so they light up the rear footwell but are not in direct view, and a pair back in the cargo area, also hidden from view. I looked at all sorts of LED lights and these seem to work the best for this application. They're about 3 3/4" long with 6 LEDs.





    The 3-4 momentary switches will probably be these....either black or polished stainless. The black ring in this pic is a light and I will either go with green or blue The lights would come on with the headlights.

    This is the USB port I'm going to try to add in that location. These will connect to the stereo USB and AUX ports. I will add a couple more USB ports for charging elsewhere...

    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  4. #194
    Registered Member WagonCrazy's Avatar
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    Forward progress here... Dang that's alot of wiring and circuits to configure.
    1957 Nomad- LS1/T56 on C4 chassis
    1959 Fleetside Apache 1/2 ton, shortbed, big window, 327ci.

  5. #195
    Registered Member BamaNomad's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by WagonCrazy View Post
    Forward progress here... Dang that's alot of wiring and circuits to configure.
    Once he gets all that stuff wired, he'll have to wait for a future higher output Alternator to make it all work... J/K...

  6. #196
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BamaNomad View Post
    Once he gets all that stuff wired, he'll have to wait for a future higher output Alternator to make it all work... J/K...
    I have a CS130 160A alternator now which I think will be fine. Most of my wiring is low-current signals and the only real power hogs are the cooling fans, A/C blower and clutch, and ignition coil. The brake pump, horns, power windows, and power seats take fairly high current but only for short periods. The stereo amp at FULL POWER is something like 500 watts, or around 40 amps but I'll never use it at that level. I was surprised how much current the HEI ignition coil takes. I'll probably be at around half of the alternator capacity most of the time.
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  7. #197
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    So I ended up with 40 ATO fuse locations (27 used so far), three MIDI fuses, 32 relay sockets (29 relays used so far ), 5 circuit breakers, a bunch of connectors, splices, terminals, heat shrink, and what seems like 6 miles and 15 colors of wire. It'll be a miracle if all of this works first time.

    I'm going to try testing as many circuits as I can with a battery using one or two fuses at a time. The bad news is that I have to remove a lot of this, because Larry wants the console out of the car to finish it. The harness will stay there and I'll have to slide the console out while leaving the modules, fuse panels, etc in place.
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  8. #198
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    Quote Originally Posted by chevynut View Post
    I have a CS130 160A alternator now which I think will be fine. Most of my wiring is low-current signals and the only real power hogs are the cooling fans, A/C blower and clutch, and ignition coil. The brake pump, horns, power windows, and power seats take fairly high current but only for short periods. The stereo amp at FULL POWER is something like 500 watts, or around 40 amps but I'll never use it at that level. I was surprised how much current the HEI ignition coil takes. I'll probably be at around half of the alternator capacity most of the time.

    How bad is the current drain with the HEI ignition coil? Are you referring to basic HEI or is this with some kind of ignition box? Should wiring to HEI coil be with heavier wire (16/14 gauge) and a 30 or 40 amp relay rather than directly thru ignition switch?

    I’ve read else where heavier wire feed to the coil should be entertained.

  9. #199
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gmvette View Post
    How bad is the current drain with the HEI ignition coil? Are you referring to basic HEI or is this with some kind of ignition box? Should wiring to HEI coil be with heavier wire (16/14 gauge) and a 30 or 40 amp relay rather than directly thru ignition switch?

    I’ve read else where heavier wire feed to the coil should be entertained.
    My research shows that the coil can draw upwards of 20-25 amps. I'm actually using a MSD Blaster coil (no ignition box) with a GM computer-controlled distributor and I'm feeding it from a 25A fuse with 12 gauge wire. Virtually nothing of any significant power on my Nomad goes through the ignition switch. The starter solenoid, IGN power, and ACC power are all switched by 50A relays. The ignition switch itself will be on a 5A fuse.
    Last edited by chevynut; 05-14-2019 at 09:30 AM.
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  10. #200
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    Quote Originally Posted by chevynut View Post
    My research shows that the coil can draw upwards of 20-25 amps. I'm actually using a MSD Blaster coil (no ignition box) with a GM computer-controlled distributor and I'm feeding it from a 25A fuse with 12 gauge wire. Virtually nothing of any significant power on my Nomad goes through the ignition switch. The starter solenoid, IGN power, and ACC power are all switched by 50A relays. The ignition switch itself will be on a 5A fuse.
    CN

    That wiring reminds me of Clark Griswold's house in Christmas Vacation

    Scorp

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