I always used #00 arc welding cable, and ran 2 wires..back to the engine..too much aluminum and plastic.., and no real frame, to ground the neg wire.that way I KNEW! I had a good ground with minimum voltage drop

 

Two wires would make me feel more secure, but that's just double the cost and work. I can hardly fit one wire underneath my carpet along with amp wires and others

I got the whole power cable wrapped in wire loom. Looks nice Just waiting on my circuit breaker now as it's the last thing I need. Then I just have a few finishing things on the box I need to do and secure it to the trunk somehow.

 

look like a way better design than mine

 

I'm jealous of your dry cell battery though. My interstate is only a year and a half old so I couldn't part with it yet. I wish I would have got a dry cell back then but I was in a pinch with a dead battery so I had to opt for the one on Napa's shelf. Don't get be wrong it's a great battery

What gauge wire did you use and where did you ground it?

 

1/0 guage i have to check later where my buddy ground it i think somewhere right before the fuel filter. Yeah i was having problem with my volts it would drop so low as soon as i turned the car off gm wires for ya.

 

I hope I'm okay with 2 gauge. I can't imagine using 1/0 gauge. It was hard enough running 2 gauge around the bends and curves of the engine bay to get it through the firewall. That stuff was stiff!

 

Small update. I got some more parts for this. One including a 180 amp circuit breaker. This will go right after the battery terminal on the box. I'll probably screw it into the side.

I also put in the vent barb for the vent hose. Just some 3/8 vinyl tubing. I have to find a place to run the tubing to now.

Any ideas on how to fasten this box to the trunk? I was thinking about welding some brackets to the floor of the trunk and then screwing the box to them. Is it safe to weld to the floor in the trunk (i.e. need to worry about the gas tank)? It will be right behind the seat on the drivers side.

 

I got this all wired up and in the car, but I'm having a slight problem.

After I installed the circuit breaker hooked up the battery and my amp I tried to start the car. It was a cold start and it's around 30 degrees F outside. Upon first start, I got some clicking during cranking, where the starter would start and stop quickly and the dash lights would go on and off. I've seen it happen before and it's the cause of a dead or almost dead battery. Basically, it acts as if the starter isn't getting enough juice.

I let the car run for around 15 minutes while I finished up hooking the subs up and putting everything away. I shut the car off and started it again with no problem this time, but the car was all warmed up.

I haven't had this issue before during my other tests. The only difference is now I have a circuit breaker in the line.

Any thoughts? Is the 2 gauge wire inadequate? I have a feeling it might be my ground. I grounded the battery in the trunk to a strut tower bolt. I might have to try a different spot, or even add another ground cable somewhere else. I checked the battery and it was 12.6v static, and around 10.2v cranking which seemed good.

I decided to let the car cool down again and try another cold start later to see if I get the same issue.

 

I haven't had this issue before during my other tests. The only difference is now I have a circuit breaker in the line.

Why do you have a circuit breaker ??..Im just curious..I used to use arc welding cable, 1/0..or 0/0 with NO! breaker..and it worked fine..arc welding cable is flexible too..

 

Saftey. I don't want a huge thick wire that runs under my seat to short out and start my car on fire!

I'm going to try some voltage drop tests today. I'll find out exactly how much drop is happening in my wire and that will tell me if it's the wire, or if I have a bad connection.