2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS IB Trunk Build - RF Fi Infinity Pioneer XS Power MechMan SHCA Knu Gates ...

[Sutliff]

Two years ago when I got a MechMan ALT, I tried what was common practice, ... installing a belt approximately 1/2"-1" shorter to help with slippage.

I found a belt, & wrote about it, just over 1/2" shorter (.55"), & it was just too short, & had to reinstall the OEM belt.

At various times, usually higher RPMs, I could hear it slip, & knew I needed to address this issue, especially this spring when I upgraded to a 240A MechMan piece.

I did a lot of searching & measuring, & found the following Gates Micro-V belt to be precisely 1/3" shorter than OEM, & it was going to be my only shot with the stock accessory drive configuration ...

The $40 Gates belt ...

... It fit.

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While digging around in photos of other projects, I found a few from the first days of this build, ... back in the spring of 2012.



Basic assembly of the simple front stage ... 6.5" components.



Infinity Kappa Perfect 6.1's installed in OEM door pods ...

A few close-ups ...

[bcbrassard]

Cool Cool! Hows the system these days?

[Sutliff]

Cool Cool! Hows the system these days?

It is sounding good, but I am still dealing with the dimming lights issue - voltage drop.

Hopefully the auxiliary XS D975 & SHCA 1/0 OFC cable directly from the 975 to the RFD4 terminals will get rid of the issue, ... Point Blank. ...

Then I run Knu Konceptz Kolossus Fleks Kable 4awg OFC to each amp, ... both POS & NEG - I have had the Knu in the build since the inception of the build, the only thing I am changing inline after the above terminals, is I am pulling the circuit breakers in favor of ANL fuses. Fuse Holders by SHCA ...

I made two short cables last night that go from the D975's POS side to each of a pair of RF ANL fuse holders ...

What are your honest thoughts with what I am doing/have done to combat this problem?

Where the Hell do I turn if I STILL have voltage issues?! I cannot tell you how much I am going to scream ... A 900-watt RMS two-amp system with a D3400 & a D975 & a MechMan 240A ALT to boot, ... I do not know, we will see in a few more hours.

Looking FWD to hearing back from you.

Be good, ...

EDIT: BATT is a D3400, not a 3100.

[zack_e89]

Battery install looks like nice and secure.

What is your voltage drop like? not into the 12s huh???

[Sutliff]

Battery install looks like nice and secure.

What is your voltage drop like? not into the 12s huh???

On occasion, during a hardcore bass note, it would dip into the low 12's, yes. If you read back into my Log - around Pages 3-4 - you will see when I started having problems, & how I started attacking them.

(Read next post ...)

EDIT: Punctuation.

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Just came in from thrashin' for 6+ hours to get everything finished so I can go to ----> https://www.facebook.com/events/1409396622665501/?ref=22 .

It is only a few miles from me, & it has been about 21 years since I have been to a car audio show/get together.

I am not looking to enter or anything, but I have talked to a few people on here, both far & wide, & even local, who I want to meet, & who want to see my Monte, ... so I really wanted to have the whole deal done ... Even though I thrashed, I did not cut any corners ... & the extra BATT did wonders. Wow ...

***Plenty of photos taken of my work today, just need to get some sleep ... Will have them up likely tomorrow night, ... Going to have some from the Team North East SPL ( http://teamnortheastspl.com ) event, too I am sure.

[Sutliff]

Life sucks.

Got up at ten minutes after eight to get ready to go check out the NE SPL show at Syracuse Customs, & was

greeted with the person supposedly helping me by hanging with my parents while I escaped for a few hours

backed out, & there was zero time to find anyone else - both have had surgeries in the past month, to include

Pop's open heart quadruple bypass.

It is what it is. The most important thing is I got my electrical pretty much in hand right now after last night.

It tears at me knowing NE SPL is going on less than 10 miles from me, but I am not in a position to leave, ... Ugh.

Maybe if I really clean any residual ear wax out, & listen real, real carefully ...

Suppose it is time to look through some other schedules, etc., & see if I can catch an upcoming show in the "area".

Rochester, Watertown, Binghamton, Utica, ... further? I am surely not put off by driving whatsoever. Eh, ... the

summer is just beginning.

***Photos & whatnot of my progress last night coming a little later tonight. Thanks for peeping around, folks,

& here's to everyone up at the St. Jude's Charity Event by Team North East SPL.

EDIT: Punctuation.

[bcbrassard]

i am glad to here you got your electrical strong enough to not dim your lights. I know for me and my system i just had had to go thru after getting the crimping tool and redo all grounds, run new 0 gauge from alt to battery, use the sky high lugs and now my shit is solid. Full tilt is now dropping to 13.7ish and i can live with that. Before it was mid 12s and i could stand that.

[Sutliff]

So, ...

I got on my ass & found the time to get that damn D975 "tied into" my system, hoping to reap the rewards of it. After all, it has been riding around like a "lead weight" in my trunk for over a month!

Lead weight ...

This is what I refer to as the network board ... the reverse is where the amps are mounted. In this photo, I had unhooked the 2awg from the RF terminals, pulled both 100A RF circuit breakers, & wiped a bunch of sweat from my brow ... it was near 90*F out ... Ugh! ...

First, I needed to pull up the rear seat & uncoil the excess of 2awg cable I had so smartly left there when I installed it last year ... I always leave a little bit behind, never knowing what may become ...

Found a small void between amp rack/network board & the car's framework had just enough room to pass the POS & NEG 2awg through to the trunk side ...

After getting them through, & through a slit made in the carpet, here are the main cables, now representing a full POS & NEG run, from front to rear of car, ... with some to spare ...

Now you don't see 'em ...

Now you see 'em! ...

I found it EXTREMELY difficult to install this SHCA 1/0 OFC cable into any 1/0awg-rated terminal. Sometimes I do not understand the whole "over-sized" thing. Eh, ... either way, I had only quality RF terminals & fuse holders to work with, so I took my time, & made it work with patience & zero mods, ... but it was a pain ... (The visible speaker cable goes to the FI subs, & is on both sides, ... sometime soon I really need to rout those through the carpet & out the top, too.) ...

It proved harder to pass the much larger cable through the slit I made for the 2awg, & they kept catching on each other ... Being that they were not going to be seen, I grabbed a can of silicon spray, & managed to "persuade" them in the direction I wanted ...

Success! ... & I finally tied into the rear fuse holders with the POS cables, as well as (not photographed) hooked up the NEG cables to the terminal on the D975 ...

... & success on the front side as well! The terminals all set, as well as new Sky High fuse holders - replacing the RF breakers - with 100A ANL fuses installed, etc, ...

Well, for me, that was a full day, & after 6 hours, I did not finish all that I wanted to ... basically a few cosmetic things to address, & I will pretty much be done.

For anyone who has followed my voltage issues, I jumped in & ran across the street to test it out real quick & played a CD I had - one that had dropped my voltage before, but not a bass-heavy band at all. As I have stated before, my new 240A MechMan ALT charges at 14.8-.9v (cold) on a SMD VM-1, & never drops below 14.4v, ... Well, while cranking some 311's "Timee Bomb", at an idle, ... it never dropped below 14.4v. Just solid. (I did not have a chance to go out today - Sunday - & thump some Psyph or "Coffee" stuff. Tomorrow, I am sure.)

Thanks for lookin', & watching my slow progress TWDs this final, & hopefully fulfilling conclusion.

EDIT: Photobucket links ...