I searched on this topic but didn't find any info...so here goes:

At the risk of contorting myself into a position I might never get out of--
upside down, on my back, head stuck up into the driver's side footwell--I
managed to get my first look at the fuse panel in our '78. (GM really did
tuck that sucker up and out of the way, didn't they?!)

And here's my specific question: there are currently (no pun intended)
several wires, that look like they may be aftermarket accessory items,
attached to the front surface of the fuse panel. I'm not sure, but I'm
guessing they probably have no business being on there anymore. (I
tracked a couple and found bare wire ends, so my hunch was reinforced).

So what SHOULD be connected to the fuse panel? I saw one factory-
appearing, larger-gauge red wire attached at the very top, 'left' hand side
of the panel. I was upside down, in the dim recess up there, so I can't be
more specific at this point. Are there others that rightfully belong being
attached?

I don't have the shop/assembly manuals or wiring diagram yet (out of
work, so every penny counts!), so I'm at an information disadvantage. But
I've never seen the front of a fuse panel that had factory-installed wires
attached to the actual individual fuse holders themelves like this. So I'm
wondering what electrical gremlins I may have to deal with when I twist
myself back under there...

thanks for any and all light you can shed on this question...

(okay, THAT pun intended!)

If what you have is connected/plugged into the fuse panel with "L" shaped, or flat, blade type plastic connectors, then it is factory. Some of the accessory stuff was plugged in this way. Is there a chance of getting a pic of the box?
I do have the wiring diagrams for '78, but it may take a while to dig them up. I'll see if I can come up with some ideas by tommorrow.

______________

Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

Joel, you beat me to it (no surprise there!)--I was just thinking that
maybe if I stuck our digital camera up there and snapped a frame or two,
it might help somebody identify what's Detroit and what's not.

I'll do that tomorrow, and email them to you. From what I could see--
before my back and my brain stopped tolerating the upside-down view--
there ARE some of the connections you describe. So maybe (hopefully?)
most, if not all, are actually supposed to be on this beauty-in-the-rough.

Either way, with your (and others'?) expert help, I hope I can get her back
to electrical correctness. This is definitely not my area of expertise, to put
it mildly--so once again, thank you very much for your help with it.

I'll mention one oddity I found--and I've never seen anything like it. It's
the proverbial 'black box'...small--roughly the size of a pack of cards;
rectangular, with the brand name "Philips" on it (so was it obviously a
mainstream consumer add-on item of some sort). It's wired into the fuse
panel, and it looks like there's a small built-in speaker in it as well.

Some kind of aftermarket alarm system? Radar detector remote??
Microwave transmitting device so the aliens in the mothership know
where I am all the time???

Ted, I doubt the aliens are keepin track of you any more!!!

What you describe could be the key buzzer. Get some pics iffin ya can, and we'll see what we came determine from there!

______________

Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

There are a few things that I can think of that plug in from the front. Rear window defroster for one, might be two wires from that. Headlight warning buzzer also. If you have delay wipers then in place of the fuse there is a small circuit board plugged in with some wires going to it with an inline fuse, kinda Bubba for a factory installation. And like Joel said, the mystery box is the seatbelt/key warning buzzer. I think there's a condensor rigged underneath the flasher. I'll try and take a look and see what else I can see, too.   Mike

Mike--a big fat "AHA!" Now that you mention it, I did see another
seemingly strange item up under there, unlike anything I've come across
before. It was a small (maybe 1" square or so) flat board that had
electrical tape wrapped around it; and what I thought sort of resembled a
fuse holder at one end, although the metal tabs were pretty flat, and not
circular. It did occur to me that it might be some kind of circuit board (it
is definitely made of that same old-fashioned brown 'pegboard' material),
but then as I say, I'd never seen anything resembling it connected with a
fuse panel. And why it's wrapped in electrician's tape escapes me. "Kinda
Bubba", to quote your very accurate description...

So between you and Joel, it seems as though this picture is becoming
more and more clear. Now all I need to do is get you guys some snaps, so
that you can tell me that all is as it should be, up under the dash (still
some loose ends that need explaining, but maybe those will also turn out
to be General-manufactured.)

Maybe then I can finally remove the aluminum foil cap I've been wearing
to prevent the aliens from reading my brainwaves...

(what's that you say? 'That would be a very short story'--?!)

Got my head up under there and snapped a pic. Note the delay wiper board bottom rt. Even if you don't have delay the board will be there, just not plugged in. Fuse will be installed, instead. Buzzer attached at right side. This is original untouched.  Mike 

Mike, you gave me reason for yet another "AHA!" moment. I also took
some pics of the panel and associated bits 'n pieces today, and emailed
them to Joel (I would have peppered you with them too, but I don't have
your email address).

Thanks to your photo and your info, I can now see that the small 'circuit
board' that's hanging loose up in there is in fact the delay wiper board.
There is a fuse occupying that space in the panel now--so given your
comment above, evidently I don't have the wiper delay function available
on this car. If you'll excuse a stupid question though, would I gain that
function by replacing the fuse with the circuit board?

And I see from your shot that the mysterious 'black box'--the seatbelt/
key buzzer--plugs into the plastic receptacle on the right side of the fuse
panel.

Meantime, Joel's examining the photos I sent him, and his initial report is
that at least some non-factory items seem to be present, but that most of
what I have appears to be stock. That's a relief.

I'm indebted to both you guys for this assistance--I feel as though I've
gained a good bit of knowledge on the electrical setup already, all thanks
to your help...

One additional question: on the uppermost left hand corner of the fuse
panel, I have a dark-colored item inserted into the fuse holder. It's
marked "12v, 40 amp", so it's obviously a fuse of that size. In your photo,
there's a white, unmarked object (fuse) occupying that space. I'm just
wondering what that large fuse is for. It looks as though the white
lettered label on the panel reads "PWR   ACCY". I can also see that on both
your car and mine, that space is marked "30 amp". So it seems as though
I have a larger-than-factory fuse installed. If you or anyone else can offer
some insight into what that particular fuse is for, I'd appreciate learning
what it is.

Thanks again...

Ted, your e-mail is on the way! Looks like Mike beat me to it!
The object in the "pwr/accy" position on Mikes car is a circuit breaker for either the power door locks, or the power windows. If your car does not have these options, then you would not have one in that place. It appears, from your pics, that there is a circuit breaker in that position on your car, tho not the same brand as Mikes.

______________

Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

For current and future viewers of this thread, Joel edited the photos I sent
him and identified additional items and connections, factory and non,
which was really useful in sorting out what's what up there by the fuse
panel.

Thanks again to both Mike and Joel for all their help. They represent the
true spirit of this forum, and they've ceertainly earned my gratitude.

That circuit breaker is for both the power windows AND the defroster. Apparently they figured you wouldn't be using both at the same time. Does your wiper switch have the knob with the arrow on it? If so, take the side panel off the console and see if you have the delay module. Under the radio. I think the inline fuse on the little circuit board protects the module. I think I read in the AIM something like "if equipted with delay wiper option remove fuse and insert circuit board" or something like that.  Mike