Discussion Forum - Northstar Chevelle Club

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Adding a power seat, any tips on wiring?

67ss · 1K+ Club

You want to run the power seats off a circuit breaker not a fuse. Usually a 30 amp. It is best to run it directly to the battery and not out of the fuse box.

Dan Williams · Active Member

I have an original power seat out of a 65 Chevelle (not born with this car, only something like 26 came that way) and it is wired like Chris says. Goes to the junction box up under the battery and uses a 30 amp breaker.

BLyke · 1K+ Club

thanks for the tip on Circuit breaker vs fuse
So my guess that there is not a place to wire unless the car was "born" with the option sounds right?

Dan Williams · Active Member

Your positive battery cable should have a smaller lead on it that runs to a junction block. Tap in there.

John D · 2K+ Club

As said, there's usually a junction block (plastic block with a stud) in the neighborhood of the battery. A pigtail off the positive cable (via a fusible link) feeds this, and the main feeder to the cabin fusebox is landed here. Bad part about this is if there's a problem/short - the fusible link melts, and you are stuck - no juice to the car.

Early on when I first got Blackie, I replaced the plastic block with one of these 50A . The junction block was in really poor condition and the fusible link had been replaced with 10g. wire (yikes!). My car has basically zero accessories, so I chose a 50a for protection against a dead-short on the feeder to the horn relay (which is the main junction for +12v under the hood). The cabin fusebox handles individual protection for the circuits/devices downstream.

For the seat install, I'd run a new 10ga. wire through the firewall (use a rubber grommet!) over to the battery area. Install one of these 30A , and you're good.

I wrote these tutorials several years ago. Scroll down to "Basic of Basics".

BLyke · 1K+ Club

Thanks John, once the car is out of storage it will be easier to look it over.
Have the basic items mentioned which were purchase last year (including the 30A circuit breaker) with a plan to get to it "soon", oh well.
This year for sure, and maybe even install the gas tank i got from Stan long ago so i can fill up past 3/4 of a tank.
On the good side my 59 Nomad is almost ready to install the headliner, the wind-lace is in and the windshield replaced.
for now the 71 will remain waiting its turn in the on deck circle