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Looking to update the fuse panel from Glass to Blade Fuses without rewiring the whole system on my 71.
I found this item in another forum dated back from 2008-2014. (All links associated with this have failed)
Does anyone here know where I might be able to find the Item circled in the pic?
(Converts a Glass Fuse to a Blade fuse)
Why is adding another potential set of contacts that can corrode and add resistance an "upgrade"? Functionally there is zero difference between the little metal section that melts in a glass fuse vs an ATO fuse. All you're doing is adding complexity.
Why is adding another potential set of contacts that can corrode and add resistance an "upgrade"? Functionally there is zero difference between the little metal section that melts in a glass fuse vs an ATO fuse. All you're doing is adding complexity.
X2, adding another failure point and additional cost. Converting to the newer style fuse in this way accomplishes nothing as far as safety. The old style glass fuse is still available at any auto parts store.
I can't believe anybody would actually buy these things at that price. It would be cheaper to replace the fuse block. How often do you change fuses anyway?
I can't believe anybody would actually buy these things at that price. It would be cheaper to replace the fuse block. How often do you change fuses anyway?
Looking to update the fuse panel from Glass to Blade Fuses without rewiring the whole system on my 71.
Everyone is dumping on you like nobody's business about this, but I'll side with you. What everyone overlooks about the glass tube fuses is that they are a royal pain in the *** to remove. Just ask yourself why manufacturers went away from glass fuses in the first place. That's not a hard question to answer. I can't tell you how many times I have not been able to get a glass fuse out with the little plastic tool you often see and end up trying to pry it out with small screwdriver, only to have the glass shatter and send little shards everywhere. Not that I was trying to save that fuse as I wouldn't be trying to pull it out if it hadn't blown.
And trying to remove a glass fuse in that tight little have-to-bend-your-arm-in-ways-never-intended location only adds to the problem. When you're asking yourself why manufacturers went away from glass fuses, also ask yourself why many of them have moved the fuse panel to a location under the hood, where you can just pop off the cover and have everything right there in front of you.
And how often do I actually need to replace a fuse? Having to replace a glass tube fuse even once is enough to make me want one of these adapters.
Last edited by jaunty75; November 28th, 2022 at 07:41 AM.
What everyone overlooks about the glass tube fuses is that they are a royal pain in the *** to remove.
Uh, no, they really aren't. I've got a bunch of different types of glass fuse pullers, and failing that, a small flat blade screwdriver under one end pops the fuse right out.
Just ask yourself why manufacturers went away from glass fuses in the first place.
I can guarantee you that it has NOTHING to do with ease of maintenance and everything to do with lower production cost. Injection molded ATO fuses are much cheaper to make than are tubular glass fuses that require soldering and several assembly steps.
No. Go back and look again. It's $15 for a pack of three, so that's $5 each. But if you buy them in larger quantities, they're even less per piece.
They work out to $5 each if 8 or fewer are purchased. Nine costs $4.44 each. Buy 12, and they're $4.16 apiece. No, they're not free, but they're not outrageously expensive, either, and you buy them only once.
I can guarantee you that it has NOTHING to do with ease of maintenance and everything to do with lower production cost. Injection molded ATO fuses are much cheaper to make than are tubular glass fuses that require soldering and several assembly steps.
You can guarantee it why? Because you're Joe Padavano, and your word is always the last one in anything on this site. We all just have to learn to mind our place.
They may have had other reasons for switching to a different style of fuse, but isn't it nice that one of the side effects of doing so is making for a fuse that is much more convenient to remove and replace and that requires no tools to do so?
Still sparring with windmills..., welcome back Jaunty,
Padavano gets to dump on anyone on this site with impunity because you so-called moderators bow to his every word. The OP in this thread asked a simple question about fuse adapters, and instead, everyone, including his highness Joe P, dumps the equivalent of hot oil on him for no reason at all. Where were your moderating duties then? Woefully absent, I'd say. Why weren't you instructing those replying to stick to the subject of the original post as you should have been? I can't help but notice that the OP has not been back since his original post, and who can blame him based on the way he's been treated. THIS, more than anything else, should be a wake-up call to the moderators.
You were even one of the ones joining in the dumping, replying at one point that glass fuses "are not hard to come by." Who cares? The OP didn't ask about the availability of glass fuses. He asked about fuse adapters.
I'm beginning to remember what I liked about being away so long.
Well, bully for you. You wouldn't need any of these tools, including not needing a screwdriver when all else fails, if you had these adapters.
Seriously? Have you ever tried to pull ATO fuses from a fuse box with your bare fingers? I can't. I need either a puller or a needle nose pliers. And note that to install these adapters, you still have to pull every single glass fuse in the box, not just the one that's blown. Given how little these cars are used anymore, chances are you'll never actually have to replace one of the ATO fuses after doing that. But at least you've added failure modes.
Padavano gets to dump on anyone on this site with impunity because you so-called moderators bow to his every word. The OP in this thread asked a simple question about fuse adapters, and instead, everyone, including his highness Joe P, dumps the equivalent of hot oil on him for no reason at all. Where were your moderating duties then? Woefully absent, I'd say. Why weren't you instructing those replying to stick to the subject of the original post as you should have been? I can't help but notice that the OP has not been back since his original post, and who can blame him based on the way he's been treated. THIS, more than anything else, should be a wake-up call to the moderators.
You were even one of the ones joining in the dumping, replying at one point that glass fuses "are not hard to come by." Who cares? The OP didn't ask about the availability of glass fuses. He asked about fuse adapters.
I'm beginning to remember what I liked about being away so long.
Where did I say anything that wasn't factual? Either style of adapter now has at least double the number of connections as compared to the original glass fuses (and the expensive sliding adapters have three times as many connection now), so every one of those surfaces is an added resistance to the circuit, especially once they start to corrode. But at least you get to pay a premium ($5 each, sorry I didn't care enough to read to the bottom of the ad) plus the cost of the new ATO fuses. Hey, if that let's you sleep better, knock yourself out. Once again, "newer" doesn't necessarily mean "better", which was the whole point.
As Joe noted, those ATO fuses can be a real pain to remove. One of my cars came with a plastic fuse puller tool, but it didn't work worth a darn, it just slipped off the end of the fuse. I had to use small needle nose pliers to remove the fuses.
The last time I replaced a fuse on my '68 was last summer when my turn signals stopped working. All the fuses "looked" good, even the one labeled "Turn". I got my little plastic tool (a little different from the one Joe posted), popped it out and found that it was so old (probably original) that corrosion finally broke the contact between the fuse element and the end cap (where you couldn't see it). After searching my inventory of glass fuses and finding I didn't have the correct rating, I went to the nearest Do It Best and bought a pack of fusses for less than $4 and was back in business w/ spares.
I see both sides of this debate. While I think Joe is reaching a bit with the reduced reliability of 2 additional contacts, he has a point about the plastic fuses being cheaper to produce in volume. Availability isn't (and won't be) an issue, and some modern fuse boxes pack the plastic fuses so tightly you still need a tool to get the one you need out. But I've also cussed up a storm having to get the vacuum out to clean up broken glass from my carpet, so for me not having to deal with that on new cars is so worth it. But unless I was re-wiring the entire car w/ a new harness and fuse box, if it ain't broke, I ain't fixin' it. Until then, just don't try to pry that glass fuse out from the middle of the glass, it will break, and you'll be cussing'.
Last edited by JohnnyBs68S; November 28th, 2022 at 03:31 PM.
While I think Joe is reaching a bit with the reduced reliability of 2 additional contacts,
How many threads have we had here about corroded fuse box terminals?
And let's be honest, those Chinesium adapters won't have the same quality of plating as did the OEM contacts.
I don't have a problem with them either way. I have seen enough different ways to bypass a fuse that would give Joe P. high speed shivers that these look like a downright improvement. Are they? Maybe... I wouldn't use them but I wouldn't speak evil of anyone that did. If you like them, use them. I have never seen them before so to answer the OP, I don't know where you would find that particular type but the others mentioned in this thread seem like just as nice an alternative.
Last edited by cjsdad; November 29th, 2022 at 11:41 AM.
January 2nd, 2022, 11:21 AM
