Relocating battery to the back for weight off front and more room, just making sure this routing will be safe.

Battery, Odyssey Extreme Series 34/78-PC1500DT(Non spill able)
Alternator, Mechman 370 Amp

Positive runs,
2 runs (1 for each amplifier 1/0 from battery to amplifier fused on each 140A, 160A)
2 runs of SHCA 1/0 from alternator to battery.
1 run of SHCA 1/0 from battery to fuse box post or distribution block?
1 run of SHCA 1/0 from fuse box post or distribution block to starter?

Confused if I need to use a distribution block or is it safe to just run the main run back from the battery straight to the fuse box post and the starter run from the fuse box post to the starter?

Also where in the back would the optimal grounding point be for the battery? Battery is going on driver side trunk/rear quarter panel area.

 

Battery positive to fuse box post positive, fuse box post positive to starter positive, is this okay to do?

The newly redone electrical system is going to be capable of producing more than 5000W,
I rather be safe than sorry.

Thanks guys for any responses!

 

I believe it should be positive from battery to starter, and then from starter to fuse box. That is how my car is wired per the instructions I got with the Tick Performance battery relocation kit.

 

This is why I'm kinda confused, I'm not doing the relocation for track use with the kill switch, there is no kill switch for my relocation, just doing it to free room up under the hood and shift a little weight to the back, mainly for under hood room ex. meth tank, catch can etc.

So when the starter is not being used the power will pass through it to the fuse box to run the car and not turn the starter on? This is starting to make sense to me as I believe one part of the circuit has to be engaged for the starter to turn on.

 

Battery weight is best on the rear passenger side unless you have a nitrous bottle or something else heavy in that corner. I don't have an external cutoff switch either.

Battery + to amps (whatever size you want, ideally from its own post)
Battery + to starter post (4awg is plenty and easier to snake through the car)
Starter post to fuse box post (4awg)
Alternator to fuse box post (a single 1/0 awg is more than plenty for your alternator at max output)

Battery gnd to any steel in the back.

Multiple grounds only help. I ran a 2 awg ground wire to the rear deck, another 2 awg to rear seat seatbelt attachment point, and a 4awg to engine bay. Engine bay ground is a distribution block hooking up to various points on the motor.

 

The passenger side is getting a monster 12" Sound Solutions Audio XCON stealth box 1.5-2 cubic ft. glassed, should weigh a good amount sadly (more weight I know) subwoofer weighs 38 solid pounds alone but will cover 20-80Hz flawlessly with proper size enclosure and EQ'ing.

You sure about sending the alternator to the fuse box? Thats seems like a very very bad idea man, someone installed a system in my dads truck and wired it that way, he drove home from work one day and something shorted under there wire got fired big time fuse holder damn near exploded basically, thank God he was ok and the car main electrical system was to.

The owner of Droppin Hz specifically told me to only run this 370A alternator directly to the battery in back. He said I need 2 runs of 1/0 to be safe for the distance and current, honestly though we calculated it and were both concerned about voltage drop at 370A, was going to be .7 or so at 370A and 21ft. I know I won't be drawing that now but if I add a mid bass only amplifier and mid basses I could easily be there if not over.

I want that electrical to be super solid, 1 run would work but it's pushing it current wise at full tilt, 2 runs less voltage drop do to less resistance, safer, only con is more weight.

Thank you for your reply this clears stuff up a lot more sense were both not running the kill switch.

 

You might want to run two batteries back there.

 

Theres no room for two, if needed I'll get a bigger one really running out of room though for the one I have. I got the 370A alternator to recharge that sucker back as fast as possible. I completely overkilled the electrial system bass amp fuse draws 160A the Midrange, Tweeter amp is rated at 140A but I won't have it turned up that much might use 60A-100A max, its a crescendo c1100 complete over kill but wanted a class A/B for SQ, id never put them on a class D even though the distortion is minimal, some can't tell the difference but I can, the A/B's just have that classic clean, warm sound to them. I'd run a tube helix if I could find one. Pink Floyd is my test music so were clear on SQ.

 

Your sub box should weigh more than the battery so that's good for traction and handling.

Please share more about your dad's setup that burned up. Vehicle, wire size and material, wire insulation material, electrical mods, details of exploding fuse panel, etc.

Our cars power the harness through the fuse box post and nowhere else. There are only 2 ways to supply power for the car. 1- pull from battery. 2- pull from alt.

When you turn the key, power passes from battery through cable and starter post to fuse box post. After the car starts the alternator gets hit with exciter wire. At that moment the alt starts powering the fuse box post.

 

Oh and to save some coin for higher quality material, use welding cable for the long runs that will be hidden behind panels and carpet. They are very well insulated and built to take a great deal of abuse.

At work we use the same cable with 400 amp welders.

 

They installed the fused run from the alternator wire inside the red box. Whatever happened it burnt up the run of wire, the fuse holder basically exploded in two, I'm talking about the fuse for the wire to the amplifiers in the back not the fuse box for his truck. It also made smoke come out from under the dash area and( main run burning) and shatter the distribution block in the back for the amplifiers. Like I said I'd rather run more wire than not enough.
This was run from the alternator not the battery. This is why I prefer to fuse off the battery and alternator goes to battery. It's safer. Ultimately the alternator runs should be fused but it's just another safety precaution when dealing with high current.

I understand how are cars electrical system works, I was confused on redoing the routing as the battery is going in the back and what's safe and not safe, I don't want to get shocked by 5000 watts because I thought I hooked somethings up right. A lot of the diagrams and info in older threads are for the kill switch and thats where I was getting confused.

I'm not saying you can't pull from the alternator. After my dads went way wrong from that routing I'm afraid to do it and for good reason.

 

Theres nothing wrong with the SHCA cable I bought (got 75ft of it) yes it finer stranded and bends better than welding cable but the strands are susceptible to breaking if bent to far where as the thicker strands in welding cable are stronger and less likely to break.

The insulation jacket on the skyhigh is fine its thick, I'm even going to tech flex it and use silver tinned lugs with adhesive lined heat shrink. I do wish I bought different cable though and it not welding cable, it's the stuff Ground Pounders Car Audio sells, check it out man stuffs insanely built but pricy.

 

I need to add my alternator puts out 372A on the birth sheet but given the larger ATI crank pulley I'll be using it be safe to call it 400A, hence another reason for 2 runs. Droppin Hz owner Cody Johnson made it very clear he would not sell me that alternator without doing 2 runs of 1/0 AWG for the length of the run, said its just to close unsafe, I'm taken his word for it he said he had a couple customers melting lugs off with 1 run of 1/0 AWG and the Mechman 370A alternator. I mean he's not going to not sell me a $700 alternator over $80 of extra wire.

 

Ah fair enough. Sounds like you have it handled.

 

I should have her routed up good now. Thanks again for the help man on the routing, makes sense to me now, just didn't want to have my camaro end up like dads truck, I still don't know what happened exactly to his truck but it wasn't good, need less to say the system got pulled out every things back to stock and he has a new truck, I drive his old one it's the daily beater. lol

 

Any progress? I'm interested in the same alternator to help feed my MMATS monster and ditch the Cap since it's not pulling it's weight. Hoping to pick up overall efficiency once my battery gets relocated since the system will then have better grounding options but I'm not sure on the overall wiring that I'll need.

 

I still have to do all the wire routing. Restoration progress has been slow and this year just blew by. Looking now to put in a killswitch so I can take it to a near by track that I didn't know was near by….

Will have to come up with a plan to make a kill switch that is removable/disconnect able so I can still drive the car a few days a week and not have to worry about the switch back there getting messed with or turned off etc. and have it connected properly to take it to the track. Looking to be a PITA with all the routing etc. Haven't even thought much about it honestly, trying to get other stuff on the must get done list done first. Need to re put bumper on, seats in, etc. then get it inspected to have a full fresh year to mess with any MIL codes, bugs here and there after new engine, exhaust system, emissions junk, that could give me problems after the build is completed.

As far as the alternator choice the Mechman 370 is the one to get for sure. It's the same case size as the 145Amp AD244 truck one and puts out 225A more current. Birth sheet on mine is 372A. You can run that huge amplifier another amplifier, dual fuel pumps, radar detector, blower motor on high, all lights on, a power inverter for a microwave lol and still be good.

Sorry I'm not much help for the routing man, still trying to figure mine out. I'd do the wiring for the killswitch now that I've decided to take it to the track and have it be within the NHRA, track rules. Now the problem is how to do the kill switch for the track and be able to re route it so the switch is inactive during daily driving use. I don't want my camaro jacked, broken into, someone walking at the light I refused to give money to flip my car off etc… would not be cool.

 

Lol I hear ya on all fronts. My progress is slow going too. I'm pretty much sold on the mechman 370 because my beefier than stock truck alternator still isn't enough to feed my amplifier setup without dimming on hard hits. I was reading around on the kill switch and imagine I'd be in the same boat as you. I want one for track compliance but as it is still a street car I don't want to invite others to mess with my car. One idea someone mentioned that's kind of being tossed around in my head for when the time comes is to purchase another passenger tail light. Pass the push off switch through the bulb hole and drill through it for the arm. When you're done at the track just disconnect the arm (they look like they just bolt on with a single bolt) and swap in your good tail light and reattach the bulb. Slight hassle but not the end of the world for added peace of mind.

 

If you want to get a little fancy, you can modify the right quarter panel to include a gas filler opening. Include a locking door and modify the door so that when unlocked it can be removed rather than just opened. Mount your switch inside that opening where the filler neck would go and you're set... lock the cover on for the street, unlock and remove the cover leaving the switch readily accessible for the track.

 

good information