Electrical, Clock and a new fuse box

[CDL1542]

Alright so I have the inside of my dash apart for the most part and have discovered the source of most of my electrical issues. I'm planning on installing a secondary auxiliary fuse box straight to the 12V system to run all of my accessories off of: dome light, map light, glove box light, cigarette lighter, horn, and clock. These have been giving me issues and the original wiring harness was tampered with and has some burned out sections. In lieu of tracking down original series one wiring harnesses I'm doing this so if I have an issue, I know that it was done properly and I can track it down easily and I have some room for accessories later down the line without cutting into the wiring and messing with the things that do work. 

 

While I'm doing this I want to get a working clock in my Z but have had an increasing fascination with the calendar/rally clocks. These aren't the standard two wire clocks in the early Zs and I've read up in Haynes and on here and haven't been able to figure out what all the wires are. I want to put one in my 11/70 Z and power it off of the new fuse box or a separate AA battery but can't find any info on the wiring. Any help? Thanks!

 

Chris

[Jarvo2]

I'm about to start building a replacement fuse block for a lot less than the MSA $200 version.  If I'm happy with the results, I may try to make a couple of them and offer them for a more affordable price-point.  My goal is to have a plug-and-play block that fits in the stock location and functions well.

 

10-fuse block:

http://www.johnnylawmotors.com/catalog/power-electrical-systems/fuses-and-circuits/fuse-blocks/KICKFB2/universal-10-atc-fuse-block-with-cover

 

Connectors (MP4N Non-Latching Set):

http://www.vintageconnections.com/ShoppingCart.htm

 

 

If you want something fancier, this is another good resource that I found...

   http://www.motortopia.com/car-pictures/centech-fuse-box-conversion-14416

[CDL1542]

I'm about to start building a replacement fuse block for a lot less than the MSA $200 version.  If I'm happy with the results, I may try to make a couple of them and offer them for a more affordable price-point.  My goal is to have a plug-and-play block that fits in the stock location and functions well.

 

10-fuse block:

http://www.johnnylawmotors.com/catalog/power-electrical-systems/fuses-and-circuits/fuse-blocks/KICKFB2/universal-10-atc-fuse-block-with-cover

 

Connectors (MP4N Non-Latching Set):

http://www.vintageconnections.com/ShoppingCart.htm

 

 

If you want something fancier, this is another good resource that I found...

   http://www.motortopia.com/car-pictures/centech-fuse-box-conversion-14416

Thanks for the info, I went with a 10 way box with LED indicators for burned out fuses. Seemed like a good option for what I'll be using it for. I'm planning on running it to the glove box so it will be hidden and accessible. Any idea about a later clock? The calendar clocks should be the same as a 260z or 280z but they're not the earlier two wire type.

[SteveJ]

You can get your clock refurbished by http://www.zclocks.com. I have not used his services, but I have NEVER read any complaints about him or his work.

[SteveJ]

Also, you can probably source a replacement wiring harness from Oliver at http://www.datsunstore.com/. He used to post a lot over at http://www.zcar.com as ZmanofWashington. Again, I've never read any complaints about him.

[CDL1542]

Thanks for the info but it doesn't really answer the question on the potential to retrofit a rally clock into an older Z or the layout of the wires for the clock. I'm set on doing an aux fuse box for price and reliability reasons as well as adding additional accessories late on.

[SteveJ]

Contact Ron at Zclocks. He knows about the rally clocks. Sometimes you have to do a little digging.

[CDL1542]

Update:

Got my mail and started to get my hands dirty. I wound up discovering some of the electrical stuff nightmares are made out of thanks to the previous owner and began getting to work on all of it and running some new wiring to replace the mess that I had to deal with. I pulled out almost all the garbage wiring and left the original harness alone and began the wiring to the new auxillary fuse box which has been a breeze. Aside from the fact that it's hidden in the glove box, I am now able to have all working accessories without any grounding issues, faults or shoddy wiring. As an added bonus, if I wind up blowing a fuse there's a nifty LED light next to it that will illuminate to show me what's wrong. Easy install, super affordable and very reliable.

 

So far I have a working cigarette lighter, map light, horn, and antenna. Everything is working on the first time everytime without a single hiccup. I have proper wiring for the dome light as well as the clock however I wound up breaking the dry rotted blastic switch on the dome light and the clock was completely shot so unfortunately I now need to track down a somewhat affordable dome light (this is the second one that the button broke on me) as well as either a working clock or convert mine to quartz. And to answer any potential questions, yes I did get the clock to work although there was a mistake and it kept spinning like a time machine before I clumsily broke a few pieces of the mechanism itself.

 

I also contacted Ron and have decided not to pursue the Rally clock as it would take a lot more modification and money than I think it's worth just to have a rally clock.