Fusible Link Options

[LILT77]

Rather than trying to hunt down the factory/oem style of links used on these trucks, I was wondering if something like this (Dorman 85620) would work fine in regards to hooking the eyelet to the starter post, junction block, etc. Electrical isn't really my cup of tea but trying to wrap my head around it the best I can.

[bd]

A fusible link is a durable, slow-blow fuse carefully matched to the wiring it protects.  Hence, the formula for safely selecting fusible links is very exact and unforgiving.

The size of fusible wire is described by its cross-sectional area in (mm)².  Typically, fusible wire is imprinted with its metric size in (mm)², which is then converted into the equivalent wire gauge using a chart. 

Regarding application criteria, a fusible link must measure 6" long and must be 4 wire gauges physically smaller in diameter (which corresponds to 4 wire gauges numerically greater) than the vehicle wire to which it attaches and protects.  So, a 16-gauge (or 1.0 (mm)²) fusible link is used to protect a 12-gauge wire.  Additional considerations are that the eye terminal crimped onto the end of the link has the correct inside diameter for the stud to which it attaches, and the splice crimped onto the opposite end of the link is properly sized to fit the gauge of the wire in the vehicle to which the link will connect.  With all of that stated prefab fusible links work just fine, though, making your own is not at all difficult and can even be fun.

For your benefit, application charts and discussions are provided by VileZambonie in How to make a Fusible Link and by yours truly in Fuses and Circuit Protection to make fabricating a suitable fusible link virtually painless.