What do you use in place of your fusible links?

[ISPKI]

Title says it all folks. The fusible links and holders in my 77 280z were shot so I went about upgrading it to Maxi Fuses. It was a simple process but the fuse holder is cheap and does not hold the fuses very well which has resulted in my getting stuck a couple times (the alternator fuse is extremely loose and loses connection sometimes). I want to upgrade to something like this midi fuse block made by blue sea systems. It is kind of pricey coming in around 115$ from most places.

 

I was wondering, what does everyone else use?

 

I suppose we should include pros and cons so people can make a more informed decision.

 

What I dislike about my Scosche Maxi Fuse block:

1: The metal is not stainless, looks like chrome plated metal of some kind

2: It no longer holds the fuses tightly

3: It is not weather sealed

4: It does not make a good connection with the inbound and outbound cables - it has set screws that tighten down on the bare cable

5: It's mounting screws are tiny and not stainless - they are all rusting away already

 

What is good about the Scosche maxi block:

1: It is inexpensive.

2: It is small.

Edited July 24, 2013 by ISPKI

[Metro]

I spent months combing the internet for a fuse block and maxi fuse holders to use with Megasquirt with no luck. So I went to the junkyard and took a power distribution block from a Crown Victoria. It had 4 relay holders, 5 maxi fuses and about 12 regular fuses and I paid $15 for it. Just browse around until you find a car that works for you.

 

With the Ford block, the connectors can be easily popped out of the panel by pressing in on the catch from the top. Then you can reuse the connectors or find new ones on the internet.

[Lazeum]

I found some watertight fuse holders for trucks that would hold 30 Amp and more fuse that should do the trick.

So I would look for trucks hardware for the fusible link alternative.

Edited July 24, 2013 by Lazeum

[loy]

I use a pair of agu fuses in place of my fusible links.

[Miles]

I used agu fuses on my first Z.  Here are some other ideas from a Google image search:

 

 

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1344&bih=694&site=imghp&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=maxi+fuse+block&oq=maxi+fuse+&gs_l=img.1.1.0l3j0i10i24j0i24l6.40313.45201.0.48153.10.10.0.0.0.0.77.694.10.10.0.ehm_pq_signedout%2Chmss2%3Dfalse%2Chmmql%3D2...0...1.1.22.img..0.10.691.wbP7mhGA22o

[Josh280z]

I'm using something similar to this.

[BLOZ UP]

 

I've since tied it down and added some heat shielding, but I don't really like it there. I'm thinking about moving that fuse block to the interior.

 

It's some car audio block with 4 AGU fuses. 1 80A for the alternator, the rest are 40 A or something like that.

[Dan_Austin]

My fusible link blocks were in good shape, but the wires were a bit

crusty, so I gently put two 90 degree bends in the blades and replaced

the wires with PAL fuses:

http://www.littelfuse.com/industries/automotive-aftermarket/pal-fuses.aspx

 

I did not get quite as much engagement as I would like, but I have had zero

problems, so I consider is a cheap success.

[ISPKI]

Bloz - That is the same design that I have for my vehicle except mine use maxi blade fuses rather than tube fuses. You probably get better engagement with those than with my blades. I think I am still going to spring for some kind of bolt down style though - cant get better engagement/reliability than m8 stainless studs and nuts

[ISPKI]

I just picked up the blue sea systems fuse block and its pretty nice. Everything is stainless on it, the bolts, the mounting hardware, the plates that carry the current. It has slots for 4 midi fuses and several ATO fuses so I was thinking of running some extra lines through it. Everything is also water proof as expected, there is an O ring under the lid that seals the fuses, the bolts and threading for the fuse mounts are sealed in, its pretty nice, even has a label on the lid so you can record which fuses go to what and what their Amp rating is. On top of that, it has slots for spare fuses on the underside of the lid. It is big however, wider than a utility knife and almost just as long. It is also heavy, and expensive - I purchased it for 98$ shipped.

[jhm]

There's been a few threads on this topic....here's one of them:

 

http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/82712-finally-replaced-the-fusible-links/?&p=783658&fromsearch=1&do=findComment&comment=783658

 

Good luck.

[ISPKI]

Thanks, If my phone would cooperate, I would upload the pictures of my new block although I have not fabbed up a good way to mount it. It is significantly higher quality than any of the other fuse blocks that I have seen/used.

[Josh280z]

It's a little messy wiring wise, but it works

 

[ISPKI]

Here are photos of the Blue Sea Systems fuse block. Very high quality. I have it wired in but I have not been able to test it as I have been waiting for my headers.

[socorob]

This one would be good for the larger amperage one

http://www.iboats.com/Blue-Sea-Maxi-Fuse-Block/dm/cart_id.739373031--session_id.612863346--view_id.38416

 

This would suffice for the smaller amperage ones

http://www.waytekwire.com/item/46011/MAXI-FUSE-BLOCK-HOLDER/

 

I've been reading these threads and a lot of the maxi blocks people have been putting on here are rated for 100 amps or less , that's the rating for the WHOLE block, not each circuit.

70+40+40+40 > 100. That's probably why people are having trouble with them loosening and things of that nature. They are using them for more than they are designed to carry. I would hate to see anyone burn their car to the ground because they didn't check specs.

[socorob]

That Safety Hub 150 looks nice. Is the one large lug on the left side the lug where you land the hot and are all circuit hot sides tied together with a bus bar? If so, is there a way to remove the bus bar to have separate power inputs? I haven't looked at the Z wiring diagram, are all the fusible links fed from a common power source, and you can just tie it all together?

[ISPKI]

That Safety Hub 150 looks nice. Is the one large lug on the left side the lug where you land the hot and are all circuit hot sides tied together with a bus bar? If so, is there a way to remove the bus bar to have separate power inputs? I haven't looked at the Z wiring diagram, are all the fusible links fed from a common power source, and you can just tie it all together?

Yes, the left 14mm nut is the only power input as far as I know and it supplies power to all four high amp MIDI fuses and to the lower AMP ATO/ATC fuses via a 1/8"~ SS bus bar. To my knowledge, it is the only way to supply power to the block and it is sealed into the unit, so, you probably would not be able to remove it/replace it easily. This is a block designed for large marine vessels and carries various certs required for use on coast guard vessels so it probably is not designed to be modified. There are numerous nuts on the right side with "-" markings next to them, but I have no idea what those are for - the way they are configured, it almost seems as though they are for individual sources of power but again, I do not know and the system is sealed water tight so I really cant take it apart. Oh yeah, did I mention it is completely water tight? Gaskets to seal the fuses in and all. I tested it by dropping it in a bucket of water, not a single drop got inside the fuse compartment.

 

The Fusible links are fed by a single 8 gauge cable, that is split into two 8 gauge cables, which are then each split into two more 8 gauge cables. When I removed all the old wrapping, it really looks like quite the hack job but it seemed to work fairly well. The 8 gauge cable then connected to the "+" on the starter where the battery cable connected I believe. So to answer your question: yes, you can just unwrap the four wires feeding the fusible links and remove them completely, then just run a single, large cable (I used my old 4ga battery cable) to the block. I believe the safety hub is rated for either 250 or 300 amps. It looks to have enough metal in it for more than that though - the bolts are 8mm SS studs with 14mm nuts.

[ISPKI]

The real issue that I am running into with the safety hub, is that it is very large. It is about 2x taller than the cheaper maxi blocks and twice as wide - it is larger than the metal cover that the old link holders were bolted to and it will not fit under the hood if mounted ontop of that cover. I moved my battery to the rear of the vehicle and I will most likely build a small platform where the battery tray used to be.

[socorob]

the "-" is just a ground plane.

[GroveZ]

I got this set up from my local stereo shop, I hate walmart and the auto parts stores did not have the amps i needed. this fuse block is perfect imo it will be moved after i ditch that voltage regulator its mounted to. I payed about $50 with about 8 extra fuses, always haggle lol.