RE: Upgrading Radio Help

From: Steed, Eric P (Eric.Steed@usa.xerox.com)
Date: Tue Apr 06 1999 - 16:33:32 EDT


You will have serious difficulty fitting 3 12" subs in there unless you
completely lose the rear seat (assuming you have a club cab that is!). You
shouldn't have much problem in the alternator/battery area (especially if
you have the HD alternator @ 136 amperes (1999 alternator.. don't know if
they're all that powerful) unless you plan on listening to it for any length
of time with the truck off. The only reason you MIGHT have any problems
with the alternator/battery would be if you're going to put more than a few
thousand watts into it. I had a 1991 Saturn with I believe a 90 amp
alternator and 550 CCA battery and I had 2 500 watt amps with no problems
(although the lights would dim slightly at high volume on bass notes).

If you wish to listen to it for any length of time with the vehicle off then
you should consider getting some marine batteries and a battery isolator
(charges the main vehicle battery and the marine batteries separately, and
won't drain the main battery if you run the marine batteries dead).

Also run thick power wire directly from the battery post (8 or 4 gauge
depending on how much power you will be putting to it and how much you can
afford.. last time I checked good 4 gauge was 5 bucks a foot and you'll
probably need about 10+ feet of it..) to a power distribution block near
your amps which accepts 4 or 8 gauge in and lets you hook up 10 or 12 gauge
out (typically 4 out). Also keep your ground wire from the amps to the
ground point as short as possible to avoid a ground loop isolation fault
which can cause alternator whine and other types of interference. You can
go with smaller wire but your amps will be starved for power and won't
perform nearly as well.

Oh and don't run your RCA wires along the same part of the vehicle as the
power wires for the same reason as above.

Hope this helps a little.
-Eric

Black '99 Dakota Sport
4x4 Club Cab
5.2L 318 Automatic

-----Original Message-----
From: Chad [mailto:mcc@negia.net]
Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 1999 5:43 PM
To: Dakota List
Subject: DML: Upgrading Radio Help

I'll soon be installing three 12 inch Subs in a box in the back seat
along with four 6.5 inch speakers in the stock positions. I'll need two
amps to power these I assume? Can I run the amps that I need off of my
stock battery and alternator or is more power required?

I'll be installing Crossfire Products all the way around as I like what
I've seen of there stuff.

Chad



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