My fuse box relocation (project log)

[rx7ttlm]

Hey, your brother pointed me to this thread and it was well worth it!! Thanks for the info!! Btw, how much was the connector for the main harness? I know they don't run cheap. I was thinking about doing something similar to make engine swaps fast.

 

[snowborder714]

The circular connectors were close to $45. That's for just the 2 large circular pieces. Eric might be able to give you a more exact quote.

 

[turbosax2]

Hey, your brother pointed me to this thread and it was well worth it!! Thanks for the info!! Btw, how much was the connector for the main harness? I know they don't run cheap. I was thinking about doing something similar to make engine swaps fast.

For just the one complete circular HDP20 plug, you're looking up to about $80 depending on how many wires you pass through it. Don't forget you also need the special crimping tool.

 

[snowborder714]

Ah, so they are about $40/half. My bad.

And the crimping tool is $180, just so you can get an idea as to how much it would cost.

 

[92AWDHX40]

Thats not a bad price considering what it does, and the work you put into it.

 

[rx7ttlm]

That's not to bad, I figured the cost was closer to the al autosport connectors. and I think I have a crimp tool still (built race cars till last year so I think I have one in my motec bag of trix)

 

[OblivioAssebit]

I understand why the connectors cost so much... There bad ass connectors. But why does the crimping tool cost so much? Whats the difference between theirs and a home depot tool?

 

[snowborder714]

It isn't a bad price considering how nice it is, but then you have to look at his harness as a whole. We have 12 plugs in there, ranging from larger 1 pin plugs to ~46 pin circular plugs. Each plug has 2 pieces, some have a few other pieces that are necessary for locking in pins and weather-proofing, then you need equal amounts of pins and sockets for each plug...it does add up and scares a lot of people away for something that isn't totally necessary or add to performance.

But when you're a sucker for a clean car with hidden wiring, you go all out!

I understand why the connectors cost so much... There bad ass connectors. But why does the crimping tool cost so much? Whats the difference between theirs and a home depot tool?

The crimping tool does special crimps around a barrel pin/socket. You can see a video here about it.
http://www.laddinc.com/customer-resources/how-to-instructions/crimping.html

 

[rx7ttlm]

I understand why the connectors cost so much... There bad ass connectors. But why does the crimping tool cost so much? Whats the difference between theirs and a home depot tool?

Its totally different crimping tool from the home depot style. the pins for these style connectors are much harder, and I can tell you from experience. If you ever want a crimp that once you get the crimp correct for the pin size and wire size you will never give the connection a second thought. Where the home depot crimpers SUCK and couldn't possibly be used for this with any sort of reliability. and when you add 200 connections to a car to install autosport connectors you don't want to have to spend a week figuring out which connection caused your ECU to stop injecting fuel into your $50,000 engine #1 cyl and blow your engine..

In daily driver = stuck on side of road with bad crimps...

 

[turbosax2]

We have 12 plugs in there, ranging from larger 1 pin plugs to ~46 pin circular plugs.

Soon to be 18 with the addition of a map sensor, power/ground distribution blocks, and gauges...

 

[OblivioAssebit]

That makes sense. I'm kind of doing something like this. (obviously not that extreme) My car got broken into and my power locks quit working. I figured while i'm under the dash I may as well pull all the wiring, check it (its had like 5 different alarms in it and all 5 times they were done by places that didnt care about wiring) and then move my fuse box. I would love to buy this tool but, for the price id rather buy the pieces to finish my turbo build. Are there any other crimpers that are cheaper that are close to this quality?

Also is there a way to change the connector type on the sensors? I pulled my motor last year and in the process some of my connectors broke, just small pieces like the red sliding locks and such. Id like to change them all to nicer connectors but how?

 

[snowborder714]

If you want to use Deutsch connectors (which are the ones we used in his car), then you need to use that crimping tool. I highly doubt anything else will work.

You can get some OEM connectors new, but it'll probably be hard to find most of the ones in the engine bay. As far as going with something completely different, I'd say no since you have to change the receiving side as well.

 

[OblivioAssebit]

If you want to use Deutsch connectors (which are the ones we used in his car), then you need to use that crimping tool. I highly doubt anything else will work.

You can get some OEM connectors new, but it'll probably be hard to find most of the ones in the engine bay. As far as going with something completely different, I'd say no since you have to change the receiving side as well.

Thanks, I guess Ill just bite the bullet. Where can I get prices on that site? (LADD) Do i have to ask for a quote? I cant find any price sheets.

Oh and what size wire are you using? 14 gauge?

 

[snowborder714]

We just reused the stock wiring. That way it was still easy for us to diagnose things as we can reference the FSM for most of the harness and didn't cost more money than needed. Ideally we would have upgraded, but didn't see it necessary.

I'll let Eric answer the question on how to prices. I believe you have to wade through their site/catalogs, find the part numbers and send them in for a quote, but I'm not positive as I haven't done it before.

 

[turbosax2]

Concerning the crimping tool:
-There are two different types of contacts (pins/sockets) that you can purchase: either stamped & formed, or solid. I used solid contacts, which are superior to stamped & formed. So for those of you that really want to use these connectors but are cheap, there is one place to save money.
-The different types of contacts use different tools that don't interchange. I don't know the prices on other tools but there is another potential savings.
-If you do go with solid contacts, there are 3 different crimping tools you can choose from: 4pt, 2pt, and "U" crimp. The 4pt is the best crimp ($180 tool), but I bet the other tools are cheaper. So there is an option for saving money too. I don't know prices on the other tools so you can find them for yourself.
http://laddinc.com/images/stories/datasheets/Deutsch_Crimp_Tools.pdf

Edit: Looks like they don't carry the "U" crimp tool anymore. HDT-1561 is the 2pt. crimper and is meant to be used for field maintenance.

Handy documents for Ladd to get you started:
http://laddinc.com/images/stories/connectorselector.pdf - Every product they have is listed in here
http://laddinc.com/images/stories/connectorselector.pdf - Circular plugs
http://laddinc.com/images/stories/datasheets/DT_Series_Technical_Manual.pdf - Other plugs I used
Tools Datasheets - Tools
http://laddinc.com/images/stories/datasheets/Removal_Tool_Reference_Guide.pdf - Removal tools
http://laddinc.com/images/stories/datasheets/Common_Contact_Technical_Manual.pdf - Contacts

There is much much more to look through to decide what you want. Those are just to get you started.

Contact/order info:
Contact LADD Industries | Sealed Connectors & Harsh Environment Connectors

 

[OblivioAssebit]

Ok, last question... I think. Do I have to use 1 large connector for the harness, or can I use multiple 12 pin connectors? A local company here sells the same connectors but only up to 12 pin.

 

[snowborder714]

You can bundle the cables into plugs however you'd like, whether it's one large plug or 8 smaller ones. Some wires obviously need to be close to each other (i.e. o2 sensor shielding and other wires).

 

[OblivioAssebit]

You can bundle the cables into plugs however you'd like, whether it's one large plug or 8 smaller ones. Some wires obviously need to be close to each other (i.e. o2 sensor shielding and other wires).

Ok, I just wanted to make sure that they didnt have to be bundled together for some reason. What is the common wire gauge? 16?

P.S. You and your brother are honestly the nicest, most patient people on here. Between my questions and the others i've read, you havent made one smart ass comment to anyone. You two deserve awards!

 

[turbosax2]

Most common size is 20ga, but there are a good amount of 16ga too. I think there are a couple that are 14ga as well.

If you're buying similar connectors, you're going to want to get ones that are 16ga. At least with the Ladd connectors, the 16ga. connectors (DT series) can run anywhere from 14-20ga wires depending on the contact you use.

Appreciate the compliment

 

[crash89]

Not only do I build motors in my dorm room, I have a wiring nightmare spread out on my floor!! And thanks for the PM back sax, Im gonna check out the sight and hopefully order me one or 2 of those connectors.. About how long did they take to ship to you?

Oh, by the way.. Did you have to order the pins seperate? Or did they come with the connector?

 

[turbosax2]

Sorry, I forget how fast they shipped. You have to buy pins/sockets separately.

 

[92AWDHX40]

Thats a nice company their customer service is good, shipping i was told a few days for products. "Of course i live a state away.

 

[Eeeeky]

Just spent literally 3 hours, reading EVERY single post on all 20 pages. You sir, are a god in my eyes. I hope to one day pull off what you have done, this is just simply amazing. You should be site owner/go to guy! And to think, i found this thread by researching relocating my fuse box...HAH!!!

 

[dwdsm]

I only wish you lived closer so I could get some words of encouragement on my harness trimming/ relocation. It gets so overwhelming... I'm seriously donating to the site because of this thread. So much good info I refer to all the time.
Thanks!

 

[92AWDHX40]

Planning and time is what kept me going.