Has anybody done the "big 3" upgrade to their superduty? Is it possible, and if so how difficult was it?

 

This is what I did. I'll let you be the judge. Really it's not that difficult, especially with leaving the OE wiring as a guide line.

1) Installed 200 amp alt.
2) re-attached stock pos. wire from alt which runs through stock fuse box and into battery. (pos. side terminal)
3) Added a new 1/0 gauge pos. wire from alt. into a 200 amp fuse and then to the battery (pos. Top terminal)
4) Added new 1/0 gauge ground wire from battery (neg top terminal) and attached it to a scraped/bare metal part of the body.
5) Added a new 1/0 gauge ground from the alt. bracket and attached it to scraped/bare metal of the body.

I left all the stock wiring hooked up as was. I only added new wire.

Also to note.....The Big 3 Upgrade works Best w/ deep cycle batteries, as they can hold a charge for longer and discharge quicker than typical batteries.

 

i was looking at the wiring and realized all the wire from both batteries and from both post (+&-) are ran thru split loom. i guess i could just follow the wires very carrefully. Also the wire coming from the alt seems to be pretty darn small for having to charge 2 batteries.

OR


Should i even bother doing this considering i prolly won't be upgradeing my alt anytime soon.

 

>>>Should i even bother doing this considering i prolly won't be upgrading my alt anytime soon.<<<

You can always try the alternator you have now. It wont hurt it. But......

If you run into problems with light dimming, or feel like you should upgrade your battery/alternator, first try the wiring upgrade

1: Alternator to Battery
2: Battery to Ground
3: Engine to Ground

By upgrading these wires from your weak stock wiring you allow more amperage/voltage through, eliminating one weak link in your electrical system. Think of it as a pipe, the small guage wiring that came on your vehicle is a small diameter pipe allowing only a little water through it. No matter what the pressure (Voltage) generated at the pump (alternator), your only going to be able to allow a small amount of water to flow (amperes) through.

By upgrading to a larger diameter of pipe, your allowing more water to flow through with less restriction. Hence eliminating minor light dimming, and supplying your battery and stereo system with an unrestricted flow of juice. If you still have dimming, upgrade your battery to a high CCA (cold cranking amp) Battery then upgrade your alternator.

The voltage is the same in both wire sizes (OE and your bigger aftermarket wires,) but the current carrying ability in the larger wire is higher. All that being said, you will only need to use one battery. Using two batteries for the system does nothing. 12 volts is 12 volts. If you do use both batteries? You'll fry everything, so don't.


As for the fuse, match that to the line you plan to use. Fuse only the wire between ALT output and BAT pos. These are special high current fuses and holders, (below) designed for car audio gear. Personally I'd use the 2 guage just because it's bigger=less resistance.

#4 wire = 100-150A
#2 wire = 200A

Now don't let me scare you off here, but, If you're not sure, please take it to a pro. I've seen more than one fire happen because of dumbness or what-have-you. And usually happens when you've gone in the house or completely away from the vehicle.

Just double check and be careful, you'll be alright.

 

My truck came w/ 2 batteries, it a diesel!

 

OK....I understand. However, you still only need one battery to connect your "Big 3" wiring to. The other one doesn't come into play. Just leave it with the the OE wiring. You're only upgrading the wiring to one battery and then to the alternator, then to the ground. It wouldn't really matter if you had six batteries. You're still only going to be using one battery. Not only that, If you dedicate one batt to the system, you will have less pwr fluctuations.........Okie dokie.

On a side note. You could go with a battery isolator. The isolator, will monitor voltage between primary and secondary batteries. One battery should be powering your amplifier, while the other will run car functions. The isolator will first top off the primary battery, then switch to providing needed watts to top off the secondary. I believe this would require a bigger alternator however. A 140 amp alt should suffice.

 

I believe in the Big 3. I will doing it this summer to my X.

 

X-OvrDistortion, Good job buddy. No need for caps doing it this way either. Make sure you use high quality interconnects.

This is the best place I've found for good high end stuff and sold at very reasonable prices.

http://knukonceptz.com/index.cfm

 

I have had nothing but good experiences with Knu.

 

pix?
I would like to see pix of what this install is all about

 

Here's a link with pics.

http://www.sounddomain.com/ubbthread...e/1#Post312025