Anybody ever have to deal with a really rusty fuse box?  The fuse tangs on mine are so rusty the circuits don't work.  Are they replaceable?

The picture is pretty poor but hopefully it will show you what I have to work with.

You can replace the but very hard. I sudjest finding a replacement.

I promise for a change I won't bug you just to sell me that old car........

I would think that as mentioned it is a huge job to change the whole harness and fusebox, but do you really have any other options? I forget how it is, but do the terminals in the box have crimp connections where the wires come in, or soldered, or what is it? (Seems to me it's crimped)

What if you found a good used fuse box and tried to re-use the terminals from it?

-- Edited by Carl Stevenson at 20:33, 2009-03-01

Thanks guys.  I guess there are no shortcuts for this.  I think I'm going to have to check the fusebox/dash harness out of my parts 66 and see, first of all  if its better, second  how it is connected to everything behind the dash and third  if it'll  fit the GP.

That what parts cars are for, education without screwing up your real project.  I just wish it wasn't covered with three feet of snow right now.

It's kind of weird how rusty it is considering the rest of the car is not bad at all. I've never seen one that bad. 

You know, I think it would be possible to actually remove just the rust from the fuse holder tangs. Are they just heavy"surface rusted" ? Or actually rusted right out?  The fuse tangs alone can as far as I've seen be replaced. For the most part, the connectors are riveted to the holders and clipped right into the box face. If too rusted they' ll obviously be weak.

The female packard connectors on the bulkhead side of the box should be brass, and they, besides probably being a little corroded, could also be brought back or replaced. You'd really have to have the harness and box out of the car and on a bench to get to these ones.

If you could have it out of the car (or even still in), you could split the box, hold it horizontal with the tangs facing down, with a small detail brush, brush some phosphoric acid on a contact. Not too much that it would run behind and get onto the buses and connectors, just so it would wet the visible contact. Perhaps a couple of times. Keep it wet. Don't let it dry. Then immeditely wipe the contact off,  blow it off with compressed air, then warm dry it with a heat gun.. The solution is really just no more than hi-test vinegar. As long as they're not rusted right out, I guarantee it will remove the rust before your eyes pretty quick. The phosphoric will even prevent rust for a little while as well.

I'd even try a test with it in the car. I mean, if it's that bad what have you got to lose?

Now the problem with this would be that the tangs will no longer have any plating left on them, which they probably don't now anyway. A little preserving oil on them, wipe the fuse contact face clean and brush a (very) tiny thin wisp of copper grease on the contact face. They should still make contact and the oil will keep them from rusting again.

If it works, at least it keeps the dash harness in the car, and saves you the trouble of pulling it all out. Or replacing it entirely.

Cheers, Mark.

Eastwoods makes a good product called Fast etch.







-- Edited by cdnpont at 07:05, 2009-03-05

Thanks. I've had the flu for a couple of days so really haven't had a chance to dig deeper.  If the tangs aren't too rusty the acid sounds like a shot worth taking.  If not, I have a parts cars I guess.

I appreciate the advice.  Once I get the circuits actually working it will seem like a live car again.