'Rufus Maximus' - Build Thread

[Danny G]

After some digging in the forums for radiator recommendations. I found the post about the Champion units. Also the potential issue with AC and the normal engine fan.

I am doing a 3g conversion so I picked up the Champion 4 core radiator and fan bundle. Assuming these fans are variable speed I will need to see how I want to wire this up.

Full power when temp sensor is over 185. Half power otherwise, but also full power if the AC is on or if the AC clutch engages seems like a good idea as well.

I have a 220A 3g alternator on the way, some 1/0 battery cable, a 250A fuse and the alternator pigtail. Two  1/2 inch Vbelts should be more than capable of spooling that alternator up. I am interested in a serpentine set up in the future but all the kits seem way expensive to me right now.

I would like to route the radiator hoses in a fashion that doesn't have them all over the place, specifically the hoses to the heater core. If anyone has hoses or molded ridged hoses they like please let me know.

The 220A alternator also opens the door to a secondary battery.

[ArdWrknTrk]

What kind of power distribution center are you considering?

Gary has 2 Ford boxes from later models, like the '95 450 I parted

Scott has a good thread showing something he bought, with a clear cover.

I have a cheap & cheerful Chinese box that replaces my fender relay and all the relays I had for high/low beams, foglights and dual horns.
I've got the 3G HMEG mounted to the side and used solid 10Ga as a bus to feed them all.

It was like $17 with a pack of fuses, 5 30A & 1 40A relay installed.
Been good for 5-6 years now.  👍

[Danny G]

This is what I have right now to mount on the engine bay wall so long as it doesn't interfere with the jack. Teonof these relays will replace the fuel tank and cut off relay and a couple of the fuses will replace the fuse links in the same system.


It has 6 relays which are protected by 6 fuses. The other 5 fuses are open and ready to go. I have a seperate megafuse block for the alternator. BUT as I wrote this I realized this unit has only 4 pin relays. I have another that was going in the ranger that has 4 -5pin relays and 1 4 pin relay. So maybe that's going to be a swap. As that one was just for lights. Or maybe I use both in the F350.


I also have a 6 slot fuse box with ground bus bar built in and clear cover. That I can put under the dash. It lights up if a fuse blows. It's a 100A service. I was going to use that for another project but I do not want any fuse boxes that are not sealed under the hood.

I have a ground bus bar to consolidate some of the random frame grounds instead of cutting up paint. The black wire that goes through the firewall literally just grounds to the dashboard support. Completely unnecessary for that to even penetrate the firewall.

[ArdWrknTrk]

I have that second one.
I use the 40A for my PMGR and mounted the Megafuse to the side to tidy things up.
It doesn't interfere with my jack.

I ran a separate 10Ga tinned, stranded ground in to my cab for the relay I use to control the sub.
It has a lug attached to the dash brace on the passenger side of the trans tunnel, where I put the relay...

I didn't go crazy with grounds like Gary did, but I felt having a clean path back to the battery - could never hurt, and it offers some redundancy to G701 and anything else, like the wiper governor that attaches to the dash frame.

[Danny G]

This truck is going to be set up as an all arounder for me.

For example. My Ranger is permanently equipped with gear for camping and recovery with tools and med bags in the bed all hooked up to a molle panel system. It has front and rear bumper lights and Sid and rear floods by the CHML. The rear facing lights are all side shooter cubes. I have the areo cab and aero hood light sets from AVS too. Those are wired up so they are on when the truck/drls/parking lights are on. But flip a switch and power is flipped to a wigwag box that flashes them and the whites. We had a microburst here on I26 a bit back and it all came to good use. I pulled over and there was a fellow that passed out but his head and started having seizures. He would quit breathing etc and we had to work him up.

I can pull over any time in the ranger and set it up to camp.

The F-350 is gonna be used to haul, tow, boondocks with or without a trailer etc. so onboard air, secondary battery with both engine and wall charging, power inverter etc is going into the build. I'd like a set of bars and a tonneau on the back along with plenty of lighting.

[ArdWrknTrk]

I'm not going that deep, but I do have bed lights and a pair of 4" lights attached to my receiver side plates that come on in reverse.

I used to learn a lot from the Wehlen tech that would come out to the tow shop to setup different patterns or troubleshoot the systems when Junior -who has no idea- messed with them...,  

Nothing like laying on the side of the highway in driving rain with no lights and trucks whizzing by your head at 70+!

[Gary Lewis]

Danny G wrote

Gary is going to need a sub section in the documents for jacks lol.

[Danny G]

The problem is I don't know what the factory relays were rated at. Are they 30, 40, 60, or 80 amp relays. Surely none were over 40 amps in these old trucks with their 70 amp alternators lol.

[Danny G]

There it is dually got a 3 ton jack.

[Danny G]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

What kind of power distribution center are you considering?

Gary has 2 Ford boxes from later models, like the '95 450 I parted

I do need to go to the junk yard tomorrow. There are a couple 90s models and that 80s model with the buckets. I need to go scrounge parts. Maybe I'll bring the cable cutters and grab a distribution box.

[ArdWrknTrk]

So I'm E5TZ-C....

Colour me shocked that a dually gets a different jack, but there it is.....

[ArdWrknTrk]

I think some were 50.
Electric fans in Lincoln's and Taurus/Sables were 70 or 80 IIRC.
Good scores in the junkyard....

But certainly the fuel pump relays and clearance/trailer lights weren't.

[Danny G]

I've got the harness done up and labeled through the fire wall grommet. New wires to the inertia switch. You can see the corrosion that worked down the wire harness over the years of open connectors and wire damage.

New wire on the right.



Inloat the labels on these two. The black wire goes to a ground behind the dash near the radio. I think it's G106. And the terminals go to the blower resistor and  connector C228 by the accumulator.

The green and purple wire goes to the AC control and I believe it goes to C616 which then runs to the clutch pressure cycling switch and AC clutch coil which makes sense.



I C144 off because I am planning on putting the relay box on the passenger side rather than running wires over the radiator to the relayon the driver side.

If that doesn't work out I will still move the connector and run the wires over the firewall area. I grabbed some harness and hose hangers off the OBS trucks.

[Danny G]

This harness I determined was the front door speaker harness. Probably not actually needed. When I run speakers then I'll replace them with OFC cable. Oh well I'll store it and give it to someone if they need it.

[Danny G]

Got the distribution box cleaned up before I went to work today. I think this will do nicely. I need to fabricate a bracket or go back and get the windshield wash tank bracket so I can mount this sideways. That would save me a good bit of room I think. I'll play around with it. I should be able to drop any diodes or resistors in here as well.

[Danny G]

Came home to a package today. Had a couple holes in the box that made me nervous.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Who's old enough to remember "Use No Hooks!" ?

[Danny G]

Ok so day inside today trying not to push my heart too much since I'm still having issues. I'm SOL on the distribution block if I cannot find contacts.

Got a bunch of stuff organized up and sorted then started prepping the ducts so they are ready to go back in. I had previously soaked everything and it cleaned up pretty well.

It amazes me the generation of engineers who grew up on carburetors didn't see the impact the Venturi effect would have on ducts. So sealed them I have.


I have some work to do on this part. I think this is the one between the firewall and the blower/evap core. I am going to get the hot stapler out and maybe use some epoxy putty to fill the burned section sand and go.


1) Y shaped crack
2) puncture
3) puncture/blow out
4) fire damage- melted through
5) sealing lip chipped
6) chunk missing from edge
7) large crack all the way through to corner of damper cutout.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Everything to a cost.
I'm sure the engineers knew better, but if it cost money and slowed assembly the beancounters probably nixed it...

Bill & Gary have a number for those terminations.
I'm not using one of those boxes so I didn't pay attention, but it's out there.

[85lebaront2]

Jim. believe it or not, if you take the bracket off the inner fender on the newer trucks, it will fit the inner fender on the 1987-1991 models. It might even fit the 1980-86 ones.