Keyed 12V Power bar?

[toofun]

Plan on adding alot of things to increase the comforts of the pro touring experience in my 65 Fastback so I am looking to upgrade the electrical system. I plan on using a better alternator help to power everything from my electric fan, audio system, brighter headlights, seats, windows, digital gauges etc... But finding a 12 volt source to tap off of can be a tedious process and I dont want to have splices all over the place so I am thinking about installing a 12 v Power bar.

Only question is what is the best one to get and what is the best way to wire it? I am thinking I want to run it off a keyed 12 v wire but want to be sure it is safe and protected. So I am assuming I want to run a keyed 12 v wire TO the power bar with a 30 amp fuse in between and then run anything that requires a keyed 12 v power source off the Power bar? Also where should I mount it?

Thanks
Mark

[dhutton]

I used a nice little fuse block from Painless that has a relay driven off the ignition pink wire. It has a heavy gauge wire that you connect directly to the battery and then the fused circuits run off it. It is a nice way to add circuits without loading any of the existing circuits.

[Happyfunballs]

I think you can get that in 4 or 7 circuit blocks. I plan on getting one myself.

[HWYSTR]

Make one. It's crazy to pay the price of just having the wires terminated. Simple relay circuit with a fuse block, nothing more. Buy a good crimper, bulk terminal ends, shrink tubing, and have at it. You'll have to buy that stuff anyway to do the rest of your connections right, so why have an additional splice?

I ran a 4 gauge inside the car under the dash to a post, and have 2 fuse blocks off of that. One has a relay triggered by a switched source from the factory fuse block, other is hot all the time. I continued that 4 gauge to the trunk, to another post, and have a bank back there too, for accesssories in the back half of the car.


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[MonzaRacer]

http://www.mactools.com/productdetai...-twisters.aspx
The second tool down is the crimper I use on all large power wires, I tin the terminals with solder and liquid tinning compound, then I solder the terminal after crimped. Then shrink tubing over the connection.
I bought a thick round bar of brass, had friend use a crank polisher and old belt on it, then we milled small flat on two sides, and made some nice walnut stands to hold it, we drilled several hole, and put 3/8 stainless set screws, and then drilled holes at 90 degree to those for different size cables, we put large hole in end and 1/2 stainless setscrew to run the 2/0 gauge cable from battery. Ill try to get my drawings scanned in.

[HWYSTR]

I used that same tool, though got it at a supply warehouse for 14 bucks. As for the terminal, I used one of these: