Alllllright, finally! After waiting to be validated onto SMD i can fianlly make some newbie posts!
Here's the deal...I am a U.S. Army soldier in Baghdad right now. Comin' home soon and been plannin my next big install (largest one yet for me) in my new 2008 Chevy HHR LT. Plannnnnnin on buildin up a brand new fully loaded 18" BTL dual 1 ohm, ported around 33 is what im ridin on and been lookin at a US Amps Merlin 2 MD-3D. First off, anybody got anything good to say about the amp? Second, my ONLYYYYY obstacle right now is the fact that after weeeeks of hittin the books (and by books i mean internet) finding out that there is absolutely positively no aftermarket alternator upgrade for my car. They only make up to 2007 models. I have e-mailed soo many damn companies askin if they could get me one and that's a big negative. All i came across is a company in FL called powerbastards that sell a "Fitzall" universal 220 amp alternator that fits "ALL DOMESTICS AND IMPORTS" supposedly. Seems a little convenient right? I pretty much decided not to go with that option since the room under my hood is minimal and the fact that there is no way that universal alternator could fit every domestic and import due to difference in engine specifications and everything else in new vehicles.
So i started looking up companies that could possibly build a custom alternator application and i found a company called Zena, inc. that builds them custom but he responded to me and said it likely won't fit because they can not build a direct bolt on but he had a ton of knowledge to drop on me though. Then i found excessiveamperage.com. Talked to some guy Nathan Peddicord. He said he could custom build me one at 200 amps for $425 and 225 amps for $490 and both will be direct bolt on. He really seems legit and he has a lot of great feedback but like i said the space under the hood is minimal in such a vechicle as mine and i'm worried it may not fit. My 130 amp alternator won't help me a bit with the 2000 watts rms i intend to push from that MD-3D. I will be doing the big 3, for sure;and also be be replacing my factory bat as well as purchasing a second deep cycle battery.
But i got soo many questions about this project like if i get a custom built application will i be able to fit it under the hood? I guess i'll need to take some meaurements. And if i upgrade, will i need a voltage regulator or will it come with one? I haven't got a response back from him yet so that's why i hope to get some answers from you guys out there. If a custom build alternator upgrade doesn't fit, is there any other routes i can take to do this project i am not aware of? need some help guys, i appreciate it. thanks. l8er
