# any examples of good under-car conduit?



## Hondacrzy (Mar 15, 2008)

I used 3/4 non metalic conduit (liquitite) It worked very well. I attatched it to the bottom of the car with half moon conduit clamps and rivits.


----------



## dtbaker (Jan 5, 2008)

Hondacrzy said:


> I used 3/4 non metalic conduit (liquitite) It worked very well. I attatched it to the bottom of the car with half moon conduit clamps and rivits.


3/4 ?
what kind of cables did you run? I am using welding cable and it looks like 1-1/4" is the smallest I can go...


----------



## Hondacrzy (Mar 15, 2008)

I used 2/0 welding cable about .67 in in dia. I used seperate conduits for each cable.


----------



## dtbaker (Jan 5, 2008)

Hondacrzy said:


> I used 2/0 welding cable about .67 in in dia. I used seperate conduits for each cable.



aha....
separate conduits... why? why not run them together in a 1-1/4?

d


----------



## TelnetManta (Jun 5, 2008)

I had some 1 1/4" and couldn't get two cables through so I had to run two separate conduits, what a pain. I used something called inner-duct, it's used for fiber optic cable runs.

Ben


----------



## dtbaker (Jan 5, 2008)

TelnetManta said:


> I had some 1 1/4" and couldn't get two cables through so I had to run two separate conduits, what a pain. I used something called inner-duct, it's used for fiber optic cable runs.
> 
> Ben


hhmmm, I'll take two segments of cable WITH me to make sure it will go through fittings and conduit... thanks,
d


----------



## Guest (Oct 20, 2008)

Carying a sample is allways a good idea. Under the car exposed to the road salt ect. my preference is the aluminum coated steel exaust pope in 1.5 inch diameter. Straight pipe, and preformed bends are available at the auto parts stores here. also the flexable tubing works fine, it has a short life as exhaust pipe but used as wiring duct and kept painted it lasts for a long time. It is availble on line at J.C.Whitney, I am running three of the small diameter so I can isolate the two traction pack leads and put control wires in the third. it is bendable by hand so support it with several plumbing strap or electric conduit straps along its length.


----------



## dtbaker (Jan 5, 2008)

Hondacrzy said:


> I used 3/4 non metalic conduit (liquitite) It worked very well. I attatched it to the bottom of the car with half moon conduit clamps and rivits.


----

I haven't decided for sure, but it looks like both strands of welding cable will fit in a 1-1/4" ID.... Looks pretty easy to make a run all the way to the engine bay, but I REALLY thought it would be slick to have the manual circuit breaker pop up right under the parking brake.

but now I am pondering how to get the circuit breaker switch to poke up thru the floor like I want. Any good pictures out there on how and where to mount a 200a double-pole circuit breaker within reach of driver??

This will require some kind of custom box to hold the circuit breaker, and the little throw switch will be slightly sub-floor level I think.


----------



## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

dtbaker said:


> but now I am pondering how to get the circuit breaker switch to poke up thru the floor like I want. Any good pictures out there on how and where to mount a 200a double-pole circuit breaker within reach of driver??


Dan, have you seen how Gav did his? His breaker is mounted in the box under the hood with the other high-volt items, and he's run an aftermarket choke cable into the box to trigger the breaker from the driver's position.

He demonstrates it starting at the 7:00 mark on this video:





I'm not sure if his can be re-enabled from the driver position, but if you ever have need to pull it, you probably will need to get under the hood anyhow.


----------



## dtbaker (Jan 5, 2008)

TX_Dj said:


> he's run an aftermarket choke cable into the box to trigger the breaker from the driver's position.


yeah... but I would like to avoid a cable since my circuit breaker doen't have the right kind of handle for that....


----------



## kittydog42 (Sep 18, 2007)

TelnetManta said:


> I had some 1 1/4" and couldn't get two cables through so I had to run two separate conduits, what a pain. I used something called inner-duct, it's used for fiber optic cable runs.
> 
> Ben


Also, that kind of cable is orange. Some people are into using orange loom for the HV side.

Remember that the weld cable is grippy. It is hard to pull it through anything, but two will fit in 1-1/4".


----------



## ElectriCar (Jun 15, 2008)

Hondacrzy said:


> I used 3/4 non metalic conduit (liquitite) It worked very well. I attatched it to the bottom of the car with half moon conduit clamps and rivits.



Same thing here. Non metallic flex is cheap and very much water proof. My truck has parallel 1/0 wires per side though instead of a single 2/0. For 3/4 liquidtite use a 3/4 rigid one hole strap available at your electrical distributor. 

A trick to get the cable in is to blow a string through it at first and tape it to the cable then pull it through. If you don't have air and a blow nozzle, do like I did and pull the flex tight so it's straight and shove the wire in while someone holds the other end. Measure to fine the conduit length needed first though.


----------



## dtbaker (Jan 5, 2008)

ElectriCar said:


> Same thing here. Non metallic flex is cheap and very much water proof.


waterproof yes, but far less resistant to rocks or other debris.... also the metal lined stuff is supposed to cut downon the EMF that might whack out radio, electronics, and have debatable affect on humans.... also supposed to be to minimized by running the + and - in close proximity to each other to self-cancel the EMF.




ElectriCar said:


> A trick to get the cable in is to blow a string through it at first and tape it to the cable then pull it through.


funny you should mention that... for those of us not having a compressor, one thing that works GREAT is to use a 'feminine hygene product' and a shopvac.... the handy attached string can be tied to contractor string, sucked thru conduit, then tied to wire and pulled back thru.


----------



## fugdabug (Jul 14, 2008)

dtbaker said:


> aha....
> separate conduits... why? why not run them together in a 1-1/4?
> 
> d


I see you haven't tried to push six feet of welding cable into a tube of 1-1/4" ... I was using the blue PVC 'flex tube', and that was fun~ I have decided to use it only for short runs of under four feet... One cable at a time... Has any one considered Metal 2" conduit run along the center well (if you vehicle has one) on the underside, with tape wrap or rubber lawn hose over the cable for extra protection?


----------



## dtbaker (Jan 5, 2008)

fugdabug said:


> I see you haven't tried to push six feet of welding cable into a tube of 1-1/4" ...


It IS hard to push a rope, or cable, hence the use of 'fish tape' or sucking some contractor's string (see previous post) to PULL cables. Added assistance of a little dish soap or KY for added pleasure slips'em right through.


----------



## Guest (Oct 28, 2008)

I use 3/4" coated flex conduit and I do run mine through the cabin. I will not run it on the outside where there is a very likely chance for damage and shorts. Less likely for problems in the cabin and the install is clean. I will put my breaker just behind my dash and make a push/pull handle through the dash to open or close the breaker. It will be in reach of anyone. 


Photo link below

http://inertext.homeunix.com/64ghia/64_Ghia/Conduit.html#0


----------



## Hondacrzy (Mar 15, 2008)

I used electricians wire pull lube to push my 2/0 cable through the 3/4 conduit, about 12 ft. Of cable went right through. They sell it at any hardware store, usually next to the fish tapes.

Chris


----------



## kugmo (Oct 31, 2008)

any pictures of this so we can clearly view? lolz...


----------



## ElectriCar (Jun 15, 2008)

kugmo said:


> any pictures of this so we can clearly view? lolz...


I could send you some but I haven't taken any of this. Mine run inside the frame rails from the rear axle to just before the engine compartment where they come out of the rails and are attached to the side of the rail because it becomes enclosed. As such they are not exposed to getting snagged or such unless I go off road, which isn't going to happen.


----------



## KiwiEV (Jul 26, 2007)

dtbaker said:


> funny you should mention that... for those of us not having a compressor, one thing that works GREAT is to use a 'feminine hygene product' and a shopvac.... the handy attached string can be tied to contractor string, sucked thru conduit, then tied to wire and pulled back thru.


I can just imagine your neighbours coming round while you're busy vacuuming a dozen of those things down a tube.  
How do you explain that one!


----------



## TelnetManta (Jun 5, 2008)

kugmo said:


> any pictures of this so we can clearly view? lolz...



Is it just me or does this guy seem like he's just here to spread his signature. No real posts have been made yet, just short responses.

I really didn't want to mention it and if you're a real person please forgive me.


Ben


----------



## dtbaker (Jan 5, 2008)

KiwiEV said:


> I can just imagine your neighbours coming round while you're busy vacuuming a dozen of those things down a tube.
> How do you explain that one!


well, now that I've put it out there for the world to read... no secrets from neighbors! I actually did this when pullng wires for my PV installation this summer. we just could NOT get the fish-tape around one corner, and used this method to pull it thru, then pulled the fish-tape back with wires. see http://envirokarma.org/PV/gallery/080606_wire_pull_mouse.htm


----------



## DIYguy (Sep 18, 2008)

dtbaker said:


> well, now that I've put it out there for the world to read... no secrets from neighbors! I actually did this when pullng wires for my PV installation this summer. we just could NOT get the fish-tape around one corner, and used this method to pull it thru, then pulled the fish-tape back with wires. see http://envirokarma.org/PV/gallery/080606_wire_pull_mouse.htm


That's hillarious...but effective...lol


----------



## TexasCotton (Sep 18, 2008)

dtbaker said:


> I am starting on under-car conduit for my two strands of welding wire... plan is to poke up thru the floot under the parking brake with the manual circuit breaker, and continue to the engine bay....
> 
> do people suggest using PVC, liquitite, or ???
> 
> ...


I am not a fan of metal conduit. Any wholesale electrical supply house should have some spilt wiring channel. Vacum hose works too.


----------

