Question: Ditching the fuse box?

SgtKilroy

SgtKilroy

'Merica!
Sep 30, 2009
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I've seen a couple posts about the stand alone wiring harnesses that say they get rid of the big stupid fuse box in the engine bay. How possible is it to just ditch or relocate the fuse box out of the engine bay? Is that essentially making a standalone harness? My truck is my DD so I'd like to keep the AC, radio, etc...

Thanks.
 
duratothemax

duratothemax

<--- slippery roads
Aug 28, 2006
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Remove that whole fusebox??? In a factory GM pickup truck??? Possible....well yeah I guess......

But you do realize that only 4 of those fuses are for the actual engine right??? ALL the rest of them are for other things in the truck.

When people talk about "getting rid of the fuse box and running a standalone harness", they are referring to not using the stock fuse box when they swap a duramax into another vehicle! Not just getting rid of it for grins in a factory pickup truck. Because what are you going to do about the 30+ non-engine-related circuits that are in that underhood fusebox? You cant just wire them to the battery; you'll burn your truck to the ground.

So that means you'll just have to put those 30+ fuses somewhere else in the truck. Which, in effect, just means having another "big stupid fuse box" located somewhere else in the truck.

There is so much electrical crap in vehicles these days....if you think you're going to condense a full factory late model GM pickup truck electrical system/accessories into a single little fusebox the size of a deck of cards like you see on hotrods, or cars from 50 years ago, you are dreaming. :)

Ben
 
SgtKilroy

SgtKilroy

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Sep 30, 2009
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Relocation it is. haha Oddly enough you're pretty close to the mark with the comment about the older cars. I'm one of those people that thinks the only thing that should be in an engine bay is an engine. Guess I have a lot of extending to do. I'll probably end up mounting it under the dash somewhere, or under the back seat. That's why I ask the experts. Thanks Ben.
 
duratothemax

duratothemax

<--- slippery roads
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SgtKilroy said:
Relocation it is. haha Oddly enough you're pretty close to the mark with the comment about the older cars. I'm one of those people that thinks the only thing that should be in an engine bay is an engine. Guess I have a lot of extending to do. I'll probably end up mounting it under the dash somewhere, or under the back seat. That's why I ask the experts. Thanks Ben.
Click to expand...

Its going to be a long and tedious project. Think in terms of weeks, and thats if you are patient with wiring and have a full set of schematics... The entire dash is going to have to come out and be taken apart.

If you take all of the wiring harnesses that are on a GMT-800 crew cab pickup truck and put them in a pile, the pile would be about the size of a shopping cart. (I know this for a fact because I have a pile sitting right here) I dont know how many wires there are between the fuse box, ECM, TCM, and FICM...but it must be somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 circuits.

There is no way its going to fit under the dash. You will have to put it under the back seat if you are really hellbent on getting it out from under the hood. You'll probably have to extend the wiring along the frame and come up from the back of the cab, because there isnt any room to run it under the carpet.

Keep in mind some of those wires you're going to have to extend are big. Your glow plug fuse and wire is in the fuse box (175amps), as well as the ABS wiring (60amps) and several other big circuits.

Plan on spending a couple hundred bucks in terms of supplies such as extra wire, (use proper automotive-grade TXL wire, dont use the "Primary Wire" shit they sell at radio shack or the auto parts store) good quality electrical tape (if you dont use the $8/roll 3M Super33+ tape, its going to fall apart and all come unraveled within a year), good quality wire loom and splices (soldering and heat-shrink tubing is a must), etc...

And when you buy all the extra wire for the project, I highly recommend getting all the various proper colors; its going to be a lot easier to retrace the inevitable electrical problems down the road if the colors are matched to factory.

I always thought people who merely relocate just the ECM/TCM were insane. (and I like wiring!) If you complete the project of moving the whole entire fuse box and ECM/TCM/FICM into the cab, im definitely going to have to send you a case of beer. :)

Ben
 
SgtKilroy

SgtKilroy

'Merica!
Sep 30, 2009
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I appreciate the vote of confidence. haha And there are several other projects in line before this one (almost none of them involving wiring of any sort). I just like to plan ahead. If or when it ever gets done I'll have to take you up on that beer. I'll probably need it after all that silliness. In the end I'll probably listen to the voice of reason and just leave it alone. We'll see.
Hell I still have to make some up pipes, mount/plumb my new rear mount fuel tank, redo my exhaust, put some LEDs in my interior, and just maybe put in some heavier torsion bars.
 
duratothemax

duratothemax

<--- slippery roads
Aug 28, 2006
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Heres what you are going to be working with and sorting through. This is the body harness from a 2006 crew cab duramax LT 4x4. If your truck is a base model without Bose and heated seats and stuff there might be 2% less wiring. But its basically gonna be the same.

Note the radio for size reference. The pile is several layers thick too; the picture kinda makes it look smaller than it is. :)


IMG-20121105-00755.jpg


some of the fuse box connectors (on the underside of the fuse block)

IMG-20121105-00757.jpg


Ben
 
SgtKilroy

SgtKilroy

'Merica!
Sep 30, 2009
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Jeebus... Well it certainly is crazy looking. Looks much less daunting where it sits right now. Thanks.
 
sweetdiesel

sweetdiesel

That's better
Aug 6, 2006
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Moved mine under the dash and really like it! Really cleans up engine bay.

This took about 18hrs to re-wire the whole truck. Took a bit just to gut all the stock wires. Keep in mind I don't have ABS Tcm or GPC


A79422EA-C623-4D17-849E-DAA7C47EFC81-766-0000012B44E62646.jpg
 
SgtKilroy

SgtKilroy

'Merica!
Sep 30, 2009
859
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Holy crap man... Yeah I'll probably try to keep more of my interior. haha. Bet it's a lot easier to deal with electrical problems that way though.
 
DAVe3283

DAVe3283

Heavy & Slow
Sep 3, 2009
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It will indeed be a crazy undertaking, especially if you want to maintain full functionality of the electrical system. There is a reason GM put it all under the hood. Keeps the wiring as short and simple as possible. If you decide to go for it, listen to Ben and buy good quality color matched wire, and use good tape. Solder and shrink tube wherever possible! That stuff is great.
sweetdiesel said:
Moved mine under the dash and really like it! Really cleans up engine bay.

This took about 18hrs to re-wire the whole truck. Took a bit just to gut all the stock wires. Keep in mind I don't have ABS Tcm or GPC


A79422EA-C623-4D17-849E-DAA7C47EFC81-766-0000012B44E62646.jpg
Click to expand...
That looks like a RoadRunner ECU :thumb: Wish they made them for later years too, but at least I've got one in my '03.

Also, that is a beautiful job on the rewire.
 
sweetdiesel

sweetdiesel

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SgtKilroy said:
Holy crap man... Yeah I'll probably try to keep more of my interior. haha. Bet it's a lot easier to deal with electrical problems that way though.
Click to expand...


The dash is back in the truck, we gutted it to remove unnecesary stuff

DAVe3283 said:
Solder and shrink tube wherever possible! That stuff is great.

That looks like a RoadRunner ECU :thumb: Wish they made them for later years too, but at least I've got one in my '03.

Also, that is a beautiful job on the rewire.
Click to expand...

There are very little if any heat shrinks on this entire system it's all been re-pinned with deutsh connectors. And yes it is a RR ECM ... Love it!

And thanks I lile how it turned out also
 
SgtKilroy

SgtKilroy

'Merica!
Sep 30, 2009
859
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It is so hard to read your posts with that avatar distracting me. haha
Nice. Well it looks a lot simpler to me. Are you having any electrical problems from the wires being different lengths than stock? Someone told me that the length of the wire has something to do with how it has to be fused. Any truth to that?
 
sweetdiesel

sweetdiesel

That's better
Aug 6, 2006
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duratothemax said:
Its going to be a long and tedious project. Think in terms of weeks

Try less than a week

There is no way its going to fit under the dash.
[B]It will if you are creative


I always thought people who merely relocate just the ECM/TCM were insane. (and I like wiring!) If you complete the project of moving the whole entire fuse box and ECM/TCM/FICM into the cab, im definitely going to have to send you a case of beer. :)

Ben
Click to expand...

Miller works, should I pm my adress?
 
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