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Quick Qu.
If I were tidying up some electrics on the land rover and wanted to fabricate some small looms, say for the lights in each wing, is there any reason why I cannot group earths together and create new, good, earthing points for clusters of circuits?
i.e. Main beam, dipped beam, sidelight, front indicator, indicator repeater all having a common earthing point, say, on the bulkhead.
Obviously making sure that each earth cable was sufficiently rated for the potential load of each circuit or group of circuits.
Yes, that would work, but you've got to take in to account that the bulkhead has got to have a good electrical connection to the chassis as well.
You might as well just run an separate earth cable all the way.
I'll be refitting a bulkhead so could strap a good earth to that, or as you say, pick a point on the chassis for each wing. I will see what's in the best location and least likely to get mucky too.
cheers.
Im right in thinking that I could take a 20A common earth (say from the bulkhead) to a junction block (up nearer the lamp end of the wing) and distribute from there, arent I?
What kind of junction bloke would be best? I could use choc block but there must be a smarter, waterproof, product out there.
Fill yer boots - as they say:
http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinestore/home/homepage.php
As a general rule, don't add extra wiring. The vehicle itself is one giant 'earth'. On something like an old Land rover I'd be tempted to earth each front lamp cluster to the inner wing and then earth the body to the chassis at some convenient point (or points).
Mind you I know sweet FA about land rovers.
Hth
marko
cheers Marko, lots of options there.
not cheap though are they?
...earth the body to the chassis...
A Land Rover body is not like a car body.
It's made up of a number of aluminium panels attached to a steel chassis by cadmium plated nuts & bolts and zinc plated washer.
Add an electrolyte, rainwater for example, plus an electrical current, and it's all just waiting to corrode away.
If I'm rewiring something, I always aim for a continuous copper/brass conductor all the way from battery to load and back.
I was planning on doing something kind of similar. Not quite all the way back to the battery, but to a few easily monitored earthing points, then distributing the earth via copper where closer to the lights etc.
Graham - I found an excellent landy breakers yard today. Loads of stuff on the shelves. Even better it's only a few miles from FoD manmade bike trails and so just down the M5 from you too.
http://www.landroverbreaker.com/how-to-find-us.asp
Stoner, check out Beal UK for wiring supplies.
http://www.beal.org.uk/electrical-products/cat_8.html
I rewired a Scimitar (plastic not aluminium but same rules apply)
You can't earth to the body panels, you need to earth to the chassis. You can combine earths to one earth point but I really would advise using two earthing points as Land Rovers are known for corrosion issues.
cheers mcm, but I got a delivery today from> http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinestore/home/homepage.php They're actually probably a bit cheaper than ebay on some stuff. Ive got some connectors coming from chinabay, but conduit and valve holder I got from them. I have the catalogue that came with the package on my lap now and was about to flick through it.
Gradually all my landrovers have had one sodding great bit of cable to the battery. You know it will corrode eventually anyway.