LSx swap under hood wiring

[rcrahn]

I am reaching out to ask for any pictures of finished under hood wiring on LSx swaps. Yes, I know the engine harness portion itself can be made to look fantastic and very tidy. I have a very nice harness that was thinned down by 150 tunes. Now, it's the other connections (including power distribution blocks) that I want to see. Specifically, need to connect 2 - 12+ battery wires (for electric fans) and another 12+ wire to power the engine harness. Looking for a clean way to do that. Using a side post battery. Any advice or better yet pictures will be most appreciated.

[87Skier]

You could use a fuse box like the one I used. They use Metripack 280 terminals and have several configurations (fuses, relay/fuses, and relays).

You can order ones with a bus, so that you have one lug on the bottom that you can connect directly to your battery (through a fusible link or something to protect it), and everything is powered through there.

[Bigdav160]

I am using the same relay box shown by 87Skier. I am powering it off a modern GM power lug like this

[Hart_Rod]

Originally Posted by 87Skier

You could use a fuse box like the one I used. They use Metripack 280 terminals and have several configurations (fuses, relay/fuses, and relays).

You can order ones with a bus, so that you have one lug on the bottom that you can connect directly to your battery (through a fusible link or something to protect it), and everything is powered through there.

Good idea!

[Hart_Rod]

Originally Posted by 87Skier

You could use a fuse box like the one I used. They use Metripack 280 terminals and have several configurations (fuses, relay/fuses, and relays).

You can order ones with a bus, so that you have one lug on the bottom that you can connect directly to your battery (through a fusible link or something to protect it), and everything is powered through there.

Do you have a part number and a recommendation as to the best place to purchase?

[halfstep]

Big Dave
- Love the looks of that GM power lug you posted. Can you share any specs (yr., model, p/n, etc.) so I/others could get hands on one?
Thanks.

[rcrahn]

Thanks 87 and bigDave. That is helpful information. It's always good to see how others accomplish this. Most important safely and cleanly.

Doing more research I spoke with Tony Candela from CE Auto Electric in Gilbert AZ. I had used his products in the past to install a cutoff/kill switch in my sons Spec E30 track car. Tony is a great guy and incredibly knowledgeable. He's authored several books on automotive wiring.

www.CEautoelectricsupply.com

He suggested using one of his ATC / ATO Fuse Block / Fuse Panel with Power Distribution or a 12 point power block. You can look under individual components on website for info.

I also spoke with Tony about relocating the battery along with the power cables from the driver side (found on LQ9) to the passenger side (common in C10) and how to do this properly and cleanly. After some discussion I am now planning on having him build these for me.

[87Skier]

Originally Posted by Hart_Rod

Do you have a part number and a recommendation as to the best place to purchase?

Depends on what you are looking for but all part numbers are:

Bussmann 15303-ABC

A - type (fuses only, relays and fuses, wired base, etc...)
B - With or without mounting hardware
C - Type of cover

I have a 15303-404, which is a wired base, non-bussed for fuses and relays.
If you are looking for one with a single lug input so you don't have to power each fuse/relay individually, you want either a 15303-5XX or 15303-6XX depending on how you want to power up your relays.

The terminals are Metri-pack 280. Depending on where you order, some let you order individual terminals and seals. I ordered everything from WaytekWire.com

The terminals need to "tangless":
14-12 ga wire Cable seal: Blue 15324981 Terminal: 12110845
16-14 ga wire Cable seal: Gray 15324980 Terminal: 12129409
18-16 ga wire Cable seal: Green 15324982 Terminal: 12110847
22-20 ga wire Cable seal: Purple 15324985 Terminal: 12110846

Cavity seals: 12010300

I recommend buying the 14-12 ga and the 18-16 ga terminals. That should take care of all your needs.

Depending on your budget you can pickup some cheap wire crimps that will do the job: Cheap wire crimps. I bought this, and they work fine. Could work better and you get quite a workout getting them nice and tight, but I only messed up one terminal off the 40 or 50 I did.