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

[Sutliff]

Mock-up time is pretty much over now. Time to permanently mount the amps first. I felt for the holes with my finger, & took an awl & heated it up with a small propane torch & it easily slide right through the carpet ... no need to drill & likely have the bit get all tied up in & ripping up the stuff ... I was thrilled with the results:

After that, I carefully flipped it over, with nice, soft blanket under the amps, & started with what I call the "network" / cabling side:

(Yeah, those are my skinny, chicken legs ...)

... starting to pass the cabling through to the amp side:

Finished look of the seat side of the board / rack. I still have some work to do to tidy everything up, also to run the cable for the Punch Bass knob for the T500-1:

Finished & mounted amp side:

Next?! Fi sub installation!!!

[Sutliff]

At nearly 40 pounds per sub, it was easily decided that regular wood screws would likely NOT hold these subs up in the baffle, ... not even big lag screws would do the job. So bolting them up & in was the obvious solution.

Went to hardware store & purchased 16 bolts & nuts & came up with a couple ideas for security measures, ... as we did with the amps - too many vehicles broken into in this area.

Problem with the bolts we could get our hands on was the shoulder on them was too long, ... so we had to break out the Tap & Die set, & drop about 3/4" - 1" more threads on each.

After a quick lesson, I got my Doll (girlfriend Theresa) involved, & had her thread all 16 of them:

Keep that tool lubricated & free of excess shavings, Dear!:

As folks might notice, ... I had to remove the rubber surround ring from the sub - actually, both of them - because I had to drill out the holes just a tad larger to accommodate the bolts ... I more or less reamed them out a little with a step bit, then smoothed them out with a small Dremel bit. I do not have a photo of it, but I just turned each woofer upside down on a piece of 1/2" MDF, then did what needed to be done:

Here are some shots of them installed, & with the amps behind them:

*** EDITED IN 2014 BECAUSE PHOTOBUCKET SCREWED UP MY LINKS ***

[Sutliff]

Next up is my first foray into the Big 3, as well as the MechMan S Series 170A alternator change ...

Alternator & specs:

OEM alternator removed:

Trying to get the belt on over the new, smaller MechMan alternator pulley ... As suggested, I secured a belt that was 1/2" - 1" shorter to help fight against possible slippage:

Double-checking the diagram:

The shorter belt did not work. I had to resort to the original ... which fit fine, but at high RPM, when I really get into it - like shifting from 1st to 2nd gear - I hear it screech for a split second as I let of the throttle. Oh well. Everything else seems to work phenomenally with it. ... maybe I will just try putting some belt dressing on it & that will be that:

Big 3 time!

[Kevin M]

So how do you like the sound of them? Probably a lot more output than before.

[Sutliff]

Big 3 ... And, yes, I had to build this one out of 4awg.

Here is the excess 4awg that I had tied up under the hood for the past year knowing I would need it.

These are the runs of 4awg I speak of that run back, through the cabin, to just behind the back seat to a distribution block for each cable:

The OEM-type, acid-core BATT I am using, & the POS & NEG cables that I needed to cut into ... to then use/insert in my new terminals. I was NOT looking FWD to cutting into anything that was/is OEM on the car ... that was something I promised myself last year when this all started ... the car is too nice to hack on anything, etc., but this had to be done:

BATT specs:

Another look at my Big 3 hardware:

Nice 'lil spot for the front breaker. Nice 'lil mount Pop made out of some aluminum ... & it affects nothing:

Next we mounted GND termination block on the firewall. The one NEG cable came directly from the BATT terminal, then the other in the GND block goes directly out to an engine mount:

I also used a little bit of this stuff ... EXCELLENT stuff to have:

The biggest pain in the ass was that the OEM POS on this car (2003 Monte Carlo SS) has 2 cables going into the POS side of the battery. A 4awg cable that goes straight to the starter, & an 8awg that goes to the fuse box. Ugh. Has to make a new 8awg cable for the fuse box side. Luckily I had blue, so the colors stayed the same, ... I think a single red cable in the mix would have been an eyesore ... though I likely would have put it in some plastic loom, or the like ... Just another Tourette Syndrome / OCD thing. Up, & to the left ....:

The bottom red cap, near the center of the top of the photo is where that wire I had to build went ... Pretty much the post you'd use to jump-start the car ...:

I used a high-quality, set-screw-type lug for the ALT to POS BATT connection, then covered it with super high-end heatshrink, ... twice. You can also see the engine GND behind the alternator on a solid stud:

I turned the key at approximately 10:30pm, & it fired right up ... the engine, not the car!

Well, ... that is about it. I tuned with my DD-1 soon after I made sure all the components came on safely & worked properly as I methodically turned each breaker on, then wired up the Fi's last. After I get some things straightened in the trunk, I will cut the sub wires to size, & everything will be finished back there.

I did what I could with photos while still helping my Dad, & while we were sweating our asses off on a few days. I genuinely hope some of you enjoyed seeing/reading my rambling(s) & my accompanying photos.

Have some feedback? Questions? Chew me out because I used 4awg? Bring them on, ... I look FWD to them all.

Anyway, I thank you all for looking.

*** EDITED IN 2014 BECAUSE PHOTOBUCKET SCREWED UP MY LINKS ***

[Sutliff]

So how do you like the sound of them? Probably a lot more output than before.

It sounds amazingly better than before, & I know it can sound even better with a 'lil more tuning, etc. But there is a problem I am having ... If you get a moment, here is a thread I started only a couple hours ago ... http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/170314-dimming-lights-on-newly-upgraded-system-help/

[Emmet]

Damn, trunk looks great man Clean work.

[Sutliff]

Damn, trunk looks great man Clean work.

Thanks for stopping by, dude. I have seen you all over SMD, so it means a lot to see that you have stopped by my log & that somethings have caught your eye.

Be good,

[Sutliff]

UPDATE!

Just ordered a XS Power D3400 & i-Bar for side-mount accessory kit.

Also going to secure larger AWG cable, & redo the GND part of my Big 3. I know it is solid enough, but I see a

better way to do it after looking around for a while under the hood, ... with the BATT removed.

Wish me luck, ...

More to come.

[Sutliff]

As I stated above, I have been having serious problems with voltage drops, etc. So after talking to a bunch of SMD folk, & some very legitimate professionals, I got my mitts on the following ...

Some 1/0awg for much BETTER Big 3 GNDs...

... along with much better 4awg for new Big 3 ALT to BATT cable, ... yeah, I know, but at the moment I could not afford for enough 1/0 ...

Monster Cable 300 Series 1/0 set-screw-type 1/0 lugs ...

Black & Decker's BM3B AGM-Compatible BATT charger ...

XS Power's 551 i-Bar kit for side-post usage for what you will see below ...

... & the *STAR* of this show, ... The XS Power D3400 itself! Brand new from Summit Racing, ... still with some Styrofoam on it ...

*** EDITED IN 2014 BECAUSE PHOTOBUCKET SCREWED UP MY LINKS ***