Fuse panel replacement...

[Cane_It]

This isn’t a question but rather passing on some tips from a job I was dreading doing but managed to do quite successfully without any dramas.

VK PLASTIC FUSE PANEL REPLACEMENT 101

What you WILL need:
· a good fusepanel (source from the wreckers VK, VN-VS Commodore or Camira, or apparently still available as NOS from Holdens for about $20)
· Suitable sized flathead screwdriver
· Electrical tape
· Fine tip permanent marker

What you MAY need:
· Good quality terminal crimpers
· Crimp on fuse terminals
· Wire strippers
· Heat shrink
· Heat gun (or hair dryer works but takes a little longer)
· Appropriate colour and gauge wire (if you’re doing a lot of wiring jobs why not nip down the wreckers and find a nearly bare VK/VL and take as much of the looms in as long a lengths as you can extract, will end up being a life times supply of wire for around $15, beats paying $ by the metre for one colour at Dick Smiths…)


Everyone knows that the VKs have a nasty habit of burning out fuses 1,2 (headlights) and 5 (heater/fan) and distorting or cracking the panel.

I recently found a good fuse panel at the wreckers and though stuff it I'll grab this and have a crack at it. I extracted the donor fuse panel by cutting the wires leaving about 3-5 inches on each one to grab onto.

Next I picked my worst small flat head screwdriver and ground the flared shoulders flush with the shaft (helps it fit right down into the panel) and thinned down the flats a bit.

One by one I started dislodging all the terminals in the donor by pushing each terminal up from the bottom and carefully wedging the screwdriver in on either side of the terminal and gently prizing and twisting the flared tabs inward toward the center of the brass terminal, then you should be able to pull down on the wire and release the terminal.

If your panel is badly distorted/melted from heat then you may need to get a pair of needle nosed pliers and break the panel away bit by bit from the brass terminals as the melted plastic may have bonded to the brass and/or made getting the screwdriver in impossible.

There are a number of busses (terminals linked underneath, 3 I think), all flared tabs on that bus need to be pressed inwards before it can be released.

One by one I repeated this on the panel in the car taking extra care not to damage the terminals or tabs they will need to be reused. Do them either one wire at a time (ie take one wire out and put it straight into the new panel after flaring the tabs again) OR:

Number them in a FEW places on each wire with a permanent marker so you have all the wires out at once, this will allow you to tidy the wiring under the panel and check for any breaks or nicks in the wires in the main looms into the fuse box (I found quite a few shonky joins etc in mine that needed replacing), such repairs are easier while the wires are all out.

The single brass fuse terminals can be bought from auto electrical places or JAYDEE Autocables - Bayswater (if you're in Melbourne) if required. I'm unsure if the busses can be purchased from anywhere though.

Here's where you'll either fix it or stuff it;

CAREFULLY replace each wire into its correct location on the panel, failure to do so will most likely cause some nasty problems.

For those of you with LPG/Duel Fuel setups chances are the 10amp fuse holder is sitting loose in under the fuse panel, if you have the fuse terminals, crimpers etc why not route this fuse into one of the spare slots on the factory fuse panel?

screw the panel back in replace the correct fuses and crack open a well deserved drink for another successful job completed.

[vkberlina]

The 84 model VKs actually have plugs on their fuse panel can they can simply be unplugged and removed. Some late 84s 85 models and VLs are all hard wired in.
Donar rails can be sourced from VK/VK commodores as you expect but also from Camiras, VN-VS commodores as well.

There is a guy in perth selling PCB generally via ebay, he does frequent on of the forums on the net. These are high quality, I have fitted one ot a VK it worked great, but just dont have the original look.

cheers
Scott

[DANNY8]

There is a guy in perth selling PCB generally via ebay, he does frequent on of the forums on the net. These are high quality, I have fitted one ot a VK it worked great, but just dont have the original look.

Niche Electronic and Industrial Products

You can get them for under $100 delivered to ur door. Altho Mike said he's running out, and not sure when he's gonna make some more.

Here's a pic of mine...

[Cane_It]

The 84 model VKs actually have plugs on their fuse panel can they can simply be unplugged and removed. Some late 84s 85 models and VLs are all hard wired in.
Donar rails can be sourced from VK/VK commodores as you expect but also from Camiras, VN-VS commodores as well.

cheers
Scott

My Calais is a March 84 build and the fuse panel is hardwired in... NO plugs in the bottom.

[DANNY8]

My wags is December 84 and it has connectors.