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MCI 102-C3 coach to RV - Electrical System

Trying these out on the battery posts. I tinkered with this a while back and tried to test fit one at Napa. O'Reilly''s had four plated studs in stock. These are 10mm-1.25 studs for an '89-'94 Geo Metro or '85-'89 Chevy Sprint. The threaded portion of the shank has to be trimmed down a bit. I'll strip the plating and coat them with... a copper paint?

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The orientation of the battery bank I'm putting together will make for obnoxious access and arc-happy wrenching. Pressing in these studs means I'll need only one socket to install or remove cable terminals. With the battery pair tops facing each other, the posts are in very close proximity of each other. I wanted to avoid having to stick a wrench in to hold the bolt or nut still. That and this limits the amount of loose hardware I have to keep track of while managing high amperage.
 
Relatively successful first try. Not much in the way of threads left. I have to cut it down that far to be able to slip the stud in between the case and post. Next option is to grind a bevel into the stud head for clearance so I don't have to remove so much thread length. Hmmm.

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87manche said,

I wouldn't strip the zinc off. You're going to be screwing a terminal right to the battery lug right? That's your electrical contact. Zinc plating isn't so bad for conductivity anyway.

the corrosion resistance will be worth it, especially when it's 5 years from now and you need to get a battery cable off.
 
I was just thinking the same myself. My reason for stripping the zinc is because I'm exposing bare steel by grinding some of the stud anyway and zinc can react with copper a bit. With studs protruding through the posts, the copper cable terminals will be in direct contact with the brass posts for the best conductivity. Grinding a bevel on the head did the trick. Plenty of threads left. Good so far, but I wouldn't mind a few more cents on the idea.
 
Another tidbit that has crossed my mind is turning my own studs. This would take some time, but I've whipped through everything on the lathe with ease already. I can get brass rod for cheap. My only concern is its tensile strength to resist breaking under torque on threaded sections.
 
bgaidan said,
JNHEscher said:
Another tidbit that has crossed my mind is turning my own studs. This would take some time, but I've whipped through everything on the lathe with ease already. I can get brass rod for cheap. My only concern is its tensile strength to resist breaking under torque on threaded sections.​
You can get stronger brass alloys that still have the corrosion resistance you're looking for.

McMaster links don't post well, but look at the "Marine Grade 485 Brass"
Also known as high-leaded naval brass, 485 brass contains lead for good machinability. It is commonly used for marine hardware, valve stems, and screw machine products.​
 
DE Jeeper said,

I think u r really just over thinking this. The stud will be plenty conductive and spray it down with the batter terminal protectant and u r done. Thats all we did on the pete and both the truck and sleeper bats r under the truck and they have been fine for 5 yrs. They dont get exposed to the elements because they r in boxes but they deff r not in a conditioned space. If anything i would just slip a hpde cutting board between the posts for some extra protection and call it a day.
 
HDPE sheet is exactly what I'm placing between the batteries. I just want something to coat the studs with so I don't end up with rusty bolts if I do use the wheel studs.

I'll order some 485 if I don't manage to grab any in Colorado Springs while I'm here today. I went ahead and ordered 24" worth of 5/8" C360. I've never really played with brass at all other than some basic fasteners. Kinda want to test both out.
 
Hose them, I shall. C360 should be here Thursday. No 485 today. The copper rods cost around $15 less than what the set of 24 wheel studs would. One or the other.
 
Junction box installed within the junction box. Plasma cut a slot to pass the flex coduit through and hooked it up. That felt like progress.
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I've been freaking some people out with my pictures of the wiring on this build. It's great. I labeled and sorted all of the gauge bezel. The vast majority of what you see is going away. My next round at it will consist of tracing the switch plates.
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Thought this would be a nice addition to the pictorial spread for clarification. X = connected to no circuit, and / = connected to a circuit, but to be eliminated. These are the left and right indicator light overlays that adorn the gauge bezel. The bulbs behind them make up much of the 40+ wires in the dash that I won't be needing.

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bdkw1 said:
No more Jake brake or just no more light?​
Ours doesn't have a Jake brake, unfortunately. I'll probably keep what circuit there is for it. There were lots of dead end wires in the driver's junction box and I suspect the Jake brake was one of those. If I ever get around to it, I wouldn't mind installing the parts for it. For now, the indicator will be tucked away.
 
[486] said,
bdkw1 said:
No more Jake brake or just no more light?​
"retarder" is a completely different appliance in the driveline

it's either a torque converter sorta deal, or an electric generator sorta deal
 
bdkw1 said,
[486] said:
"retarder" is a completely different appliance in the driveline

it's either a torque converter sorta deal, or an electric generator sorta deal​
Yes, but there was also a "Jacobs brake" light on the top panel.
 
Either driveline braking system would be great. The trans obviously doesn't have a retarder just by glancing at it. The engine has no sign of the Jake brake, although I could pull a valve cover and be surprised. No wiring in sight, though.
 
What a load of a rats nest to go through. Spent the last couple days at it. The driver’s junction box is completely stripped of the junk and all remaining wires have been labeled. All three “check” lights weren’t connected to anything. Made my way to the rear and started making sense of the bundle of crap that previous owners have done to this.

Started today off with some excellent help fro a fellow MCI owner/enthusiast. He got me straightened out on the pneumatic solenoid valves and their operation so that I could trace the wires correctly. This thing will be so much cleaner when I get done rewiring everything.

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You should see the rear! This shot is with around 30 wires already pulled out. Honestly, if you have the patience to trace wires one at a time, this is a totally doable job. The electrical in these dates back to tech from the 50’s. Wiring has been a hobby of mine since around 5 or 6 years old. What slows me down the most is how somebody turned this thing into splice city and did an incredibly crappy job of it.

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Got another phone set up today, but with all the constant wind in this valley, I'm without signal until it stops. Can't install all the damn apps on an iphone to take pictures for you guys. Soon enough, I guess.

I'm once again laying out the plans for the electrical system. It's looking rather awesome. I'll be adding more conduits to accommodate segregated voltages and amperages. More to NEC compliance for peace of mind. That and some of the 1" conduit fittings really put the squeeze on higher ampacity cabling, making the addition of numerous smaller gauge wires a little too tight.

My wife started her new job at a much better hospital. Lots more money to come this way for the bus build. I am so ready to see this come together a little quicker.
 
We put it our orders for a few breakers and some drag chains today. Mainly so that I can get these parts in my hands and mock them up. With nothing to go on but my own measurements, it's entirely up to me to make it all work together.

One Blue Sea 24-volt, 250-amp triple pole rocker style breaker for the inverter. These have two 4-stud busbars on them which I'm going to test out fitting the cable lugs directly to. Doing so would negate the need for a separate busbar. I doubt this would meet NEC approval, but it will most certainly clean up the cabling. The 250 amp rating matches that of the breaker that Schneider offers in their switchgear. I'm curious to see what you guys say once I get some pictures posted.

Speaking of the inverter, I came across a snippet earlier today that I was pleased to read. A guy paired two of the exact same Schneider inverters to run his welder and various other power tools. My plan with our pair to a tee. What welder he runs, I don't know, but I don't doubt that my ESAB Rebel will operate.

I'll have to do a little trimming to fit the drag chains I decided on. They'll still barely fit. Got a pair of them for $22 and they will fit the pairs of 4/0 class M cables. So six total will be needed. These will move nicely with the rolling battery trays and keep the cables tidy and conformal.
 
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