eulogious

Give you some more options for sure!

Well you are correct about the yellow top, and that is not what you want for loads the pull alot off the battery ... The red top has better specs, CCA, discharge, ect, it will deliver it power better than the yellow top and quicker, but that's besides the point, you have the yellow top so this argument really is a moot point Double batteries won't help you, only your alt... see my previous post. This is a fact. Research it if you don't believe me. Dual batteries will not help you will heavy draws on your system, they only help when your car is off, so you don't drain your starter battery. That's the only thing they do. You install a battery isolator that switches to the non-starter battery when the car is off, and run the stereo off the non-starter battery instead of the starter batter. You will not utilize both batteries all the time, in fact NEVER!!! That's why they call it a battery isolator. It isolates the batteries from each other. A fully charged yellow top should do you just fine. If you drain a fully charged yellow top, you are not doing enough activities while you are camping (I kid of course) And if you are running 200amps with your car off, you got issue man! If you were to use anywhere near all your power near my camping site, I think you would have a BIG problem, so again, why the double batteries? You also said that you weren't going to be blasting it at the campsite, so why the double batteries again? Just tyring to save you money man. You don't need 2 batteries!!! It's a myth!! Oh, and just to quote you from another thread Voltage is misleading. It's the amp draw you need to worry about(CCA really), and you can't really measure that with a DMM. Trust me man, you will want to charge it to be on the safe side. Better safe than sorry VR went out on your alt. When the VR goes out, the alt can't decided what voltage the system needs and just gives it what ever. The VR is what tells the alt to apply more amps when the system dips to compensate for the voltage/amp drop. Same symptoms on any thing that has a VR in it. 24v generators are no different. Military stuff is probably a little higher grade then consumer stuff, so that's most likely why they didn't fail on you in the military. Good luck with that dude! Tell us how it goes!

Totally understand that for sure. The red top is just the "upgrade" to the yellow top. It's got better specs, that's all. I wouldn't run double yellowtops, overkill for sure. The only reason you would run a second yellow top is if you are going to be running your system with the car off a bunch, for competitions and what not. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking double batteries is going to help your car run better and save your electrical system from your car stereo. It won't. That's just the NAPA salesman trying to get another $150 from you The only reason I suggested the little battery is because it would help your system out SOME (like a cap) temporarily until you get a new/bigger alt, and it doesn't cost alot to add and you don't need an isolator for it to work. Your alt is going to be the biggie for you. Your single yellow top should be fine, but I would let it sit on a charger for a while before throwing it back in your car. If you put a battery that is low on charge back into the car, you can fry a new alt because it will run 100% all the time trying to charge the dead battery that it can't charge. Ask me how I know this Get it back up to speed and then throw it back in. 320amps is a little overkill for sure, but you get the idea I think you would probably be fine around the 200amp mark. But then if the price is right, buy BIG!! Obviously if your car doesn't run/move then you should fix that first, then worry about the alt

You need to upgrade the your charging system man! Your JL amp fused for 100 amps by itself. The little alt can only do so much, that's almost twice what the alt is rated for. I would look into getting another little battery as well. Something like this... http://www.ragebattery.com/batterystore/SLA-17-12.html Wire that in and it will help, it has low internal resistance and will act as a cap, kinda. But it will help, because when your amplifiers draw more than 55amps, the power draw comes from your battery, and since you are drawing the maximum off your alt, your alt can't charge the battery and you continue to drain the battery. Then even when you are not bumping the music super loud, your alt is still working 100% to charge the battery that it really never gets a chance to do, since you are always drawing from it. So adding in another battery will help save the 55amper from having to stress so much charging your battery(s). I would also go with a red top optima as well. It will last a little longer... Of course adding another battery in will add more to the charging system since it has to charge it, but with a SLA battery, it doesn't really take much to charge them, but it is something to think about as well. After your EJ swap, you need to upgrade to alt to alteast a 90amp, if not a 160amp for your system. Even with a 160amp, you would probably still be pulling more than that with your setup. I would go look at all your fuses on your amplifiers and add them up. That's how many amps you need your alt to be at a MINIMUM to run your setup. And that doesn't even include the load of the car itself... But you need to fix this, your you will be blowing your alts all the time, even after the swap!! I am going to be getting the maxima alt here soon, my charging system is going to need upgraded soon as well.

So the craigslists gods have shined down on me, and I picked up these beauties today for CHEAP!!! I couldn't resist pickin'em up! I got a Phoenix Gold XS2500 that looks like new! It's used but it works!! This is probably going to be my wifes eventually, but for now it's going to power my 8" solobaric! Then I got a Phoenix Gold Tantrum 400.4 that works as well! This will be going into the wife's car for sure. So I was able to run up to Seattle and pick both of these amps up tonight, and I still made it back in time to go to work. Gotta love craigslist! I got them from two different sellers, but got'em both for super cheap! I can't wait to install the XS2500 into my subie!

I will have to check it out. Fiberglass is on my list of things to try/do We shall see how that goes. Thanks for the link to the site, I will check it out in a bit. I made some more progress I got one of the pieces of wood put down, and the amp screwed to it. I also installed a relay and a fan as well Here's some pics… Here's the wood I found for $0.51 Here's it installed for now. Here's a pic of the fan and the relay. Here is my sub fitting in there all nice and neat. So I used butt connectors for now just to make sure that it all works, and when I button it all up with two amps and paint it and all that jazz I will solder all the connections. But for now, it's looking cleaner and better every day! I might be getting some new toys here tonight… we shall see

You are correct This was my first attempt at wrapping a box, so I am really not to sad about it. In my MR2 you couldn't see it so I didn't care But next time I will take my time and try to do it better. This install I am doing now is kinda a trial run for when I do the MR2. I am going to completely rewire it and make it better, so I am practicing on my subie. That way in case I mess it up, it's not a big deal

I guess I should add that this sub is only temporary as well. It was sitting around not getting used, so I decided to use it, instead of having it collect dust like it has for the last year or so

Well, it's not a cheap box. I built myself. It's made out of 3/4" MDF and it's screwed and glued, and the woofer still takes about 7 seconds to come to rest after being fully pushed in so it's still very much sealed. It's designed for the minimum cf for that sub, as per the manual to fit behind the passenger seat in my MR2. I just didn't use good glue for the carpet I just really don't care right now to fix it. I will probably reglue the carpet and do it nicer and take my time at some point in time. I also didn't really sand the edges of the box or anything I was just in a hurry to get it done, then it sat in my MR2 for about 5 years, so ya. Either way the sub and the box are staying together because it will go back into my MR2 when I rebuild it. This car is going to getting a Phoenix Gold 12" rdsc sub, and a new box, when I can afford it I just ain't got no moneys!

Nice, you had some bumps for sure in there! You lost some of your storage though, but that ok. It's all in what you want. I got the pull curtain and I always have that over my stuff. I do not want people to see what I have, unless I show them it I was truly surprised on how much I don't miss that compartment! I got rid of a few things that I found out I didn't really need, after not touching them in my car for 6 months, and that ended up clearing up all the space I needed. Also I was surprise that my sub fit PERFECTLY in the back. I couldn't believe it. It's seriously like I made it to fit in there, right next to my rubbermaid container. I will take pics of the back all put back together to show what I mean. I also went out and adjusted the amp, and all I can say is, WOW. What a difference it makes after you adjust the amp and get it tuned in. It sounds really good for just one amp! Once everything was adjusted the alt whine almost went away. It's there, but hardly noticeable. I am going to try to get rid of it, but for now its totally tolerable. So far I really like it. Now I just have to pretty the compartment, and the amp install will be complete!

Ok, so here are the pics! It's not completely done at all, but it works and I lost no room in my car! I had to consolidate, but everything that was in my car before I started is still in there. I also had to clean up my parents garage before they got home and get out, so I will have to pretty up the install later becuase I ran out of time, but that will be a slow process anyways since I am trying to do it nice for the first time I ran the power through the fender so I didn't have to punch through the firewall and what not. This was way easier for sure... This is the factory grommet for the engine wiring harness, so I have lots of extra room to poke through Feeding it through and running it back Where I installed my cap. Still don't have a ground for it :-\ Connecting it to the battery It's all wired up and ready to go! Testing it... My car will probably never be this clean again. That and it's so empty... My LPL (remote bass control) All back together again. Here's an idea of what it will look like with th top removed. Needs to be prettied up, but you get the idea. I ran into some other issues was well. One pair of my RCA's is broke. The end has a bad connection on it :-\ At least that's better than my rear inputs not working on the amp which was what I originally thought it was. So I will get some new end for RCA and see if that fixes it. I have the dreaded alt whine as well, but I am going to look at that soon. I am going to be ordering up some more install pretty stuff soon as well. I am going to replace a bunch of my older stuff with new, but I just want to get something in there for now. I also need to adjust the amp as well. I haven't had time to fiddle with the sound, so that will be happening soon as well. Other than that it sounds great (minus the alt whine)! I am happy I can finally hear the bass again. What a difference a sub makes for sure!

Not really. The SVX's aren't lifted either. Turning 31's is going to be tough on any tranny, especially a 4EAT with 230 HP going to it already. Still probably going to break parts. 31's are tough on trannys. Weight is only a small part of your equation IMO...

Thanks! The box was one I did about 4 years ago, and it didn't last That is on the list. Now time to make it all look pretty, that's going to be the hard part :-\ but also the fun part I have pics of my progress, but I left the camera card in the camera, so I don't have access to the pics right now, oh well. I will post pics when I get it almort done.

It works! I got it going today. Man 0 gauge wire is a pain. Luckily I had 17', because I used all 17', and I still can't hook up my cap. I can't find any 0 gauge wire I can buy locally :-\ Oh, well. But it sounds WAY better. No more distortion when I crank it! I will post pics tonight, I am to tired to get them ready, so I will get to that tonight. My car is still torn apart, I ran into a few issues, fixed them, but it works and I tested it and it didn't break on me! Tomorrow I will put my car back together and really see what it sounds like! It will take some more time to make it pretty, but once it works, I can gussy it up later. I am stoked to finally have bass again!

Progress! And answers to my own questions If you couldn't tell, you can drill through there no problem and install grommets and be good to go! More pics! I haven't run the power wire yet, but I wanted to make sure it worked with the grommets so I took some pics... Here's what the amp looks like sitting in there kinda hooked up, to get an idea of what it's going to look like So ya lots of progress. I got the wood I need to put down as well, so if all goes well I might just have a working amp tomorrow! After I install the power wire I will see where I am at and see if I have time to hook up the amp. That should be fun! In order to run the power wire I am going to remove the fender, good times!

Made some more progress on it tonight. Got all the wires I needed into the wire loom for easier installation. I have 5 wires in the wire loom now. My RCA's, 2 20' runs of 16awg speaker wire, my LPL cable, and remote power turn on. I am glad I got the 1/2" wire loom instead of the next size smaller! This will make it much easier to run the wires and keep them organized. Now I just have to put them in the car...

I really like this amp. I have had it for about 6 years, and after I fixed it I should have many more years with it. It's a very solid amp. Phoenix Gold makes some quality stuff. I have been very pleased with this amp. I am glad I got it when I did, and kept it around. So far I have been able to piece together my install stuff for super cheap. Like under $40, including stuff I had kicking around already. I am broke, so I don't have a choice to do this on the cheap I don't ever use that space for tools. I have a rubber maid container already in the back on my car for my tools, and my tool box is always in my car, so I still have plenty of storage in my roo. In fact I never use that area at all. I think I have opened in my 5 time in the last 6 months, and that was to see if something just happen to be in there. So I will not miss the space at all. I fact I will finally be able to use it for something! I like your install in the jeep. Hidden is good I thought about putting them under the seat, but I wanted to be different and try something new. That and I really like projects, and this will be my first install were I actually am going to try to do a really nice job, just to see if I can. I like the challenge It's all good! That's why I started the thread, to get ideas about installing this stuff! Thanks for the tips and info! Sweet. That's kinda what I thought when I got under the car. It looked like it should work ok. Thanks for the confirmation though So I changed the title and figured I would post pics of the install, and the install process, that way if someone else want to do this, they have a good starting point I have been busy acquiring parts for the install, and still been able to do it for cheap! Here's everything: Here's my 8" Solobaric that I decided to use out of my MR2 and my cap with a digital volt meter. I figured I might as well get some bumps now since I have a sub and an amp Here's my 17' RCA's, 40' of 16awg speaker wire, 17' of 0awg for the power (thanks true2blue!), some 4awg to run to my amps, some connectors for 0awg wire, and 20awg remote turn on wire. Here's some wire loom, and my LPL for my amp to control the bass remotely. Here's my power distribution stuff for my amps and some fuses as well as the grommets... My plan is to run my amp in the following config: Front speakers run off the front channel on the amp under a 4 ohm load (75 watts rms x2) and then bridge the rear channel to run my sub on a 2 ohm load (300 watts RMS x1, yes it is 2 ohm stable and within it's specs ) and then run the rear speakers off the deck power for now. That will give me plenty of power up front to power the mids and the highs, and then the sub will have plenty of noise to be able to hear it as well. This is basically the same setup I had in the MR2 before I blew the amp, and then gutted it for it's wires. Hopefully tomorrow I will get a chance to start running the power wire, the RCA's and speaker wire. I have also picked up a piece of wood to use in the compartment so I can bolt the amps to something. I think I now have everything I need, I just have to throw it all into the car. This is the fun part for me though

^^^ That's better Good work! Glad you got the lights working as well. The reason I asked was because in the picture they still had the plastic on them

I haven't actually started the install yet, I was waiting on my fets and caps to show up so I could fix my amp. It's all fixed up now though That's a good idea to put them in the side, but this amp is WAY to big and heavy for that. It's a 75x4 RMS 600watt amp. It weighs at least 30 pounds, is 14" long and 10" wide. It would probably rip the interior panel right off! Not to mention where you are talking about I have 6x9 speakers that were installed by the previous owner. So that space isn't available to begin with. After both these amps get installed into that cubby, there isn't going to room for anything, let alone tools, so I don't have to worry about that. As it sits now, if I get that sub amp, I will have 3/4" on the long side of the amps les than 1/4" on the width, and about 1/4" before it hits the top of the cubby. It's super tight. Thanks for the idea though! So I did some more digging around, and it looks like I can just drill through that area and be fine with some grommets. Now I have to go remove my RCA's from my MR2 and find all my old wiring :-\ Here's a pic of the amp:

Nice! How did you end up getting them on? You mentioned that you had to weld something. Looks good! They wired up yet, or do they just look pretty

Fair enough. No harm no foul. I never said not to be an rump roast, I just said dont be one for no reason Trust me I am an rump roast as well, but only when needed And for the record I am not a nutswinger I think that I am going to try to make it for WCSS this year and try to meet everyone. I got relatives that live out that way, so I might as well stop by and say hi to them, and then go see some kickarse subies! Now time to go repair my amp so I can have some bumps as well! Granted not quite like true2blues but bumps none the less! Now let's see those daylighters installed

I will be looking out in oly for ya as well! I hope you find it, that really sucks. My motorcycle got stolen from out in front of my apartment as well a few years back. The rump roast hats stole a truck from down the street, so they could steal my bike :-\ 6 months later I got a call from the police, they raided a house out in Everett (go figure ), and there was my bike! I ran and picked it up and drove it home. Hopefully you will have a happy ending as well! Best of luck man!

Geez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed! First read before you post and you won't look like an rump roast hat. If you would have done that you probably would have kept your mouth shut, since a mod moved it. If you have a problem with how this forum is moderated, take it up with the mods, not users trying to enjoy their cars, and don't use their threads to take out your frustration. All I was trying to do was point that out to you nicely, but that wasn't good enough for you and you seriously had to make a comment about me swing off his jock? Really? Wow. Are we in third grade or something? I have nothing against you, but you seem to hate everyone else. I don't know what I or the world did to piss you off, but seriously, think before you type, and don't be an rump roast for no reason. For christ sake. Neither I or OP did anything to deserve to have you come in and bad mouth anything for any reason, let alone have you call me gay. Grow up. Geez. If you want to respond to me or my actions, be a man and PM me and not take up other peoples threads. I will not respond to this again in this thread out of respect to the OP. Sorry but I couldn't let that slip by... Back on topic... Keep up the good work!

What about your timing? Is it good?

Ok, so in this image: If I was to drill through the support towards the front of the car, is it exposed on the bottom, or is it covered up? My worry is that it is exposed to the ground, and that stuff could kick up into there and damage my wires. I got under the car and looked, but could really tell... So if that is the case I was thinking drilling the hole, and then running some plastic electrical conduit through the holes (easier than welding...), and then running my wires through the conduit. That way the wires wouldn't be exposed to the elements. Is that overkill?