Ok to connect main power wire directly to battery???

Quick question for the electrical wizards on the site.
I recently swapped over from generator to alternator. I'm trying to clean up the wiring in the engine bay and would like to eliminate the fat red wire that goes from the B+ post to the fuse block.

Here's a diagram from the samba similar to how I want to wire it up, but with one little change. Rather than connecting to the "always live" post on the starter solenoid, I was planning to just run the main wire straight from the battery + post.

To me, this seems like I'm just eliminating one extra connection, and keeping the wire on the inside of the car away from the rain, rocks, whatever.

Any reason why this wouldn't be ok???

Eric that is the same electrical point. The wire will have power on it at all times going to through the wiring harness like it does now. I did mine this way when I moved my regulator under the back seat. As long as the wire does not short out and directly ground the positive terminal of the battery we will be fine!

You could put like a 60 amp fuse on it going to the front so if this situation does happen it will open and the power to your dash, engine, headlights, wipers all will die at the same time.

Yeah, I was thinking about a fuse too, even though I guess the way it was originally wired was an un-fused setup, but you can't ever be too safe! I'm going to knock this out in the morning.

Thanks!

One con on the fuse is that the car will die when/if this happens. But the car will most likely not catch fire either! That is a big pro to having one.

Well, I finished up the wiring today and didn't fuse it. Still may, but I just didn't really like the big 50 or 60 amp fuse set-ups that they had at the flaps I went to this morning. I've got grommets and some sheathing over the wire so I think it should be pretty well isolated.

Still may do a fuse down the road though when I do my full rewire.

rpm750 wrote:One con on the fuse is that the car will die when/if this happens. But the car will most likely not catch fire either! That is a big pro to having one.

That is very good advice... I almost had the 'vert catch on fire driving up Hwy 29 last year when that very wire shorted somehow against the fan shroud. Bad times!

(Of course, I replaced the wire on the side of the road and haven't fused it since... I'm just saying that it's good advice! LOL)