rockFord_Expedition

No ground on alternator casing = Big 3 not done

Is it available for an '03 expedition 4.6L If so, interested in price for black anodized in the 240, 270, and 320A models sir.

It's early, so I may have missed it, but is your big 3 done, and if so, is it done right? I've seen so many people post up their big 3 work and there is no ground running to the alternator casing. As said previously, double check all of your grounds. How long is the ground on your HU? A foot or so it shouldn't be a problem if its grounded somewhere good.

I know, bumpin an old ass thread... but ive got to give props when/where they are due. Meade, you are a huge inspiration to do stuff the "right" way. When I am working on a build and I get frustrated and think about how I am going to cut a corner somewhere because nobody will see or know but me, I think WWMD what would Meade do? Lol. Sounds cheesy but it's the truth, and it helps make me better at our craft, so thank you. I have an '03 Expedition and I used some of your ideas here and put my own twist on them, especially for under the hood stuff.

Good story. If I ever make the trip up the 10 I will definitely look you up. How did you set your gains prior to the dd-1? How far off we're you?

Drive out to AZ and we can make it happen I'll be coming from Tucson

Your the expert, but isn't voltage drop closer related to the alternator than the battery? Just a question.

I would throw the yellow top away and put an xs power bat up front. I'm no expert, but just knowing that the more guts the battery has the better it can perform, optimas have a lot of hollow space with that 6 pack looking design. Just my opinion. And I also "heard" you shouldn't mix battery types.

I don't know much about the xp series, but I know that the s series is built to be lighter, and function mainly as a starter battery, while the d series is more dual purpose. That's about all I have to offer without doing some research.

Your BCI group is 49 I believe. The only way to know for before you buy is to measure the area you have, and check the specs of the battery you want. The D6500 is 1 out of 6 that XS power says might fit. I would call them prior to buying if I was you.

Just take a tape measure and take rough measurements on the outside of your trunk and doors... probably more reliable than taking a bunch of guesses.

If you like Kicker then stick with it, remember at the end of the day you only need to please yourself... HAHA! ok but seriously though, if you want to compete, the advice you are getting will only help you be more successful. Will 2 L7's done right be better than 4 of them done wrong, hell yes. But if you are stuck on 4 then do the damn thing.

X2

Is that the only amp you're running? If yes, then get an xs power bat that fits under your hood and an xsd3100 in the back. Make sure you're big 3 is done right, a good fused run of 1/0 from alt to front battery, 2 runs of 1/0 from front battery to back battery.... If its not the only amp then I have no answer because there isn't enough info. And in no way am I condoning your amp/sub set up, but it's your ride bro. I will say that doing your wiring, alternator and battery bank right will be for nothing if you have a poor enclosure/sub set up.

Hello bud.... This advise is given under the assumption that you are running good wire, and not some mickey mouse crap. Keep in mind, not all 1/0 is created equal... With that being said, your 1/0 wire can carry up to 300 amps of current. So for one, definately do not use a fuse with any higher than a 300A rating. Between your alternator and battery, keep it between 300A and the max output of your alternator. The amp you are getting calls for a 300A fuse, and accepts 1/0 power and ground. SO I would go with a 300A fuse there. DC also makes some othert reccommendations that you can find here: http://www.dcsoundlab.com/35k.html

My computer has this awesome thingy on it called a Google. I typed in "how to remove a broken bolt", and here are just a couple of things that came up. http://www.brokenbolt.com/ http://www.lowes.com...Id=10051&rpp=16 (there are many on there, some cheap and some not) Dont forget to get the replacement bolts while you're out. Edit: Nice avi!

From the Crossfire website: C3 501 Product Features: · SMD Dedicated Audio Chip Devices · International Standards FR-4 Double Sided Fiberglass PCB · Fully 1 Ohm Stable Mono Operation · High Efficiency MOSFET Power Supplies · Variable Low Pass Filter · Variable Bass Boost Control · Power On & Protection LED Indicators · Short-Circuit / Thermal / Overload / Under Voltage Protection · Small Footprint Doesn't the amp also only accept an 8 GA power/ground connection? For the power and ground I would either give some gauge adapters a try: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_32009_Stinger-SPT522.html Or use distribution blocks to make the runs of 8GA as short as possible. Do you have pics of your ground connections?

SMH For starters... -Make sure all connections are secure.. -How long is the run of 8ga? -What is the rating of the fuse you have installed? -Pics of ground(s) connections -Where did you tap into power at? -Describe "how" you wired subs

You aren't going to get the ideal answer w/out specifics of what equipment you have hooked up starting with your head unit and everything inbetween that and the tweeters. With that being said, there is a lot that can go wrong here. If you want to do things this way, the first thing I would suggest you check is how much rms power will your amp put out @ 2 ohms? Whatever that number is, is it within the rms power handling capabilities of a single tweeter? I say single tweeter because if you are planning on connecting 4 tweeters to one crossover (I am assuming you mean the passive xover supplied w/ the tweeters), do not fool yourself into thinking you have quadruple the power handling. To maintain power handling capabilities of each tweeter, it must remain connected to its own xover. Another issue that comes to mind is that chances are, you are probably harming your amp. Is it a 2 channel or 4 channel? What are you connecting to the other side of the "tweeter" channel? To clarify what I mean is for example you have a 4 channel amp, and you want to wire these tweeters to 2 ohms on, lets say, the front left channel, what are you connecting to the front right channel? You should never run 2 corresponing channels under different ohm loads. Also, on 99.999% of all amps out there, and I guess the head unit and presence of a sound processor also comes in to play, even under identical ohm loads, you shouldn't give the left channel a different job to do than the right channel. Best bet, wire 2 of your tweets per channel, keep the xover on each one, and run them off of 2 channels. You will be @ 4 ohms instead of the 2 that you were seeking, but it's a much better wiring option. Edit #1: Only viable option to run these @ 2 ohms (I still wouldn't even do it this way) is to bridge 2 channels, make sure your amp is 2 ohm stable when bridged, and run a wire from the positive on the amp to the positive input of each xover, and from the negative on the amp to the negative input of each xover. Then from the xovers, run the wires to the tweeters like normal. You will lose stereo sound, but you will accomplish your 2ohm goal. Edit #2: Did I miss anything everyone?

No sir, I live in Arizona.

This is the only sensible way to go about it, unless I am misunderstanding something.

I would not do it. Will it work, yes. You will lose not only balance control, but seperate left and right sound. The number 1 reason not to do this, you shouldn't show different ohm loads to different channels on the amp. It would be fine to show a certain ohm load to the rears, and a different to the fronts, but not seperate ohm's within those. If I am understanding you correctly, your front left(or right) channel will see 8 ohms, and the other front channel will see 2 ohms. Bad for the amp and bad for everything hooked up to it.

Or if you have access to a rotary cutting tool like a Dremmel, just bore it out a little. I would do that before I use any adapter on there as that could throw off your readings just a tad if you are not installing that same adapter on your amp.

Have you downloaded Torres's Box Tuning Calculator? That will probably be your best bet as you can fine tune any adjustments you want to make. Many other things to consider like power, and Wood thickness etc...

Impressed but not suprised. We've come to expect greatness as the norm outta you Steve