82 k10 fuse box

[Brandon Owen]

Hey guys
I have a 82 K10 I just got, and noticed the fuse box has been hot, and has been burned/melted in some spots. What's the correct way to replace this and how do I go about it? Also what products are out there to replace it? Painless?? Or are there more?? Note I don't have all the power windows and locks and jazz. Any advice and info I greatly appreciate and looking forward to talking and learning about my Square

 

[EvilGenius]

My advice is go dig around in a yard and cut one out of a junk truck. These fuse blocks have two halves, the interior half bolts onto the firewall and the engine side bolts to the interior part that sticks through the firewall.

Sit down with some of the diagrams of the interior half and try to understand how it all functions on your terms. Look at what circuits are shared between what ports. Check out this thread for some great discussion and pictures. Post 7 has some good ones on how the terminals are linked together on the block, although I recommend reading the majority of the thread. It is the most thorough discussion I have found on the wiring in these trucks.

Once you have examined your donor fuse panel and feel comfortable, then remove your existing wiring and start comparing. Look for thin or melted connectors. Look at the buses that run between ports on the back of the fuse block. Are they discolored? (would potentially mean that they have gone through a significant temperature change) See if you can identify what failed or was bypassed to cause the issues you described. You can cross reference what you find with the circuit breakdowns in the back of the GM service manual. The circuit breakdowns tell you what circuit does what, but more importantly they tell you what is fused and what is not. If my memory is correct, you will find that some of the power feeds into the cab are NOT fused.

Most importantly, take your time. The wiring in these trucks is very simple, but wiring in general can be very overwhelming. Since you bought the truck it probably works for the most part. Don't dig into it until you are confident you can knock out the repair. If you have trouble understanding how things function or what circuit is what try and post on the forum here.

Good luck!

 

[Ken B]

great information in this post. I have the same issue in my 81 c 10

 

[Doppleganger]

I tried to get the firewall 'plug' (both halves).....one is easily available, the other - not so much. And there's a minimum order too thats nuts. If yours is melted I would source another from a yard or maybe someone here has a parts truck. I bought a Painless universal for <$300 and am going to reuse the firewall connector (with new prongs for the wiring). Painless has one specific for our trucks but its north of $650.

 

[EvilGenius]

Keep in mind that there a couple different iterations of this fuse block/plug. The the first version had glass style fuses. Then they transitioned to the newer blade style fuses in the late 70s I think. And at some point in the 80s a newer version came along that had more circuits. I think this was 87-91 trucks only but I'm not sure. The thread I linked above may cover this, but I'm not sure. Just take a picture of what style you have and pick up the same one if you go to a yard.

 

[Bextreme04]

There is an 83 in my local yard with the fuse block still in it. I can take a picture of it the next time I'm over there poking around if you cant find one somewhere else