Electrical panel location?

I have 2 locations in mind, both have their pluses and minuses. Who likes what? They both contain circuit breakers, relays, and switches for everything except the windows, turn signals, wipers, headlamps.

On the dash ( like the factory Sierra)



Or between the seats like I did in Derek's BMW

Between dash and tunnel with hinge on bottom for easy access to back side.


like Ford did

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

That was my first idea, but my handbrake occupies that spot, and with the long shifter handle I have, knuckles get very close to that area. Still not 100% yet, that's why they are in paper to scale..

Quote
phlat65
That was my first idea, but my handbrake occupies that spot, and with the long shifter handle I have, knuckles get very close to that area. Still not 100% yet, that's why they are in paper to scale..

What an odd place for a handbrake...


That was 1990 spec 4x4 Sapphy, here's 1993 spec Escort Cos;

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

I don't like the horizontal mounting because it is too easy for debris to work it's way into the contacts.

---

Robert.

"You are way too normal to be on Rally Anarchy." Eddie Fiorelli.

Dashboard. Rally cars sweat in crappy weather, people spill drinks, horizontal mounting collects everything.

And then there's often an exhaust system lurking in the tunnel or close by....
To me its just flat bizzare to strech things that far for no imaginable advantage, but then again I A) don't have a big imagination, don't like working on cars and c) espeically more than I have to..

Maybe that's why the handbrake never got moved...works peeechy-keen-o right where it is, doesn't interfere wif anything, out of the way, seldom needed by I know where it is, why fuck wif it

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

The handrake is where it is because it was A: easier for routing. B: easier to bolt in a prefab hand brake assy. And C: It look really cool.

John, I mocked up a panel in that area, and really like it. I will post apicture in the morning when I recover from this evening.

New age WRC cars seem to usually have switch panels and shit between the seats.

Dash becomes something designed for cosmetics and maybe to hold some ducts and gauge cluster and thus almost never needs to come out (which is always a pain in my opinion.

Between the seats was one of the only places in my car to stash helmets so that will be lost. I also kept water bottles between the seat and the tunnel where they could only end up behind the seat but were usually still right there and easily gotten at end of stage. My handbrake is in stock location currently.

Despite all this, I like it between the seats.

---

Grant Hughes



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2012 11:35AM by NoCoast.

Quote

New age WRC cars seem to usually have switch panels and shit between the seats.

There ya go, then, have to do it.

Quote

Dash becomes something designed for cosmetics and maybe to hold some ducts and gauge cluster and thus almost never needs to come out (which is always a pain in my opinion.

Yeah, so a panel between the dash with a hinge at the bottom of tilting down for easy access to the back side of the switches and stuff sounds smart to me.

Therefore I guess there should be big discussion of the advantages of between the seats..

Quote

My handbrake is in stock location currently.

How do you survive?

Quote


Despite all this, I like it between the seats.

Of course. It's useless, its extra work to site it there, it is potentially a source of trouble from heat from the exhaust, its shitty access, but see the first point....why even think any more than that?

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2012 11:52AM by john vanlandingham.

I can't think of one good reason to put an electrical center between the seats. Makes absolutely no sense. One flip of a seat belt and regrest await.

Sometimes people change designs, styles, techniques and improve stuff, especially of new technology enters the picture. Other times they change shit just to be different. Different isn't always better..Subaru and Nissan CVTs, Ford triton spark plugs, folding cribs etc. If ya really want to be different then just buy some of those yeller sunglasses and go around with your head bobbing up and down....

As far as servicing the panel in the between the seats location John, that is a non issue, the way the harness routes allows you to unbolt the panel and lay it on the seat upside down.

Here is mockup #3

I would suggest that a washer/wiper switch be located in immediate reach of the co-d and maybe a horn or hi-beam switch also. That would be up out of the way of the shifter or e-brake operation.

Keep the wood shifter, it's "mad tight"!

---

Robert.

"You are way too normal to be on Rally Anarchy." Eddie Fiorelli.

Quote
NoCoast
New age WRC cars seem to usually have switch panels and shit between the seats.

They sit so far back in those cars that they cant reach the dash, so nobbers and switches and things on the dash would not work.