[ddarkslayer]

so I have been thinking of relocating my battery. My battery tray is broken and is being held by a rubber strap. I'm thinking of using stereo amp wire and feeding it all the way to the back. I hear people saying I should run a fuse 3 feet from the battery. What do you guys thing can I do this without buying the whole relocation kit?

[hoffmabo]

If it were me I would buy the relocation kit and be happy knowing that my car wasn't going to catch fire because I wanted to do it cheaply. That's my two cents, but maybe I'm just paranoid when it comes to wiring and my car.

[ddarkslayer]

a fuse is going to prevent the fire your saying. The starter relay is the switch for everything. I'm also going to use heat resistant positive wire.

[fogged306]

You can do it no problem as long as you keep the fuse close to the battery. I would go with 0ga and go with at least a 175a ANL or mega fuse, or something similar. Also make sure to ground the battery to the frame somewhere and make sure it's a good ground free of paint. Don't just zip a couple self tapping screws into painted sheet metal and call it good.

[gripthenboost]

Originally Posted by fogged306 You can do it no problem as long as you keep the fuse close to the battery. I would go with 0ga and go with at least a 175a ANL or mega fuse, or something similar. Also make sure to ground the battery to the frame somewhere and make sure it's a good ground free of paint. Don't just zip a couple self tapping screws into painted sheet metal and call it good.

Solid advice

[95stroker]

I would suggest using welding wire if you aren't going to get the kit. It is more pliable and will lay much nicer. The fuse I used for mine (about a foot from the battery) was a heavy duty fuseable link used in high power stereo systems, and that seems to work nicely. A marine battery box will do good for housing the battery. When you snug everything up, don't just use zip ties. Go to the hardware store and use something that will secure it well to the frame rail, or what I did, remove the interior and run the wires under the carpet. It is a little time consuming, but overall a fairly easy job.

[HMERacing]

Originally Posted by 95stroker I would suggest using welding wire if you aren't going to get the kit. It is more pliable and will lay much nicer. The fuse I used for mine (about a foot from the battery) was a heavy duty fuseable link used in high power stereo systems, and that seems to work nicely. A marine battery box will do good for housing the battery. When you snug everything up, don't just use zip ties. Go to the hardware store and use something that will secure it well to the frame rail, or what I did, remove the interior and run the wires under the carpet. It is a little time consuming, but overall a fairly easy job.

I ran mine under the carpet too. You won't have to worry about it getting caught or smashed on anything. I would also carry an extra fuse too. Nothing like being cought somewhere and the fuse blows for some reason leaving you stranded. Not the same as being without your system for a while! lol

[ddarkslayer]

I'm thinking of grounding it to the rear shock tower What do you guys think?

[fogged306]

Originally Posted by ddarkslayer I'm thinking of grounding it to the rear shock tower What do you guys think?

That will work if the connection is good. I personally prefer going to a frame rail with a good size bolt. There's a drain plug at the bottom of the spare tire tub that you can cut a hole out of and run the line down through that.

[ddarkslayer]

the flee market/swap meet sells amp wire. I asked them for 2 gauge and they said it is a dollar a foot. what do you guys think?

[fogged306]

You might be able to get away with 2ga, but I wouldn't.. I may be a bit anal when it comes to electrical though because it was my life for years and I've seen all kinds of stupid shit. I would also go to a stereo shop and check out some Tsunami, or JL, or Rockford, Stinger ect.. (good wire) and pick it up, feel the weight and see what it looks like as far as the actual gauge of the wire inside the insulation. At $1 retail a foot for 2ga, I'll bet that's some light ass, cheap garbage wire. There's a lot of chinese junk floating around these days. When you've worked with it long enough, you can tell by the weight of it right off the bat. I've seen some "4ga" stuff that was lighter foot for foot than good 8ga wire. And when you stripped the insulation away, the good 8ga had more copper in it than the 4ga. Good wire isn't going to be cheap, but it's well worth it when you consider the damage a fire can do to your car.

[ddarkslayer]

thanks thats what I thought when I talked to the guy at the stand and I knew what I would of gotten myself into. Now about crimping bigger wires what should I use? I'm thinking of using a 250amp mega fuse.

[HMERacing]

Originally Posted by ddarkslayer thanks thats what I thought when I talked to the guy at the stand and I knew what I would of gotten myself into. Now about crimping bigger wires what should I use? I'm thinking of using a 250amp mega fuse.

I have a crimping tool for it. you can buy them, they are not too expensive. I also solder them and heat shrink when finished. (I use a torch)

[fogged306]

A bench vice works pretty good for crimping connectors if you don't have the right tool. They also make cheap crimping tools that you just hit with a hammer, or you can get a pair of hydraulic crimpers.. not cheap and I wouldn't bother with them if this is all you plan on doing as far as larger gauge wire goes. Soldering after a crimp is never a bad idea. The more contact area the better.

A 250 will work also. The only reason you need larger amperage is for starting only. I like to go smaller with slo-blo fuses because I've seen chafed wire smoke even with a big fuse on it. 250A is a lot of current and if it's just a small spot that's grounded out, it may not be enough current to pop the fuse, but it can be enough to cause a good amount of heat. I have no fact or other examples other than that to back this up, and if it's a good cut in the wire a 250 will still pop, so it's not a terrible idea to go that big, just not something i would recommend.

[ddarkslayer]

thanks I also found this on ford fuel injection Ford Fuel Injection Battery Cable Assembly I might use this method. and the fuses I might start with 150 or 200.

[fogged306]

150 might be on the small side. IIRC 175 is what sticks out in my mind as what will work. 200 will be fine too. Make sure they are slow blow fuses whatever you go with. That method of soldering will work fine, just make sure you have the correct connector for it. It won't work if you buy a gold plated crimp connector and then try to solder it with a pellet.

[cleangtvert]

doint buy that crap wire from the flee market! 2ga welding wire is the cats ass man. it has a tuff flexable jacket. and is made of high grade fine strand copper. most welding supply stors sell it in a 25foot package. it's about $55 bucks around here.any auto parts store sells 2ga copper terminals. get a 175 amp mega fuse,solder and iron . the fuse should be no more than 18'' from the battery, and run the same size ground to the quad shock mount. it would be easyer and cheeper to get the kit,but i doint think they are as good as doing it rite yourself. you really will need to also add anouther ground up front in the engine bay from the frame to the block. i used the front swaybar bolt and then grounded to the block.

[FastStang91Lx]

Originally Posted by fogged306 250A is a lot of current and if it's just a small spot that's grounded out, it may not be enough current to pop the fuse, but it can be enough to cause a good amount of heat. I have no fact or other examples other than that to back this up, and if it's a good cut in the wire a 250 will still pop, so it's not a terrible idea to go that big, just not something i would recommend.

My buddy has first hand proof, lol. They put the fire out right away, and it didn't wreck anything that wasn't cheaply replaceable, so I can laugh about it.

[ddarkslayer]

Originally Posted by cleangtvert doint buy that crap wire from the flee market! 2ga welding wire is the cats ass man. it has a tuff flexable jacket. and is made of high grade fine strand copper. most welding supply stors sell it in a 25foot package. it's about $55 bucks around here.any auto parts store sells 2ga copper terminals. get a 175 amp mega fuse,solder and iron . the fuse should be no more than 18'' from the battery, and run the same size ground to the quad shock mount. it would be easyer and cheeper to get the kit,but i doint think they are as good as doing it rite yourself. you really will need to also add anouther ground up front in the engine bay from the frame to the block. i used the front swaybar bolt and then grounded to the block.

is this the wire your talking about?

http://www.harrisweldingsupplies.com...ing%20wire.jpg

[fogged306]

Originally Posted by ddarkslayer is this the wire your talking about? http://www.harrisweldingsupplies.com...ing%20wire.jpg

Hah, no not that, that's feed line for a MIG. The wire that you use for the ground clamps on a welder and the positive lead on an arc/stick welder. They're fine strand copped wire. The reason a lot of people suggest them is because they're designed to be very pliable so they're easier to work with when you're routing the wire through the car.