Drewski's Audio Install

[Drewski0523]

I am updateing the first post as things have changed since I originally made this tread. I am going to kind of make it an Audio/Electrical system build thread since I am upgrading everything. Here we go:

Right now I am in the middle of building a custom corner sub and emp enclosure for my trunk based off of this design from Future3G:



Some things to point out, the one I am making is from 3/4' MDF board and the original is made of fiberglass. What I have is a wood shop and absolutely no skills with fiberglass So of course there will be major differences. As of now I have the amp rack built with my batery relocation and power distribution system on the indide. Here are some pics:







I still have some work to do on the corner boxes, so those wont be done for a while. But when done they will be wrapped in black sub box carpeting.

Here is what I have:

Optima Red Top battery relocation to the trunk
Big 3 Charging upgrade, custom built
2 12" Kicker CompVR subs (currently out)
Kenwood DS Amp: 500w to each sub
Kicker DS Series speakers: 6.75 components front and 6x9 rears
JL Audio 300/4 amp: 75w RMS to all 4 speakers
Jenson VM9314 HU with blutooth adapter, XM radio adapter and iPod adapter
Knukonceptz Kollosus Fleks 1/0 and 4ga power and ground wire for big 3, battery relocation and amps
Knukoncepts Kompression terminals, posative and negative
Kunkonceptz, X-Scorpion and Tsunami ANL fuse holders, power and ground distribution blocks
Stinger and Kicker ring terminals, adapters and ground termination blocks
Lightning Audio 16ga runs from JL amp to all speakers
Ken's stage 3 head/foglight relay harness, custom wired by myself to be plug and play
Lightning Audio distribution block and fuse for the light relay

Current Pics:





















This is the original first post of this thread:

I was asked to write about my audio setup so here it goes, I'm also going to go over the steps I did to do the install to help answer some questions about the actual procedure to the best of my ability.

This is the overview of my trunk with the seats down



FIRST DISCONECT YOUR NEGATIVE BATTERY TERMINAL! Or stand by to be electrocuted.

Starting from the battery here is what I did.

1. Because our car really doesnt have an easy way to get throughout the fire wall like other cars, Best Buy originally drilled a hole through it for the previous owner. I widened the hole so 0 ga. Knukonceptz Kollosus Flex wire and a 0 ga. water tight grommet would fit. I ran the power system down the driver side of ther car, under the carpet. To do this I removed the door runner plastic by prying it up with a spackle blade, the rear panel and the rear seat. I ran both remote wires with this main power wire.

Refer to this to remover your seat, rear panels and rear speakers.

2. After the main power run, I installed the head unit (remove two bottom screws of face and it pops out then remove hazard button, 4 screws hold the head unit in). A Jensen VM9314 7" flipout screen. I connected just the battery, accessory, antenna and remote amp wires and grounded the unit to the metal frame (I only used those connections because I am running the speakers off of a 4 channel amp and RCA cables). This head unit has RCA outputs for sub, front and rear channels. I used a y adapter for the sub, and 3 Kicker 2 channel RCA cables and ran them down the passenger side of the car the same way I ran the power wire in step 1 but on the opposite side. I did this to prevent ground loop through the RCA cables. Last for the head unit I t-tapped a 16 ga wire to the HU's battery and ground wire to run to the amps down the driver side to connect to the amp to further prevent ground loop. All power wire should be on one side and all sound wire should be on the other to prevent ground loop.



3. With the HU installed and the main power wire ran to the trunk I installed my first amp, a JL 300/4 4 ch. amp to put out 75watts @ 4ohms by 4 channels. This amp powers my Kicker DS series 6.5 components in the front and KS series 6x9 3 ways in the rear (To remove the door panels refer to this). I ran 16 ga wire to each speaker from my JL amp, all on the passenger side (except driver side rear obviously). The rears was easy, for the front a ran a coat hanger CAREFULLY through the factory rubber grommet and fed the wire through to my crossover. I ran the tweeter through the door frame to it's factory location and dual side taped it to hold it in place and keep the factory cover over it. More tweeter install methods used by members are here tweeter install questions.
I mounted the new speakers in the factory location, to access the rears you remove the rear panels as mentioned in step 1.



4. After the speakers and 4 channel amp were in, I installed my subwoofer 2 out put monoblock amp, a kenwood KAC-9103D to put out 500 watts @ 4ohms to 2 12" Kicker CompVR subs. The subs are in a sealed hatchback style box in the trunk, nothing fancy yet. I have 10 ga wire to my sub box with 12 ga wire in the sub box. Both amps are mounted to the back of my rear seat backs.



5. The HU, speakers, subs and amps are all in so all I have let is my power distribution system. I have the power wire running to a fuse in my trunk, from there it goes to a Tsunami 5 Farad cap. The cap then goes to a fused distribution block which sends 4 ga. Knukonceptz wire to each amp. To ground the system I ran 4 ga wire from the amps to a ground distribution block which sends 0 ga wire to the cap and from there to a 0 ga ground termination block.



6. Reconnect the battery. Test the system, make sure the amps turn on, the head unit works properly and the subs and speakers all work. If it's all good put your panels and rear seat back in. Tune your amps and enjoy.

For all my connections I used heavy duty butt connectors from pepboys with shrink wrap over them for protection. This includes the connections to the speakers and crossovers. All my power and ground wire is Kollosus Flex by Knukoncetz.com both 0 and 4 ga.

Any questions comments or suggestions please post or PM me. Sorry if this is redundant to other posts.

[fliegendaffe]

Nice audio equipment in the back....but....a Jensen HU???? Really?

[Drewski0523]

I've heard a lot of people say they're bad but I have had no problems with it. It does what it's supposed too for 3/4 of a year now. I'm really not mad seeing as how it was only $200. Will get something else when this one craps out though.

[fliegendaffe]

Originally Posted by Drewski0523

I've heard a lot of people say they're bad but I have had no problems with it. It does what it's supposed too for 3/4 of a year now. I'm really not mad seeing as how it was only $200. Will get something else when this one craps out though.

I used to install Jesen and Phase Linear (owned by Jensen) flip outs for 3 years and I had one come back at least every other week. Glad yours has lasted that long!

[Drewski0523]

Yea i wish I knew that before I got it but I have nothing but praise for the recent models ending in 4 such as 9214, 9314, 9414, ect. I do know however that the older ones are crap. I'm guessing they did the rigt thin and revamped them.

I did get the audiovox (Jensen parent company) xm radio interface and it has an issue 75% of the time. I got it to work but yea. I do believe their HU got better but their older/other company stuff is shit. I'm installing a VM9214 in a friends car because they liked my HU but didn't want the HD radio so I can let you know how that goes if you want.

The biggest plus that I have for them though is the are one of the only floppies that have iPod direct connect video playback. And of all the units I put in they have the best iPod interface controls.

[soundman98]

i should mention that the capacitor is useless(it works great for lining tsunami's pockets, and for a little extra trunk bling....).

[Drewski0523]

Originally Posted by soundman98

i should mention that the capacitor is useless(it works great for lining tsunami's pockets, and for a little extra trunk bling....).

It probably is, but it was free and holds a charge. I've never had any electrical issues so either way I'm not concerned

[El Guapo]

Originally Posted by Drewski0523

I'm installing a VM9214 in a friends car because they liked my HU but didn't want the HD radio so I can let you know how that goes if you want. \

Sell your friend yours and get a Alpine


possible to get a pic of inside your trunk from the rear so we can see how much space you have and how it looks

[Drewski0523]

Originally Posted by El Guapo

Sell your friend yours and get a Alpine


possible to get a pic of inside your trunk from the rear so we can see how much space you have and how it looks

I'll probably go with alpine or kenwood when this one shits the bed. As for the pic I'll get that to you once I get home back to my car. But there is the width of the car by 1 foot of space, not much

[AKsnowbrder]

Only things I could say that haven't already been said (Jensen?), the wiring is sloppy at best man. I mean at least you used zip ties but that wiring could be a lot cleaner. Think running it under the carpet.

[Drewski0523]

Originally Posted by AKsnowbrder

Only things I could say that haven't already been said (Jensen?), the wiring is sloppy at best man. I mean at least you used zip ties but that wiring could be a lot cleaner. Think running it under the carpet.

Besides the area between the trunk and the seat backs you can't see any wiring, because it's all under the carpet and panels. I have it this way until I get a custom enclosure. With the seats up you can't really see it but your right. I used the zip ties to straiten it up as much as possible. I'm on hold with it but not finished yet.

[fliegendaffe]

Originally Posted by Drewski0523

I'll probably go with alpine or kenwood when this one shits the bed. As for the pic I'll get that to you once I get home back to my car. But there is the width of the car by 1 foot of space, not much

I have a Kenwood Excelon in my Galant, but next time, you should just buy a DDin.

[Drewski0523]

Yes definitely a double din next time. Most likely from the kenwood or alpine family

[Drewski0523]

This what I want for my enclosure, however I will have a flush mount for my sub amp and a shelf below that for my 4 channel amp. Also a port between the 2 subs. This will keep all the wiring completely hidden.

Any thoughts?

This is the guys add on ebay Custom 3G Eclipse Sub Enclosure Speaker Box 2000-05 NEW | eBay

[Ken]

Originally Posted by Drewski0523

Any thoughts?

Played out crap. Go for Function > Form

[Drewski0523]

Originally Posted by Ken

Played out crap. Go for Function > Form

You design enclosures correct? If so would you mind working with me?

[xJ2Mx]

I most definitely could tell you that purchasing it off eBay is not a good idea. After a month of installing mine, it began to flex and sag. Terrible wood used and a poor job of assembly on the sellers part. I had only 1 subwoofer and it ripped it apart, imagine two, I'd give it a week at best.

[Drewski0523]

Originally Posted by xJ2Mx

I most definitely could tell you that purchasing it off eBay is not a good idea. After a month of installing mine, it began to flex and sag. Terrible wood used and a poor job of assembly on the sellers part. I had only 1 subwoofer and it ripped it apart, imagine two, I'd give it a week at best.

Thanks I found that link in the forum somewhere it's good to know

[Drewski0523]

At the request of El Guapo here are some pics of the trunk space.

[El Guapo]

Originally Posted by Drewski0523

Trunk Pics

Thanks!




Edit: you should create a members ride thread!

[Drewski0523]

This is Saturdays project: Big 3 Upgrade

There is already a how to on this, HOW TO: Upgrade The "Big 3"

So basically Im just going to add pictures of what I did.



I have:
Absolute Pos LED Battery terminal to match the Neg terminal I already have
1/0AWG Knukoncepts Kolossus Fleks power wire (from the battery pos. to a T junction then to the alternator and audio set-up)
1/0AWG Kicker OFC ground wire
2 XScorpion LED ANL fuse holders (1 for alternator w/ a 120 amp fuse and one for audio system)
Stinger T junction distribution block
Stinger 1/0AWG T style ground termination block (for battery to ground at factory point and to bolt a 1/0AWG ring to the other point for engine to ground)
2 Stinger 1/0AWG ring terminals (both for engine to ground)
Sound Quest 1/0 to 4AWG reducer and Stinger 4AWG ring terminal (both to connect to alternator)
Stinger 8AWG red power wire to replace the 4AWG to my fuse box so everything fits on the terminal

[Drewski0523]

Originally Posted by El Guapo

Thanks!




Edit: you should create a members ride thread!

I have body work Im waiting on, about to order WW front lip, grill mesh and a wing. As well waiting on my appt. at my body shop to fix hood and driver side qtr. pannel from a previous accident (hence my avatar being on the passenger side) and rear lip where the original body shop I went to dicked it up. Already had my side skirts fixed.

Once all this is done Ill set one up. My car's not quite ready to be shown off yet.

[soundman98]

mine isn't either(see my to-do list below?), but if that is your reasoning, it will never be ready..

imo, the point of a ride thread is not to show the final look of the car, but what it is becoming. in my case, i hope that most people look at it and go " oh, that is easy, i need to do that"..

[Drewski0523]

Originally Posted by soundman98

mine isn't either(see my to-do list below?), but if that is your reasoning, it will never be ready..

imo, the point of a ride thread is not to show the final look of the car, but what it is becoming. in my case, i hope that most people look at it and go " oh, that is easy, i need to do that"..

Oh yea my car will never be done. I'll set one up when I get the hood and fender fixed ive been waiting for my hood to come in. Might put a few of the interior and passenger side after I wash/wax it tomorrow

[Drewski0523]

Finally got around to doing my Big 3 upgrade yesterday. I really only did it because I wanted to, there was nothing wrong with the wires, my sound system or electrical performance. Now that it is done I do notice that my car starts faster, the windows move faster, max A/C has less of a drain on my battery's voltage and my car idles smoother at a lower RPM. So I can say it was worth it.

There is already this good to go writeup on how to on club 3g so Im not going to write another one, but instead post pics of what I did and add some things that I feel are missing from the closed how to thread. For reference here is the original writeup HOW TO: Upgrade The "Big 3". There are 2 write ups on how to do this in that thread. I went with the second one (yellow top optima). They are slightly different on what they did.

First, it doesnt really mention what wires are what on the factory positive terminal, and Im not sure it mentions it anywhere else on the forum so I will go over it for the sake of everyone else.

Here is a pic of the factory terminal courtesy of tizal



There are 5 wires on the factory terminal, 4 8AWG and 1 6AWG. The red oval is 2 8AWG white wires with a red stripe, these are the factory alternator wires you will replace, and they tie into a 120 amp fuse. The yellow oval is the starter wire. This will be kept and you may have to lengthen it due to the fact that there isn't much extra to work with. Last is the blue oval, these are 2 8AWG solid white wires that run to the fuse box to the right of the battery. If you have the room on your terminal or a second positive terminal (like on an optima), SpyderMan03 discusses the big 4th upgrade which is basically turning the 2 8AWG wires into 1 4AWG wire.

Next, I noticed that the 2 how to's are for the GT, I did mine on my GS, which is a little different. The alternator on the GS is between the engine and the firewall as opposed to being in front of the engine like on the V6, so the car needs lifted to get to it. See the picture to understand what I mean.



Now, what I did . . . but first to echo the how to, DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AND JUST REMOVE IT FOR SAFETY AND EASE!!! Or stand by to get jacked up.



I did my upgrade with 0AWG wire by Knukonceptz for the alternator wire (this), and as the writeup mentioned the alternator can only take a 4AWG ring terminal at most. In his writeup tizal mentioned that if using 0AWG wire you could just shave a 0AWG ring terminal down to the width of a 4AWG one and make it work. I however did it a little differently. I used a 0 to 4AWG reducer from Sound Quest (this) from the wire with a 4AWG ring terminal by Stinger (this). I made sure the hex screws were very tight, went over the whole thing 4 times with e-tape, covered the connection with split loom and e-taped it some more for safety (you never want this connection to accidentally ground so feel free to be overly cautious). I bolted this connection to the alternator and completely removed the original connection, tapped it up and zip tied it out of the way (to remove the wire completely is a pain because it has the plug connection to the alternator taped to it the entire length to the fuse box, for the same reason be careful cutting off the original ring terminal so you don't accidentally cut the other wires). I then zip tied the new wire which i covered with split loom to the original split looming as per the how to.



I ran the alternator wire to the radiator hoses at the front of the engine then paused on that part and did the engine ground connection. For reference it the only black wire with a yellow stripe bolted to the engine block between the top end and the top of the transmission on the GS. I used 5ft of black Kicker 0AWG wire (this) with 2 0AWG ring terminals by Stinger (this) for the engine to ground connection. See the pictures of the engine ground point and battery ground point for reference.





For the factory ground I used a T style ground termination block by Stinger (this). I bolted one foot to the factory point and used the left over foot to fab a connection to the engine ground with lock washers and bolts. It is all very tight I tugged and twisted and its not moving so its good to go.

I went back to the alternator wire, and ran it to the ANL digital fuse holder by the battery (this) and a 120A ANL fuse by KnuKonceptz (this). THIS FUSE HAS TO BE THERE TO PROTECT THE ALTERNATOR (if you look at the factory terminal where the 2 factory alternator wires connect, there is a 120A fuse there).



This is where I ran into a hick-up. I only had one battery post with one Absolute digital terminal (this), it has 1 0AWG input, 1 4AWG input and 2 8 AWG inputs (I couldn't find any terminals with more inputs besides one designed to take ring terminals), and I had 1 0AWG wire for my audio, 1 0AWG wire for my alternator, 1 4AWG wire to my fuse box, and 2 8AWG wires (factory alternator), all that I needed to do something with. For the 2 0AWG wires I connected them to the battery through a T distribution block by Stinger (this) in the 0AWG input, the starter in the 4AWG input, and put 2 8AWG runs of Stinger power wire (this) back to the fuse box which went into the 2 8AWG inputs obviously.



here is a close up of the T distribution block



That is pretty much it, I used an Absolute digital terminal as well for the negative (this). After I double checked everything I connected the terminals back to the battery and started my car right up with no problems. There should be no sparks, no electrical burning smell or other problems. I can see the voltage at my battery, the voltage to my alternator and to my audio which is nice. Also during this instal is a good time to remove the rust and re-paint the battery shelf which I did.

Any question or comments please let me know.

[soundman98]

looks pretty good. though taping back the alt wire goes against the how-to:

Originally Posted by how-to

TIP: NEVER remove the stock wiring. Just add your new wiring along side the existing stuff. Your old wiring wont hurt performance, it will just "add" more capacity to your new wiring

personally, i have not done any power upgrades yet, but on the v6's i believe the stock body ground is too thin to support large power loads(i suspect it barely supports the factory loads), so it is best to reposition that to a more solid point.

imo, i am not crazy about all the red split loom.. imo, it cheapens the look of the engine bay.

also, the motor running smoother could be a side effect of unplugging the battery and the ecu needing to relearn how to run.

[Drewski0523]

The second how to in that thread was different from the first. The second one removed the stock wiring completely. And I had no where to put the 2 8awg wires. The way the first one did it was to ad 4awg wire to the 2 8awg wires which should be the same conductivity as 0awg. So in theory it should be the same.

The red loom I did years ago all the factory stuff was cracking so I just replaced it but I was young and dumb and maby it wasn't the best idea.

The battery has been disconnected so many times that it's been reset I can't even recall how man times so I don't think that's the case but maby . . .

[jaloosk]

Looks good. Did you get before/after readings from your alternator? My voltage went up over 1v after doing this upgrade. I used Ken's kit though, mostly because I'm lazy.

[Drewski0523]

Thanks and yes I did get readings, the voltage went from 13.5/13.9 to 14.5/14.9.

I was too lazy on some stuff as well, like i didnt want to remove the factory wire so I taped up the ring by the alt and cut and taped the wires under the plastic in front of and below the plastic at the battery, same with the factory ground wire.

As far as the Pieces I used I tried to go for looks and function and believe it worked out great

[Drewski0523]

I asked Ken to send me the dimensions for his amp rack and sub enclosure. Im going to tweak it a bit to save a little room In My trunk and make the top line my trunk so it looks like it is part of the car. This will completely hide the wires and make the whole thing flow together. My JL amp will be in front of the kenwood amp

The enclosure is the first post in this thread Subwoofer Box Designs

I will post pics of the build and the completed project when I'm done.

[soundman98]

well, i'm getting ready to re-do my audio wire while my amp is blown and figured i would do this as well..

without running out to the car, that 120A fuse on the battery terminal is only for the alternator right?

also, from the factory, there are two 4ga wires, and three 8ga wires going to the battery post?

[Drewski0523]

Originally Posted by soundman98

well, i'm getting ready to re-do my audio wire while my amp is blown and figured i would do this as well..

without running out to the car, that 120A fuse on the battery terminal is only for the alternator right?

also, from the factory, there are two 4ga wires, and three 8ga wires going to the battery post?

yes that fuse is only to the alternator., there a 4 8 guage wires: 2 to the alt and 2 to the fuse box and 1 6 guage wire to the starter on the factory post

2 white with red stripe = alt wires, 2 solid white = fuse box and black with red = starter

[soundman98]

ok thanks.

[Drewski0523]

No prob man let me know if you need any help

[soundman98]

can you help foot the bill? i just dropped $400 at sonic for all my wire....

[Drewski0523]

Originally Posted by soundman98

can you help foot the bill? i just dropped $400 at sonic for all my wire....

Dude tell me about it I love sonic but some of the stuff would have been cheaper at hifisoundconnection.com

But damn 400 what all did you get?

[ccarrillo717]

Looking good... *waiting on video of how it sounds*

[Drewski0523]

Thanks carrillo I'll get a vid up one day when I have more than an iPhone

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by Drewski0523

Dude tell me about it I love sonic but some of the stuff would have been cheaper at hifisoundconnection.com

But damn 400 what all did you get?

ok, time for my admission of guilt.. my name is soundman, and i am a cheapass. i have been running cheap walmart amp kits for the last 5-6 years on 2 different cars..

it is time that i upgrade to a real install.

i'm getting 1/0 ga wire for battery to trunk+ground for the amps,
4ga from distro blocks to amps
4ga for 'big 3'
new agm, mini agm, and agu fuses for everything(i would have preferred to stick with one type throughout, but all formats lacked all the fuse ratings i needed)
new battery terminals
4distro blocks(1 amp power, 1 stock wiring power, and 1 amp ground, 1 bat ground)

and enough connectors for the whole thing... i knew this was going to cost a lot to do correctly, and that was why i have been using walmart kits for so long..

[Drewski0523]

Lol it's all good man. You can make walmar stuff work bit it I'll never be awesome. That sounds like it will be a good setup and that's not a bad price for all that.

I want to see what the outcome looks like. If it's anything like your lights it will be phenomenal.

[Ken]

Soundman, do yourself a favor, and don't use 4 gauge for your big 3. If your setup is drawing enough to current to require running 1/0 power/ground wires, then you want to be using 1/0 for your big 3.


Also I hope you're embellishing about $400 for your wire & accessories. If thats what you paid, I hope they threw in a bottle of KY because you got screwed. I could have outfitted you with brand new kicker hyperflex wire & accessories for cheaper than that.

[Drewski0523]

I'm pretty sure he's running the 4 ga wire with the stock wiring. If he got the better brand stuff from sonic it is pricey, but I spent much less using knukonceptz wire and stinger accessories from hifisoundconnection.

[soundman98]

yeah, i went with sonic eclectronics, and was planning on adding to the existing wire..

just looked up knukoncepts, and their 50ft 0/1 ga pure copper wire is $187(3.74/ft) (no i will not use cca wire) my 20ft spool from sonic was $55(2.75/ft)..

i am sure i got taken on some of it(the markup on car audio is just a tad high ), but i tend to order more wire then i need so i won't need to reorder to complete the job..

i went with the 4ga kit for the big3 because i have no plans to upgrade my alternator at this point. i have no plans of competing, and really don't blast my music too hard, so i really could have managed with a single 4ga kit going to the back of the car, but i figured while i was at it i might as well..

[Drewski0523]

Yea the markup is high and you bought a lot of wire. Either way the end result should be nice and I would like to see it.

[Drewski0523]

So here's a bump for a new idea with my setup. And I want the opinions of the gurus here.

First, I will be making an amp sub box out of 3/4" MDF based on either Ken's or Future3G's design. Along with that I want to relocate my battery to the trunk.

With Kens design I will put it in the driver side of the trunk bolted to the base of the enclosure in an enclosed portion of the sub box (so a box in a box). I will be doing the same with future3gs design but the enclosed box will be under the amps.

With everything I have in my current setup Inbelieve i only need a few more parts, and here is how I plan to do it.

Move the current 1/0 run to the amp distribution block to the fender (need the spot in the firewall for my clutch master cylinder ) and connect it to the battery in the trunk

Bolt the 0 AWG "T" I'm using to the battery tray under the hood and have the 1/0 run to the alt out one side with the fuse also bolted to the tray and the other side has a 4 AWG out and right into my 1 4 ga in and 4 8 ga out distribution block (also going to be bolted to the tray) that has 2 8 ga to my fuse box and 1 8 ga to my headlight relay.

I'll get a 2 input 1/0 terminal for my posative terminal, 1 for the run to the engine bay and 1 straight to the amp distribution block. I will delete the cap. I'll also get a 2 1/0 input ground termination block, 1 for the amps and 1 for the battery. I will leave the engine ground in the OEM location.

How I see it I will only need new terminals, about 6 ft 1/0 power wire, 2 ft 1/0 ground wire and 1 ft 4 ga power wire.

All the distribution stuff will be bolted inside the amp portion of the new block and the fuse under the hood will be swapped with the fuse holder currently in my trunk.

Let me know your thoughts, thanks for your help and input.

[Drewski0523]

Bumping this as I would like some input on my idea from yesterday.

Thanks guys

[Ken]

Mmmmkay.

3/4 MDF Box = Good Idea!

I was having some trouble following the rest, I'm a bit tired, can I get a diagram?? haha

[Drewski0523]

No problem, I will draw something up with the pics of the components to be used. I'll scan it in and post it tonight.

[Drewski0523]

Here you go Ken, this is my attempt at a diagram



Here are the included parts I already have and will recycle:



Fused power distribution block and ground distribution block



"T"Distribution block and alt fuse, engine ground



4 to 8 awg distribution block

now with the crappy drawing please try to imagine that the battery will be anchored to the trunk, with 2 1/0 wires out, 1 to the amp fused distribution block and the other to the engine bay to go into the "t" distribution block.

From the "t" block 1 1/0 wire will go to the 120a alt fuse continueing to the alt.

The other wire out of the "t" will be a 4 ga to the 4 to 8 awg distribution block, 1 8 awg wire will be to the headlight harness and the other 2 will be to the fuse box.

The engine ground will go from the engine to the OEM ground location

The battery negative will be grounded to the trunk in a dual 1/0 ground termination block and the other will be from the amp ground distribution block.

Does this help clarify?

[jaloosk]

How much power are you running? (amplifiers) What kind of battery are you running?

[Ken]

120a fusing under the hood seems a bit light. Remember you're fusing for the wire, so personally I would use a 200-250a (depending on if you used copper or CCA wire).

You want to fuse within 12" of the battery - both the line coming to it and the lines going to your amplifiers.

If you're running a high current setup I would run a ground from under the hood to the battery in the rear. Attach it where you attached the big 3 connection between the motor and frame.

The rest should work fine.

[Drewski0523]

Originally Posted by jaloosk

How much power are you running? (amplifiers) What kind of battery are you running?

Battery right now is Duralast red top, will replace when this goes out. It's just the batt is newer and has no issues now

JL 4 chan amp is 75 watts by 4 at 4 ohms with a 60a fuse rating and the Kenwood is 500 watts by 2 at 4 ohms with an 80 amp fuse rating. Both of those are fused in the distribution block and before that is a 150a fuse (all can be seen currently on my wub box)

Originally Posted by Ken

120a fusing under the hood seems a bit light. Remember you're fusing for the wire, so personally I would use a 200-250a (depending on if you used copper or CCA wire).

I'll put a 250 amp at the batt for the run to the engine bay, it's oxygen free copper (Knukonceptz hyper flex 1/0 wire - it really is oversized) the 120a is solely for the alternator to replace the OEM 120a fuse on the OEM terminal

Originally Posted by Ken

You want to fuse within 12" of the battery - both the line coming to it and the lines going to your amplifiers.

If you're running a high current setup I would run a ground from under the hood to the battery in the rear. Attach it where you attached the big 3 connection between the motor and frame.

The rest should work fine.

The battery will definately be fused, 250a to the engine bay and 150 to the amps

See the power draw I have from the amps above plus the headlight relay harness, guages and HU. No HID's. Do you think that warrants a ground run to the trunk?

Thanks guys

[jaloosk]

If you're sticking that battery in the trunk, you should vent it, or replace it with an AGM (gel-type) battery like an XS Power.

[Drewski0523]

Originally Posted by jaloosk

If you're sticking that battery in the trunk, you should vent it, or replace it with an AGM (gel-type) battery like an XS Power.

Thanks for the tip. I'll take it they build up heat?

[jaloosk]

No, they give off flammable vapour when they're recharging. AGM batteries don't.

[Ken]

^^Yep. I assumed you already had a sealed battery because you were putting it in the trunk.

[Drewski0523]

Originally Posted by jaloosk

No, they give off flammable vapour when they're recharging. AGM batteries don't.

Originally Posted by Ken

^^Yep. I assumed you already had a sealed battery because you were putting it in the trunk.

Alright thanks, I honestly didn't know. Any recommendations on a good sealed battery?

[soundman98]

kinetic or optima are the first 2 brands that jump out of my head.

[Drewski0523]

Originally Posted by soundman98

kinetic or optima are the first 2 brands that jump out of my head.

I was already thinking of switching to optima so I guess this just solidifies it.

However with my power load is a ground wire from the engine bay to the battery enough? Or is the chassis sufficient?

[Ken]

I rock an Optima red top under the hood, and two Kinetic 2400's in the rear. Haven't had a problem with any of the three. Had the Optima since I bought the car in 2006.

In the past I ran deka intimidators, in my opinion they're good cheap batteries too.

It's not an absolute necessity, but if it were MY car, I would run a ground wire front to back.