Coupe fuse panel placement

[ChrisNicholls]

Hey,
I'm just starting my wiring.
I see a lot of back and forth on the best place for the fuse panel.
Is there any conclusive agreement on the best placement?
I'm not against extending some wires, if needs be.

Thanks!
Chris

[JimStone]

I'm also curious about this.

I am not a fan of using the angled tube in the drivers footwell for two reasons:

1) it's visible when opening the driver's door, and hard to make look pretty (maybe some sort of removable cover panel could be made)

2) That angled bar comes very close to hitting my right knee/shin when seated, so I think I'll cut it out. Otherwise , I think it would drive me crazy constantly bumping into it. I'm sure this depends on my seat choice and personal body makeup/anatomy


But the passengers side footwell is taken up by the AC unit, so not sure there's another place for it

[PNWTim]

In post #97 of edwardB's build @Mike Everson was advocating placement in the dash area. FWIW, Paul stuck with the "above the left knee" location which seemed to work out OK for him.

[burchfieldb]

I opted for one of these, which others have used, since I need to add some more fuses, relays, and some heavier guage wires. You could also mount this out under the hood, since it is a sealed enclosure. It is a lot of work to switch it out and to understand FFRs wiring schematics. Overall the cost is not bad, plus you can use the same terminals and crimper to make water tight connectors for harness connections.

Screenshot_20241104_144533_Chrome.jpg

[edwardb]

Regarding the placement of the fuse panel on the angled brace in the driver's side footbox:

- It's barely visible when the car is on the ground. You don't realize how low these are until they're done and sitting on the ground. Very different sight lines than when it's on jack stands or whatever during the build. I sure wouldn't move it for this reason alone.

- There's no issue with the fuse panel (or the bar itself) hitting your knees or whatever. Including climbing in/out and while driving. Granted, I'm average height (5'9") and "average weight" (I'm sticking to that...). If you're taller, you're going to need you seats further back and likely lower than mine. So I would expect a similar outcome.

- I would not recommend cutting pieces out of the frame. This frame is computer designed and all the pieces are there for a reason.

- While the Ron Francis harness is more optimized for the Roadster than the Coupe, if you move it you're asking for even more work than you already have. I modified mine a lot (check my build thread) but it would have been even worse had I placed it somewhere else. Plus with all the junk I stuffed under the dash, moving it wasn't an option anyway.

FWIW

[Kbl7td]

Mine is all custom but chose center of the car on the angled bell housing cover. Out of sight, as long as you’ve done your wiring right you should rarely need to access the fuses.

[ChrisNicholls]

Thanks! I'll go with your suggestion. Your build is beautiful!

[Cobra John]

Thanks! I'll go with your suggestion. Your build is beautiful!

Mounted mine under drivers side as per instructions ( type 65 coupe) but mounted it on a piece of piano hinge , now totally accessible if need be.

[Bluemont]

I’m just starting the wiring on mine as well. I’m building a Coupe-R. When I chose to put my reservoirs makes the stock location difficult. I was actually thinking of mounting my panel right on the passenger side dash so it is really easy to get to. I hate crawling underneath when a fuse eventually goes bad. And it probably even tougher with the roll cage. Has anyone mounted it on the dash and run all those wires across behind it? It looks like it will work. But this is my first build so I’m not sure if it is going to be in the way of something else that I just haven’t into yet - like heater ducts. I’m not going to be running A/C…

[Jphoenix]

I replaced the original fuse block, which was not assembled properly (by RF I believe) with a Blue Sea 12 circuit block and 3 genuine Bosch relays for the fan, fuel pump and lights. I placed it on the dash for easy access. I’m not using any of the included switches, etc.

IMG_9896.jpg

[wedel456]

I'm also curious about this.
1) it's visible when opening the driver's door, and hard to make look pretty (maybe some sort of removable cover panel could be made)

Check out my build thread. I put a vinyl wrapped panel in this location and ran the wires out the top right corner.

I put the panel in the same location as @Edwardb and with the panel you can only see the very bottom and the flashers in the back. There is enough room where I believe you would be able to completely hide it if you were to mount the bracket on the top of the of the angled bar (essential the opposite of this).

I'm also curious about this.
2) That angled bar comes very close to hitting my right knee/shin when seated, so I think I'll cut it out. Otherwise , I think it would drive me crazy constantly bumping into it. I'm sure this depends on my seat choice and personal body makeup/anatomy

I 100 percent agree with @EdwardB. Some of the bars can be cut (i.e. the transmission tunnel bracing where some people cut for the shifter) without significantly affecting the structural integrity; however, I do not believe this one should be cut. By the looks of it is provide cross bracing for that area and appears to be very structural. Would highly recommend checking with the folks at Factory Five before going down this path.

Hey,
I'm just starting my wiring.
I see a lot of back and forth on the best place for the fuse panel.
Is there any conclusive agreement on the best placement?
I'm not against extending some wires, if needs be.

Thanks!
Chris

I am very happy with the drivers left leg location. Not sure how much customization you are going to do; however, on my build it would have been impossible to do everything I am doing electrically and with the 4 A/C outlets if It was not in this location. Frankly, I am surprised @EdwardB was able to add a glovebox.