252chevyboyz

Yea XS makes some of the best batts I have seen and they can really take a beating from a system. You got that Accent looking good though. I know with the Alt on the bottom on the engine its gonna be a greasy job to get to it. The area near my engine block ground was full of old grease and oil. I had to take some Carb cleaner and a rag and wipe everything down. Hopefully your Big 3 will go smooth and that bottom mounted Alt wont cause you too much trouble. I have pics dating back a lil over a year as of now and once I really going on upgrading the 3 things i mentioned above and upgrading my amp/subs and running 1/0 to the back I will def create a build log. BTW kinda really random but how do you like your MB Quart amps? I've heard good things and was considering putting them on my list of amps to choose from -James

Just a totally random thought but would a Ground Loop Isolator maybe help? I'll post a link to sonicelectronix below. Also do you have any bolt coming out of the floor that the seats bolt to? That is where I got mine grounded at. I will post a pic below of my ground and where I have it. It would cost a little bit in wire but you could do a run back up front and put the ground on your battery ground or run the wire back through the firewall and ground it to the frame or chassis. It would be easier to find a place to run the wire through the floor in the back and just ground it to the frame but that would require moving the carpet, finding or drilling a hole in the floor, and then putting a grommet in the hole to protect the wire. Anyway this is just a couple ideas I had when first read over your post but I hope they can help you out. -James http://www.sonicelectronix.com/cat_i469_noise-filters.html http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/aa409/252chevyboyz/IMG_20120521_235033.jpg

Thank you man. Took about 2 hours with soldering and installation. Worth every bit of time and money that was spent though. Next things on my list before I upgrade my system are upgrading my front batt, replacing the radiator with an aluminum radiator, and replacing my fuel pump module. The radiator had a small leak about 3 years back and I put something in it to seal it up but it gunked up the radiator and all the lines so I figured I would replace the both the lines and the radiator. My fuel pump module is bad since my gas needle will just sit there and spin instead of read out the gas so I will save up for the module then just drop my fuel tank again and replace it. Then I will upgrade my front batt to an optima Yellow or Red top but I'm also thinking about going ahead and saving up the money to just buy an XS Power batt for the front then I wont have to ever worry about upgrading the front batt again. There is going to be a lot of work done to my ole' Tahoe between now and September. Also I hope some info in this thread may be able to help you out on your Big 3 there Trey Best Regards, James

Well I found a place locally that sold 1/0 welding cable for 3.08/ft and I bought 10ft today along with 6 ring terminals and did my Big 3 this afternoon. I soldered all the connections and put heat shrink around the base of connector. I can tell a considerable amount of difference in my voltage as now it doesn't drop below 13.6 at full tilt unless I start hitting the low low's then it will drop down about 13.2. Before the Big 3 it was dropping all the 12.5-12.6 and my lights are much better about not dimming. At idle my voltage is a smooth 14.4 and after driving for 45mins and the alt getting warm my voltage sits at 14.2 while I'm idling. The 2 copper lugs were for my positive lead from the Alt to the Batt and the regular ring terminals were for all my grounds. Glad I could finally get this process done. Thank ya'll so much for the help along the way. It helped out quite a bit. Hopefully I'll be able to return the favor and offer some help in the future. -James

Wow man thanks for the pic. I also believe I have found my Big 3 wire. I will put the order in for it later this morning. I really appreciate the pic though. That helped out quite a bit. Thanks again ya'll -James

Think I ought to put my order in at weldingsupply.com or try and find somewhere that sells it in Raleigh and pick it up when I go to the docs tomorrow? -James

@87: Is there anywhere in Raleigh that would sell this same cable? I got to go up there tomorrow about lunch for a check up with the Doc for a spider bite so I could pick it up while I am up there if there is anywhere that sells it. That would knock that $13 shipping off -James

Keep up the good work on the Tahoe there 87. So ya'll think I'm ok going with 15ft of this welding cable? I will probably put my order in tonight so I can hopefully receive my shipment this coming week. Correct me if I'm wrong ya'll but it is Alternator to the batt +, batt - to the engine ground, and batt - to the fender ground? -James

@87: Oh so your Snow White's owner. I've been watching your build for a few days now. You have come a long ways since you got it. I like the custom door panel trim with the tweeters and great job painting the dash cover. I'm still tuned in to the build. I love these trucks and the body style. Sanford really ain't that far from me though. I'll for sure have to get a demo when you have her up and running. -James

@87: I am indeed in NC. I'm located in Rocky Mount. Also I found some 1/0 welding cable at weldingsupply.com and it looks just like regular audio wire. Plenty of strands and looks pretty flexible. What you thinking about their product? @Trey: As I posted above I found some at weldingsupply.com but would you recommend any specific site? The cable at weldingsupply is $2.99/ft. Is Tony's screen name skyhighcaraudio? If so I will shoot him a PM and see whats up -James

I got enough to buy 15ft of the 1/0 and 6 copper 1/0 lugs to put on the end. Comes out to $65.91 for the 15ft and 6 lugs. I am gonna do some research on how it performs and I may put an order in tonight. I just need to do this Big 3 asap. I Appreciate it, James

How stiff is it? The welding cable at Lowes only has like 11 strands and is stiff as all get out. I was considering welding cable but i'm wondering how do you think it performs? -James

@trey: I just emailed CE for a price. I am kinda budgeted so I can either keep saving up and buy a kit or just buy pieces along the way. Thanks tho man -James

I was thinking about that I have been dealing with a Brown Recluse bite on my leg for about 8 days now. Once it stops raining here and the meds finish up this bite I will get up under the hood and measure the wires. I was just seeing if maybe someone might have known from experience so I could get an idea of it. Thanks though Kranny always a fast responder -James

Does anyone happen to know if I would be ok with 10ft for the Big 3? I know this isn't the want to buy section but If someone has some 10-15ft of 1/0 OFC wire I would be interested in that also. Thanks, James

Not a problem at all man and that DD looks pretty nice for what your looking for -James

What do you think of one of these amps? I have one I was thinking about selling. Shoot me a message if you would like me to send you pics of the amp, cooling stand, rca's, and high/low impedance converter. Amp would come in original packaging from the factory and with all original hardware/wiring and hasn't seen voltage below 12.6 and also would come with what I listed earlier. If this amp isn't your thing just post up and say your probably looking for something else http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_18717_Autotek-SM2-1200.html -James

Awesome vid man. Sounds clean and good job on the door panels. Nice hair tricks also -James

You got some good dimensions for 2 12's. A box tuned around 30-34hz might play some decent lows and have quite a bit of carry distance. I would try to use every bit of that space I could when you build a box. IMO I would have subs pointing up and port firing back. That is how all my boxes will be from now on in my Tahoe. Anyway there are members here in the community that are much more knowledgeable about boxes than myself and have many many more years experience than me so I hope one of them will pitch in and really help you out with your box. Maybe even a design. I can however give you a link to a box calculator to help you figure out tuning, port size, etc... I hope that can help you out deciding how to design your box. http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/38791-torres-box-tuning-calculator/ https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=1e28f7d3956a626f&uc=1&id=1E28F7D3956A626F%21102 Rockford Fosgate still does make some of the best amps IMO and their subs arent bad subs by any means but as far as subs go there are many companies that can out perform Rockford. Also amp wise Rockford amps some of the best quality amps there are on the market but there are beginning to be companies such as DC, Crescendo, and Sundown that have amps that can compete side by side with Rockford and in some cases even be a little less expensive. Now I'm not saying this to get anything started but its just my opinion. I hope someone will come through and help us on this box design for you. -James

@littlebuck: I like the copper lug ring terminals and how is that Kicker wire holding up? I was going to replace all the wires but I'm glad I got a second opinion on just adding onto the stock wiring. I will be soldering all my connections so they will be solid. Thanks for the advice and the tip on the copper lug ring terminals. @Kranny: The alt was either 120A or a 124A I cant remember. It was a little over a 100A but bigger than the stock 105A Alt. If I am planning on running a SAZ-2500D on 2 SA Z v.3 12" subs or either a SAZ-3500D on 4 12" Ascendant Audio Havocs would you recommend going ahead with 1/0 so I can upgrade my Alt to a 250A or higher? I am trying to plan for my future build while trying to save money at the same time. I really appreciate the help ya'll, -James

Stinger Pro Series 0 gauge, Knukonceptz Kolossus Fleks Kable 1/0, Absolute 1/0 P0-20, or can anyone suggest where I can buy Tsunami wire by the foot? What wire is suggested? Thanks, -James

If you are planning on running 2 subs check into DC lvl 3's maybe lvl 4's, Sundown Z v.3 series, or Ascendant Audio Chaos series. The RMS on those would be close to what you are running on 2 T1000's. Also all 1/0 wiring. PSI makes quality subs also and you can recone most if not all their models or jsut send them back to be reapaired. I would honestly go with a 1 ohm stable sub because you will probably want to wire your amps down to 1 ohm to get the most power out of them as you can. As skittles mentioned above we need to figure that box out. What are you max dimensions for a box (L x W x H)? Are you looking for a low tuned box or a mid range tuned box? Subs up and port firing back? or port firing up also? I would def go with a double faced box and maybe a support or two inside the box. Would you say 500 for subs and 100 to build a box or do you have a separate box fund? -James

Hey whats up everyone? I am looking to have everything for my big 3 ordered by this coming Wednesday and I was wondering if someone might be able to help me out with about the amount I need to order, what kind of ring terminals, help between 3 diff brands, and whether or not I should replace the stock wires or just add on to the stock wiring. I have read the "Big 3 Tutorial" over and over to make sure I am familiar with the process. Any help is really appreciated on this one. I am stuck deciding between Rockford 1/0, Tsunami 1/0, and Knukonceptz 1/0. Anyone have any preferences on these? I am going ot have to order my wire because the shops here in Rocky Mount just carry Q Power CCA 1/0. I am not a big fan of CCA or the performance of Q Power wire. Do you think I should go with one solid color under the hood or go "red for +" and "blk for -"? Maybe just blue Knu wire on the whole Big 3? I am guessing around 7ft for my batt-engine ground, 5ft for alt-batt +, and 6ft to run from batt-starter. I will post some pics below. The way the wiring came from the factory the positive from the Alt to the batt is in the same terminal (connector) as my positive wire running to my starter so would I have to replace both of these? How many feet would ya'll suggest I order and would 6 ring terminals be enough? I am planning on soldering the connections and not crimping them. Would ya'll suggest pure copper ring terminals? Also would yall suggest replacing the wire that stretches from the battery to my fuse block under the hood? Sorry for the nooby questions but money is kinda tight and I just want to make sure I order the right stuff and not waste any money. Thanks for any help also ya'll Best Regards, -James Alt to batt + lead: Back of Batt: Going to my engine block ground: The positive wire from the Alt and the Positive wire going to the starter are connected in one terminal: Overview:

Hey whats up SMZ I'm glad to see another member that is located close to me. Glad this thread could help you out. I haven't seen your Xterra around town. If you have a system maybe we could meet up for a demo sometime. I wish I could also get a job that deals with my one of my favorite hobbies. Wires is a good shop and I am about to see if I can pick up some 1/0 wire for my big 3 upgrade on my Tahoe. Autophonics only has Q Power wire and I was hoping to get a different brand because i'm not sure how good that wire compared to Rockford, XS Power, or Tsunami. I know Autophonics was hiring Installers a couple months ago. They are a pretty nice store and the people working there are level headed and pretty chill. It would be a great place to work. They are normally a pretty busy place with a good inventory of subs/amps. They also own the store Wilson Stereo and Sound. Taking a woodworking class and welding class wouldn't be a bad idea for an installer. I may try to pursue being an installer in the future though. Anyway good luck with the job and shoot me a PM if you want to meet up sometime for a demo. -James

Amazing job on the box. First I've seen like that but I guarantee you its going to bang. Tuned in til the finished product and keep up the great work man. -James