Posted by David Sherman on Saturday, January 21, 2006 at 12:55PM :
In Reply to: Electical system. What's the minimum posted by Howard in Newcastle on Saturday, January 21, 2006 at 10:27AM :
Absolute bare minimum to drive the truck around a little bit is just starter and ignition. Sometimes I run an ignition wire straight from the coil to the battery (via a ballast resistor if needed) with a gator clip on the battery end to serve as an "ignition switch". If you want the battery to charge, then you'll need a generator and regulator (or a 1-wire alternator). Again, it can be wired direct to the battery rather than going through the ammeter, so you don't have to mess with wiring inside the cab. Fuses are a good idea, but for a field expedient you can do with out. Most likely failures would only result in burned-up temporary wiring. Once you get to the point of wanting lights to work, it's time do plan the whole wiring harness and do it right.