Fusible link installation question-64

[MaineDoc]

I have read the article from 2001 regarding use of a fusible link but I'm still not clear how this is installed. Does anyone have a diagram or simple directions for a guy who hates electrical issues? Has anyone used a maxi fuse instead? My Riviera is a 64.

[Seafoam65]

                    You can buy fusible link wire at your local Auto supply that has about 4 inches of fusible link with a large eyelet

connector on the end of it. All you have to do is remove any wires coming off the stud on the horn relay on the left inner fender

that feed power to the rest of the car and cut the eyelet off the end and crimp the fuse link on the end of them and reinstall them

on the horn relay stud.....a ten minute job. You want to use the heavy duty 14 gauge fuse link designed to handle heavy amp loads. If you ever have an electrical short somewhere in the car, all that will happen is the

fuse link will melt in two, preventing a catastrophic electrical fire.

Edited August 16, 2016 by Seafoam65 (see edit history)

[telriv]

I am the one who suggested the fusible link wire way back when. To keep the originality of the harness I opted to cut into the harness & solder, not crimp, the fusible link wire to the harness. This goes for ANY other red wires coming from the stud on the horn relay. You need about 9" of fusible link wire. You need to use a fusible link wire that is 4 gauges smaller than the wire you are protecting. I:E: if a 10 gauge wire, a 14 gauge fusible link. There could be as many as 3 or 4 red wires from the stud in varying gauges depending on your option load. If you stagger them in the harness when you are done NO ONE BUT YOU will know they are there.

 

 

Tom T.

 

 

 

[Seafoam65]

                  An easy way to make the wiring look original is to cut the plastic insulator off of the crimp connector and slide a short piece of

shrink tube over the wire, crimp the wires together with just the metal part of the crimp connector, slide the shrink tube over the splice

then heat it with a torch, match or cigarette lighter.This will look like the factory did it.

[MaineDoc]

My wiring diagram tells me that the red wire heads off from the horn relay to the various things needing power so I will fuse that but the diagram also shows a red wire going to the voltage regulator. Show I install a fusible link there as well?

[Seafoam65]

                    Yes......every wire coming off of that stud needs a fuse link on it if you want total protection.

[MaineDoc]

Thanks for the help guys. Tomorrow promises rain here in Maine so a great day to install that protection.

[MaineDoc]

Of course nothing ever goes easily. I have three red wires connected to the junction, all of different sizes. My question is how to determine the gauge of each. I measured the outside diameter of each coated red wire and got approximately .175, .140, and .100. This is including the red coating so how do I find out the gauge of the interior wire? I have ordered a wire gauge for future efforts but for now I'm confused. Do I strip the coating off and measure and then go to a conversion chart? Was 10 gauge the heaviest gauge red wire used so I can assume that the others are probably 12 and 14 gauge?

[telriv]

The thick red is 10 gauge. The next is 12 gauge. The last is 14 gauge.

 

 

Tom T.

 

 

 

[MaineDoc]

Once again, thanks guys.

[rodneybeauchamp]

Tom,

Also interested in protecting the wiring on my 63 Riviera which has two thick red wires and a much thinner white wire under the stud terminal that comes from the positive battery terminal.

 

That would be two wires at 10 gauge and one at 14 gauge.

 

In your previous post the correct fusible link wires for the red wires should be 14g for protection.

 

Below is a page from a catalogue showing various fusible link wire sizes. I think my 63 would need the blue wire which relates to 100amp ( is this the amperage at which it will fuse or melt) / 35amp ( is this the normal current capicity it should handle).

 

I can access this from an Australian supplier and would probably use 9" for each link. 

 

Would you please advise if I have worked this out correctly from your posts?

 

Rodney