XS360 fuse box wiring

[b5iveS4]

I've got a 76 xs360 and the old fuse box with glass fuses was falling apart and I'm pretty sure it was the reason i couldn't get any spark.
So, i went down to advance auto parts and bought a new fuse panel. It's a 6 fuse panel that takes blade fuses.
I wired everything up and it started right up, but my question is about how i wired it up. I know something's not right.


Each fuse has one wire in and then a common ground but the stock fuse box has
two wires for each circuit(such as main, headlight, signal, ignition) with a fuse in the middle.


My question is, how do i need to wire the new fuse box up? I have one wire from each circuit to a fuse and all the others
on the ground together but the problem is that i can start the bike with no key haha. Which means, taking the key out
doesn't stop the motor either without disconnecting the harness.


Can I leave the wires as they are but run the wire for the main fuse to the positive battery terminal? I'm pretty sure having the main wire
on the ground is what's giving me trouble but i really don't know how to wire it up. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[b5iveS4]

btw, it's a bussmann fuse panel. I understand how it normally works with the one ground at the bottom but the way the
circuits work in the stock panel confuses me because neither is a ground as far as i know.

 

[b5iveS4]

or should i just wire up 4 inline fuses instead?

 

[bobjohnson]

I dont think there should be a ground from the fuse box, the ground is elsewhere in the circuit.

 

[b5iveS4]

exactly, so inline fuses on each circuit should work correct? That's pretty much how the stock fuse box is set up

 

[t71ford]

The common circuit on one side of all the fuses is called a "Bussbar". It is actually the power supply in. In other words, your main power supply comes from the ignition switch to this bussbar, and then through each fuse to its respective circuit. That way when you shut off the key, all the fused circuits lose power, and shut down. Set up this way, each circuit still has its own fuse, but they all have a common power wire from the ignition switch. Instead of having to run a separate power wire to each circuit from the ignition switch, there is only one. It simplifies the wiring harness greatly.

There is no ground at all in the fused side of the circuits on the 360. The fuses are all on the hot side.

 

[b5iveS4]

I appreciate the information and help. So, is it necessary to have a fuse box as long as each circuit has a fuse inline where they were on the stock harness?

 

[t71ford]

A fuse box is not necessary, although a lot more convenient than a bunch of inline fuses. So long as you have a fuse between the power source (battery) and the + side of your accessory, the circuit is protected