Alex's '42 WC53 Carryall Build Details - Cummins ISB170

[Alxj64]

More boring wiring stuff, but moving along on it. I have systems on top of system it seems and wires for all kinda of things. I do it to myself though; all of the fancy with with AC system, and the fan controller, cruise control that is part of the Cummins ECM, and then the electronic controlled Allison, etc. I am using water sealed modern connectors for splicing my engine harness into the chassis harness and also the transmission harness and gauge system is all part of that too.

Ohh, and then there is my new trailer brake controller! I didn't want a great big controller hanging down above my knee, and I even thought about frenching a Tekonsha or something into the center console or something... However, I found this cool thing made by the Aussies, (who also make that really Heavy Duty compressor I bought) and decided I would install this and give it a try. It has a remote small dash mounted dial, and it has a push button to switch modes to where you can spin the dial and apply the brakes or set the value and it will hold it if the dial gets bumped. The main box doesn't have to get mounted in a particular way because the accelerometers have a "learning mode" that you can calibrate to teach the sensors what direction the normal stop occurs. This way I can hide all of these things and just have the knob somewhere. I haven't fully decided where everything is going yet. I ended up with a few more indicator lights and switched things than I originally expected. This thing is going to look like a bomber cockpit before its all said and done.

[Alxj64]

Looking really good Alex. I have to say that doing the wiring on my 6x6 was one of the more rewarding parts of the project. A slog, but fun at the same time. And it let me express my not-so-latent OCD-ness for a while. Hope you enjoy the process with yours. I appreciate your skill and your attention to the details.

Thanks! I am trying to do it all the right way the first time. I've had weekends ruined and money wasted by allowing others who were "experts" at wiring because it was something I had never messed with other than the "stereo"typical highschool kid working on radios and amplifiers. One expert caused a fire on my Jeep due to undersized Relay selection for an E-fan and lack of circuit protection. The other caused a short that kept cooking fuses for my fuel pump in the same vehicle when I installed a fuel cell and had to relocate the tank and extend the wiring. That failure was due to both routing (no abrasion guard) and terrible splice connections with no water resistance (pvc crimp connectors and just electrical tape). Both events yielded quite unpleasant and expensive trips because things like that always happen at the furthest point back on the trial or in the middle of the night, etc. I am trying to address as much as I can with this harness. Circuit protection, insulation from abrasive damage and heat, water tight connections, and ground system redundancy are all key points in this process. I've found some of that heat shrink that has the glue inside and its great stuff! I am also soldering all of my splice connections; none of those crimp bullet connectors for me, no thanks!

So, more pictures of boring wire work. The CAN system also requires a slightly altered thought process based on how the controls work, features that it provides already, and features I want to modify (like I plan on having an electric horn, an air horn, and a siren all tied into the horn outputs).

[Greg Coffin]

Looking really good Alex. I have to say that doing the wiring on my 6x6 was one of the more rewarding parts of the project. A slog, but fun at the same time. And it let me express my not-so-latent OCD-ness for a while. Hope you enjoy the process with yours. I appreciate your skill and your attention to the details.

[Alxj64]

More noodle chasing

Still plugging along on the wiring. Quite a bit to the complexity of this truck I am building.

Turned a giant bundle of mess into something a bit cleaner. Also, I am going to run the Mil-spec style battery terminals. I had them on my M37 and they were great for adding extra connections. Since I am running dual batteries, this will also help with installing them both. Compressor and Can system / Grid heater power leads connected. I ordered the wrong size terminal for my starter wire. Its a #1 not a 1/0... oops.

[Alxj64]

Got a new stainless hinge for the side box... only to decide that I am going to just build a new battery box cover a little later on. I want it to be able to lock with a key or something so it will just be easier that way. Also, the body is still smooshed too short so the existing box doesn't fit.

Also got the new grid heater relays and mounts in place. Going to make a cover for these things too so as to protect them from the elements.

[Alxj64]

I cannot wait to see this finished product, all of the details, custom fabricated brackets, It is easy to tell this is built well. Fabricated from the heart and mind of a true WagonHead. Keep up the fantastic work!

Thank ya sir!

Got one of the pictures to work, not the best one but you guys get the idea.

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

I cannot wait to see this finished product, all of the details, custom fabricated brackets, It is easy to tell this is built well. Fabricated from the heart and mind of a true WagonHead. Keep up the fantastic work!

[Alxj64]

Still stuffing things into this battery box. Got my Mega fuse stand built. Going to bolt this down and start having battery cables made and terminating my major power leads.

Now I can't get the attachment photos to upload... uggh

[W_A_Watson_II]

Nice Work, and Yes I can see them.

[Alxj64]

Battery top strap that I can run wires through. A mount for my grid heater relays. It appears that this is the nature that I have to load my photos. Can non paying subscribers see these images?

[Alxj64]

Well... What to do... It seems that my image hosting service now wants $400, up front, to continue hosting my images. I'm not paying that. So it appears that from this point forward any images will have to be directly loaded to this forum. Which you know what, is probably better because I've also found out that there are quite a few folks out there replicating a lot of my ideas and then claiming them as their own. I guess its my fault, because once its on the internet, its out there for anyone to basically steal.

So, I may go back and try and edit the posts that I can to put photos back in, but no promises. So sorry if my photos are gone.

[Alxj64]

I did that once, but the dueling battery thing eventually became a problem, so then I started looking at battery isolators, but that becomes a whole other thing and just more complication than I wanted to get into.

The compressor is nice, I have the smaller one that they thew in with my ARB locker, I was contemplating mounting a small air tank under the bed for a little more reserve. Ideally it would be nice to have the bigger one for added flexibility, but I can wait till my bank account can take the strain!

Yea, this unit was in the plan since I started down the road of the air assist rear shocks and then the air-shift transfer case. I guess I should try and put an air horn on this thing too just to really be obnoxious when people pull out in front of the "slow" old truck, not realizing it is probably more modern than their Kia.

I enjoy following your build, keep the updates coming

Andy

Thanks! Will do! I have a fire under my A$$ at the moment, so been working hard at it. I had to tell a few friends their projects need to wait as I really need to finish this thing.

In regards to the battery mounts, I opted to make a riser plate so that if a battery does have a problem it eats a consumable part and not an original part on the truck as the factory supports are rather stout. There is a gap between the truck body and frame that air can get in, and the top of this box at the body is still open and will be left open for air to escape. I'm not expecting normal operating heat to be any worse than what a modern vehicle battery sees when located under the hood.

I am hoping to fabricate the hold down clamp today. I need some 1/2" stainless rod to thread the ends of and I am making them into T-bolts that slot into the bottom frame and then when the battery is in place, they can't really escape.

[Pismopowerwagon]

I enjoy following your build, keep the updates coming

Andy

[Desoto61]

I did that once, but the dueling battery thing eventually became a problem, so then I started looking at battery isolators, but that becomes a whole other thing and just more complication than I wanted to get into.

The compressor is nice, I have the smaller one that they thew in with my ARB locker, I was contemplating mounting a small air tank under the bed for a little more reserve. Ideally it would be nice to have the bigger one for added flexibility, but I can wait till my bank account can take the strain!

[Alxj64]

How do you plan on wiring up the dual batteries? I considered it for the PW, and should have room in the battery box should I decide to do so, but it wasn't a priority for now.

Just planning to run them parallel that way I get the amperage of both but don't double the voltage; My 2500 Cummins truck is setup similarly. My M37 was still a 24V so I ran that in series to double up my voltage.

Also, similar to how Bruce did his, I am stuffing an air compressor into the battery box too. Now I just need to come up with a way to lock this thing because I have a feeling a compressor this nice, if known about, would go for a walk overnight for sure.