First off I have to give credit where credit is due.. Thanks to Laruei for the original thread and basic write up on how to do this. I'm going to give as detailed of a description as to how to do this, if anyone has any improvements or other tips they would like to add let me know!
*Word of warning, If your Terminator is a daily driver, or is driven a whole lot in the rain I would NOT suggest you do this unless you take preventative measures to keep the fuse box dry as it will be mounted in a location that may get wet while driving in the rain. You will also lose your windshield washer reservoir so there won't be any way to wash your windows :nono:
Appx. Time to Complete: 6-7 Hours
Tools Needed:
-Beer (and lots of it)
-Lug Wrench
-Jack and Jack Stands
-8mm, 10mm, 13mm Sockets
-Small Phillips Head Screwdriver
-Flat Head Screwdriver
-Sharp Razor
-Lots of Electrical Tape
-Panel Puller Tool
-TIME AND PATIENCE
1. Pop the hood :cool man:
2. Raise the car and place on jack stands, remove both front tires, both headlights, and both inner fender wells.
3. Pull the battery and battery box, as well the radiator cover. Take the 3 bolts holding the radiator tank off, as well as the 3 bolts holding the intercooler tank on (2 8mm front and 1 13mm on the back side).
4. Unhook the air temp sensor and maf sensor on the intake and remove the intake.
5. Now you can begin the long process of undoing all the connections. Begin in the drivers side fender well and remove all of the connections there. I believe there are 5 or 6 connections in the fender well, including the one 10mm connection, the rest are clips that just pop off.
Unhook the connectors from their respective retainers as you will put them back in the stock location later.
6. Remove the 2 connection's for the horn's and the one connection to the windshield washer fluid tank.
7. Drain the tank and remove the 8mm bolt holding the tank in place, you can now see the rest of the connections that need to be undone. At this point the harness should be hanging down with no restrictions.
8. On the engine side, take a 13mm deep socket and remove your connections on the post on the side of the fuse box. Now, take a screw driver and press the 3 (2 on right side, 1 on left side) of the fuse box and pull up, the fuse box should now be free.
9. Undo all the connections in the battery area (you can pull the little yellow clips that hold the connections to the car out, you will not need them). The fuse box should now be completely free like below. Remove the 2 ground wires on the front of the car, and then remove the terminals from the battery connections (i would take some pictures so that you know which wire goes where, you may need to extend some of these wires as well).
10. Remove the 3 8mm screws that hold the fuse box bracket in place, you will need it later on.
11. Now that the fuse box is completely free, you need to remove the two black radiator supports on either side of the radiator and place them to the side. I also had to remove the one bolt holding the condenser on so I had a little more wiggle room.
12. Push the radiator towards the firewall just enough so that you see the 3 christmas tree clips that hold the wire channel runner in place between the radiator and radiator support. Take a trim and panel puller and remove the 3 christmas tree clip (it may be tough to get them out, I always keep some on hand as they break very easily). Once it is free you need to push the radiator out enough so that you can get the wire channel runner out from behind it. Be careful not to break it as it will go back in the stock location later.
13. Once the wire channel runner is out you need to undo the connections in the passenger side of the engine compartment, including the ABS pump by pulling the grey retaining clip towards the fire wall and then lifting up.
14. Remove the 4 or 5 connections attached to the wiring harness you are pulling out, as well as the 8mm ground wire
15. I can't remember, but there may be a connection or two in the passenger side fender well that has to be undone in order to get the rest of the harness free, if so undo those connections.
16. At this point the fuse box harness should be completely free of the car. Take a razor and remove the tape on either side holding the wire inside the wire channel that runs behind the radiator. Remove the channel runner. This is a good point to go ahead and clean up both sides of the engine bay with some simple green or whatever cleaner you use.
17. At this point you can now take the harness and start in the drivers side fender well, passing the passenger side connections through the hole between the headlight and the radiator support (you may have to pop the plastic liner out in order to get he harness to pass through.
18. Run the wiring just as it was from the factory, pass it back into the engine bay and up where the channel runner goes being careful not to knick any of the bare wires. Run the wiring all the way across the radiator and back into the position on the passenger side.
19. Reinstall the wire back into the wire channel runner and tape up both ends really good with electrical tape making a stock appearance. Once all taped up, slide it back into position behind the radiator support and reinstall the 3 christmas tree clips. You can now put the brackets that go on either side of the radiator back in place as well as the bolt holding the condenser in place.
20. Back in the drivers side fender well, it helps to go ahead and move the horn to another location (I chose a stud directly behind the headlight and just attached it with a bolt. Keep in mind you do not have a whole lot of room to work with with the horn wires)
21. I chose to mount the fuse box using the stock bracket where the horn was originally, using the 13mm screw holding the bracket in place. You may need to bend the bracket backwards to clear the fender well once it is put in place.
22. Once the fuse box is mounted you can start reconnecting everything in the fender well.. It goes exactly where it was to begin with and you can still mount the connectors to the stock locations.
23*. (I had to do this, but you may not need to) Next you need to extend the positive wire that goes from the terminal to the distribution block. Extend it into the hole to the fender well and connect to the fuse box. You will also need to extend the wire that runs from the lug on the alternator to the positive terminal on the battery (I did not because I have an upgraded power wire that came with the StartN'Charge alternator. Once it is extended you may run it through the same hole (or if you have the upgraded power wire, run it above the plastic guard being sure to tape up the spots that may rub against metal). Connect it to the positive lug on the fuse box.
24*. If you have a fuel system and ran your power wire through the fire wall, use this hole and run your power wire to the pumps through there zip tying it along the wiring harness on the body and attach it to the positive lug on the distribution box. If there is anything else that needs to go to that lug attach it and tighten with the 13mm nut. (I chose to tape up the fuse box so it wouldn't fly open as it is mounted upside down, and also for added protection. It is of course optional.
25*. (NOTE: depending on your battery, you may not have enough cable length the battery). For the negative battery cable, pass it through the hole everything else is going through and run it along and pass through this hole which is perfectly placed to reach the negative terminal. Once it is through you can reattach your terminals. Go ahead and reattach your 2 ground wires in the stock location, just upside down thus tucking those wires (after i was through I used a cutoff wheel and cut the bolt flush with the body and painted it to match).
26. Make sure all the connections on the drivers side are connected and in place, you are now done on the drivers side.
27. For the passenger side, I decided to leave the intercooler pump relay box in place as I want the ability to access it while I'm at the track so I can jump it. You can however undo the harness and run it through the hole directly next to the box thus hiding the harness.
28. Undo the remaining harness in the passenger side engine compartment and run through the below hole
29. Connect the ABS pump and start making the connections in the fender well now that the harness is passed through there. Go ahead and connect the 1 ground wire, upside down thus tucking it.
30* Depending on your intake, you may need to cut the air temp sensor out of the wire loom in order to reach the sensor. Take a razor and carefully cut the two wires out of the loom going back towards the firewall until you have enough wire to reach the sensor. This is the loom you need to cut the wire out of:
You can then put some small plastic conduit on the wire and tape everything back up, passing it through the large hole.
31. Its nice to go ahead and zip tie everything in place and make it nice and tidy on both sides, keep in mind you still need to clear the fender liner. Once all connections are made you should pretty much be done with the wire tuck. Go ahead and install your intake, the maf, and the sensor you just ran in.
32. Make sure ALL connections are in place before you put everything back together. Once you are sure, its best to reinstall the battery tray (assuming you are not relocating to the trunk as I plan to do in the future) and connecting the battery. Go ahead and start the car making sure you don't throw any codes where something may not be connected or you might have accidentally knocked a wire.
33. If everything starts and runs fine you can go ahead and reattach the fender wells making sure you're wiring or fuse box is not bulging the fender well out causing a rubbing issue with the tire (be sure to check for clearance once on the ground by clocking the wheel full lock left and right on both sides).
34. Install headlights, reattach everything else that you took off.
CONGRATULATIONS!! You just did a partial engine bay tuck!
Here are the results:
*Word of warning, If your Terminator is a daily driver, or is driven a whole lot in the rain I would NOT suggest you do this unless you take preventative measures to keep the fuse box dry as it will be mounted in a location that may get wet while driving in the rain. You will also lose your windshield washer reservoir so there won't be any way to wash your windows :nono:
Appx. Time to Complete: 6-7 Hours
Tools Needed:
-Beer (and lots of it)
-Lug Wrench
-Jack and Jack Stands
-8mm, 10mm, 13mm Sockets
-Small Phillips Head Screwdriver
-Flat Head Screwdriver
-Sharp Razor
-Lots of Electrical Tape
-Panel Puller Tool
-TIME AND PATIENCE
1. Pop the hood :cool man:
2. Raise the car and place on jack stands, remove both front tires, both headlights, and both inner fender wells.
3. Pull the battery and battery box, as well the radiator cover. Take the 3 bolts holding the radiator tank off, as well as the 3 bolts holding the intercooler tank on (2 8mm front and 1 13mm on the back side).
4. Unhook the air temp sensor and maf sensor on the intake and remove the intake.
5. Now you can begin the long process of undoing all the connections. Begin in the drivers side fender well and remove all of the connections there. I believe there are 5 or 6 connections in the fender well, including the one 10mm connection, the rest are clips that just pop off.
Unhook the connectors from their respective retainers as you will put them back in the stock location later.
6. Remove the 2 connection's for the horn's and the one connection to the windshield washer fluid tank.
7. Drain the tank and remove the 8mm bolt holding the tank in place, you can now see the rest of the connections that need to be undone. At this point the harness should be hanging down with no restrictions.
8. On the engine side, take a 13mm deep socket and remove your connections on the post on the side of the fuse box. Now, take a screw driver and press the 3 (2 on right side, 1 on left side) of the fuse box and pull up, the fuse box should now be free.
9. Undo all the connections in the battery area (you can pull the little yellow clips that hold the connections to the car out, you will not need them). The fuse box should now be completely free like below. Remove the 2 ground wires on the front of the car, and then remove the terminals from the battery connections (i would take some pictures so that you know which wire goes where, you may need to extend some of these wires as well).
10. Remove the 3 8mm screws that hold the fuse box bracket in place, you will need it later on.
11. Now that the fuse box is completely free, you need to remove the two black radiator supports on either side of the radiator and place them to the side. I also had to remove the one bolt holding the condenser on so I had a little more wiggle room.
12. Push the radiator towards the firewall just enough so that you see the 3 christmas tree clips that hold the wire channel runner in place between the radiator and radiator support. Take a trim and panel puller and remove the 3 christmas tree clip (it may be tough to get them out, I always keep some on hand as they break very easily). Once it is free you need to push the radiator out enough so that you can get the wire channel runner out from behind it. Be careful not to break it as it will go back in the stock location later.
13. Once the wire channel runner is out you need to undo the connections in the passenger side of the engine compartment, including the ABS pump by pulling the grey retaining clip towards the fire wall and then lifting up.
14. Remove the 4 or 5 connections attached to the wiring harness you are pulling out, as well as the 8mm ground wire
15. I can't remember, but there may be a connection or two in the passenger side fender well that has to be undone in order to get the rest of the harness free, if so undo those connections.
16. At this point the fuse box harness should be completely free of the car. Take a razor and remove the tape on either side holding the wire inside the wire channel that runs behind the radiator. Remove the channel runner. This is a good point to go ahead and clean up both sides of the engine bay with some simple green or whatever cleaner you use.
17. At this point you can now take the harness and start in the drivers side fender well, passing the passenger side connections through the hole between the headlight and the radiator support (you may have to pop the plastic liner out in order to get he harness to pass through.
18. Run the wiring just as it was from the factory, pass it back into the engine bay and up where the channel runner goes being careful not to knick any of the bare wires. Run the wiring all the way across the radiator and back into the position on the passenger side.
19. Reinstall the wire back into the wire channel runner and tape up both ends really good with electrical tape making a stock appearance. Once all taped up, slide it back into position behind the radiator support and reinstall the 3 christmas tree clips. You can now put the brackets that go on either side of the radiator back in place as well as the bolt holding the condenser in place.
20. Back in the drivers side fender well, it helps to go ahead and move the horn to another location (I chose a stud directly behind the headlight and just attached it with a bolt. Keep in mind you do not have a whole lot of room to work with with the horn wires)
21. I chose to mount the fuse box using the stock bracket where the horn was originally, using the 13mm screw holding the bracket in place. You may need to bend the bracket backwards to clear the fender well once it is put in place.
22. Once the fuse box is mounted you can start reconnecting everything in the fender well.. It goes exactly where it was to begin with and you can still mount the connectors to the stock locations.
23*. (I had to do this, but you may not need to) Next you need to extend the positive wire that goes from the terminal to the distribution block. Extend it into the hole to the fender well and connect to the fuse box. You will also need to extend the wire that runs from the lug on the alternator to the positive terminal on the battery (I did not because I have an upgraded power wire that came with the StartN'Charge alternator. Once it is extended you may run it through the same hole (or if you have the upgraded power wire, run it above the plastic guard being sure to tape up the spots that may rub against metal). Connect it to the positive lug on the fuse box.
24*. If you have a fuel system and ran your power wire through the fire wall, use this hole and run your power wire to the pumps through there zip tying it along the wiring harness on the body and attach it to the positive lug on the distribution box. If there is anything else that needs to go to that lug attach it and tighten with the 13mm nut. (I chose to tape up the fuse box so it wouldn't fly open as it is mounted upside down, and also for added protection. It is of course optional.
25*. (NOTE: depending on your battery, you may not have enough cable length the battery). For the negative battery cable, pass it through the hole everything else is going through and run it along and pass through this hole which is perfectly placed to reach the negative terminal. Once it is through you can reattach your terminals. Go ahead and reattach your 2 ground wires in the stock location, just upside down thus tucking those wires (after i was through I used a cutoff wheel and cut the bolt flush with the body and painted it to match).
26. Make sure all the connections on the drivers side are connected and in place, you are now done on the drivers side.
27. For the passenger side, I decided to leave the intercooler pump relay box in place as I want the ability to access it while I'm at the track so I can jump it. You can however undo the harness and run it through the hole directly next to the box thus hiding the harness.
28. Undo the remaining harness in the passenger side engine compartment and run through the below hole
29. Connect the ABS pump and start making the connections in the fender well now that the harness is passed through there. Go ahead and connect the 1 ground wire, upside down thus tucking it.
30* Depending on your intake, you may need to cut the air temp sensor out of the wire loom in order to reach the sensor. Take a razor and carefully cut the two wires out of the loom going back towards the firewall until you have enough wire to reach the sensor. This is the loom you need to cut the wire out of:
You can then put some small plastic conduit on the wire and tape everything back up, passing it through the large hole.
31. Its nice to go ahead and zip tie everything in place and make it nice and tidy on both sides, keep in mind you still need to clear the fender liner. Once all connections are made you should pretty much be done with the wire tuck. Go ahead and install your intake, the maf, and the sensor you just ran in.
32. Make sure ALL connections are in place before you put everything back together. Once you are sure, its best to reinstall the battery tray (assuming you are not relocating to the trunk as I plan to do in the future) and connecting the battery. Go ahead and start the car making sure you don't throw any codes where something may not be connected or you might have accidentally knocked a wire.
33. If everything starts and runs fine you can go ahead and reattach the fender wells making sure you're wiring or fuse box is not bulging the fender well out causing a rubbing issue with the tire (be sure to check for clearance once on the ground by clocking the wheel full lock left and right on both sides).
34. Install headlights, reattach everything else that you took off.
CONGRATULATIONS!! You just did a partial engine bay tuck!
Here are the results:
