Wiring a race car?

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Since there is a race car group project....  how would we wire that car?  Use a kit?  Use basic rolls of wire and panel to keep it simple?

I will need to wire up my Simca in a few months.  I do have wire and panels on hand.   Figured i would go that route on this car.  

I will run a small alternator : 1 wire type , 35amp  as I recall

[Rrumbler]

If you can find a kit that meets your need without a lot of extra fooferaw, I'd go that way were I you.  Otherwise, building your own from scratch wouldn't be too hard, and you wouldn't have a bunch of extra wires to deal with.

[WZ JUNK]

Use all black wire and save money or occasionally substitute some red wire and then randomly use the red and black for positive or negative wires.  To further increase your fun you can splice red and black wires partially through the run.     I have found that some people believe that this is the proper method.  They believe that as long as the feature works when you are done, the method you used to achieve this does not matter.

Seriously, I would buy a simple harness similar to the ones that manufactures sell to wire a T bucket.  They should contain most of the circuits you require and it will have color coded wiring and a fuse block.  Most of the major wiring kit manufactures offer these.  If an additional circuit or two is need you could add on a small separate fuse block.  The one I would stay away from is a brand call "Just a Snap".  I think you can buy a kit, and adapt it to your needs, cheaper than you can buy the parts separately, and design your own.

However, if you have color coded wire on hand, terminal blocks, a fuse panel and such already, and a basic knowledge of wiring, I would draw out the circuits, and wire it from scratch.  

John

[tomslik]

or do like VW did way back when...all white for the fuel injection

[58 Yeoman]

or do like VW did way back when...all white for the fuel injection

ANYONE can follow colored wires...it takes a good mechanic to follow white ones.  LOL.

[Glen]

The painless wiring 8 switch kit works well for a car like that and still has turn signals using a toggle switch and two relays
Leash electronics makes a slick relay panel with two relays and the overall size is close to a business card.  They also make entire car panels and 8 relay boards.

Waytek is a great resource for all wiring supplies including that attractive loom that painless sells for a ridiculous price.

[wayne petty]

this will not answer the question.. but it might help in where the wires are run..

a fellow ask about the cut off with a massive alternator...





my other thought.. use a morse cable.. so the cut off switch is in the engine compartment..  if its a front mounted battery..


replace the push rod with the morse cable..




this puts the push to shut off at the back of the car.. and all the wiring at the front...  or closer to the engine..

its just my crazy reasoning.. why load the car with 15 or 20 pounds of wire when you are running a 15 pound battery..

move everything up front..

oh.. there are also 7 cell versions of these mini batteries.. 14 volts instead of 12.. so you end up with a 16 volt system that operates without an alternator at about 14. volts.  adjustable voltage regulators can also be had.. or a resister in the circuit to fool the alternator into overcharging to the proper level..

[Pete]

We use Teflon covered wire for all wiring in race cars.
Anything that does not burn is good in race cars.
It's available surplus also.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

likely I will use the switch panel in the photos

Relays:  group to gether?  I see relays near the power - switch source, then I see the relay near the item being powered like a cooling fan, fuel pump

Seems like the relay should be near power source - switch

[enjenjo]

On something that draws a lot of power, I install the relay near the component. If it's low draw, I mount them grouped together. Some Volvos use a modular relay mount that can be interlocked to each other, or mounted individually.

[Charlie Chops 1940]

Some of the best diagrams for lighting relays and a source for some good parts is: www.danielsternlighting.com  It explains why and how for the best headlights possible. Of course that works for almost all accessories that have a relatively high current draw and cuts the need for high amperage through your switches.

[Pete]

Push-on terminals should be avoided on race car applications.
If you need a quick disconnect between engine and car for quick engine
changes, use the positive interlock type connector.

On race cars, relays and electronic equipment like data recorders and ignition control boxes should be mounted where they have the most crash protection. This lowers the chances of them starting a fire in case of a crash.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

On relay location:  it seems the proper size wire needs to been to the device being operated.

Wether the relay is near the switch or the powered device, the proper sized power wire must be used.  So , it the relays are all located together, seems like easier service & trouble shooting?

You would need to run more wires if the relay was near the device.  A relay trigger wires for the relay is longer

I read one online article where the wire guy , used small diameter rope line to map out a wire harness locations & posiitons.  Then when all fits well, he builds the harness to fit in the same locations

[Glen]

relays have a lot of wires coming in and out, I would put them up under the dash.  Here is a link to Leash electronics products.  He shows the size too if you click on one of the products.

http://www.leashelectronics.com/Relay-Boards_c5.htm

Our friend Anthony is the store manager at the o-reillys at Guadulape and Mcclintock, they have a nice bolt in Mega fuse like the new cars use.  I put one on the nova and then ran the power to the relay panel.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/LIT0/298900/N1177.oap?ck=Search_fuse_N1177_-1_2823&keyword=fuse&pt=N1177&ppt=C0172

One more thing:  Lacquer thinner will take the words off that panel you have so you can label it how you want.