mrzud

I was wondering, how would I get the power wire from the battery to the amp? How exactly do I go from the out side to the inside? Any holes existant that I can manuver my hand and a wire through? I have never done this before and would like some advice... so please help a fellow 3rd genner out.

Also, I was thinking about using some 4 guage wire, nice and heavy duty, what do you think?

And one last question, about how much RCA cable will I need?

Thanks.

rkniroc

in wy car we made a hole in the fire wall and used 0 gauge wire real heavy duty stuff as for the length of rca cables i guess it would depend on where your going to mount your amp. when you install your power wire try to put your fuse within 18 inches of the battery for better protection.

Matthew 4:19

Fuse no further than 12" and preferably with in 6", If memory serves I used to pull carpet back in passanger side foot area and drill hole where fire wall starts to angle up, check to make sure there is nothing back there by looking under car and inside enginge compartment, don't forget to use a grommit amd maybe silicone since it is going to be low.

mrzud

Hey thanks, I was looking at the firewall and wondering where shall I drill if I should drill. I will be probably drilling at the beginning of the fire wall then. Anyone have any pictures, help me out a little bit?
thanks

aaroedg

You souldn't even need to drill, that is very hard with the space you have. There may be plastic plugs in holes in the fire wall by the steering column, use one of those. if there isn't (like in my case) there is a bolt through the fire wall about 2inches to the right of the steering column. once the wire is through make shure to put electrical tape around the hole so the wire dosn't get cut.

GndPrx

Umm, no offense to your first post and all, but be sure you know what you are suggesting before doing so...You do not use electrical tape in place of a gromet. That is just asking for trouble.

Now to answer the question...

There are many places to drill a hole for routing wire. On the passangers side (for those with a pass side battery) there is a nice clear area just behind the top of the carpet in the passangers foot well as stated above. Make sure you are below the heater core and any obstructions on the back side.

On the drivers side, if you have a manual transmission, you have the entire area where the clutch master cylinder would normally be mounted.

Once you have picked your spot and double checked for brake lines, fuel lines, electrical harnesses, etc...drill a small pilot hole and fish a wire hanger through. Now check both inside and outside of the vehicle for clearance of at least a 1"-1 1/2" diameter around the hanger. Now break out the unibit and drill through to the desired size of the gromet you WILL BE USING.

Most auto parts stores have water tight gromets in varying diameters. Find one that large enough for the wire you are using.

Spread some silicone around the hole and pop the gromet in place...the silicone will seal the gromet to the car. Now depending on the type of gromet, fish your wire through and route it to the battery using cable ties and if you prefer split loom to maintain a stock appearance. If you are using the hard plastic gromets, you can silicone around the wire after you have pulled the appropriate length through to seal off the rest. If you are using a simple rubber gromet, just poke a small hole and pull the wire through. The rubber will form a tight enough seal to the insulation of the wire...just do not open too large of a hole.

The rule of thumb on fusing is no more than 18" from the battery and prior to passing through ANY type of metal barrier that could potentially eat at the insulation of the wire.

Be sure to use proper termination at the battery. You can buy extension poles for side mount batteries at nearly any auto parts or car audio retailer (It will be a replacement bolt with a second bolt piggy backed into it). This will allow you to tap into the battery without cutting your factory wiring or altering the stock system in any way. If you are using a top mount battery, you can buy top mount terminals that accept multiple connections.

Be safe with your wiring. It's not hard.

aaroedg

You just turned a small job into a big one dude. What and wrong whith elec. tape? there may be holes already in the firewall ment for wiring. So why drill? The elec. tape is just fine to use.

GndPrx

That small job is still a small job. Everything that I stated takes all of about 5 minutes worth of work to do right.

If you like fire, then by all means use electrical tape to protect your wire from chafing against bare metal. Vibration against sheet metal will chew through electrical tape in a heartbeat and subsequently through your insulation on the wire...why not just skip a few steps and wire your positive terminal on the battery directly to the chassis ground...would prevent you from a problem away from home at least by getting it out of the way now.

Problem #2 with electrical tape...get it wet and it looses all adheasive properties. Drive through one good rain storm or a few puddles and that tape will slide right off the metal and expose it to the wire.

If you don't want to listen to anyone who has been there done that long enough, then learn for yourself...

TomP

You could also use a bit of old vaccum hose, cut lengthwise, and slide it over the sheetmetal of the firewall, to "make" a grommet.

Matthew 4:19

I usualy try to avoid these controversies, but when someone persists in giving bad and unsafe advice I can't hold back. DON'T use electrical tape as metioned above, this is a safety issue. If there were holes for wiring and grommits are use, by all means put them to use, but if you have to remove a bolt it obviously wasn't meant for wiring. I described the easiest way I know above, there are ather ways also, but never compromise safety.

mrzud

I will not use electrical tape. I ended up getting a grommit, but the whole was too big. I have 8 guage wire and the hole of the grommit is twice the size. I couldn't find any with smaller holes. Do they make any? I guess I might have not been looking hard enough.
I went to Home Depot to get the wire. I was talking to one of the associates there and was telling him what I need it for. He said that they didn't carry 4 gauge wire, he said the closest to 4 they had was 0, what a load of bull ****, I say some off to the side. Anyways, he proceeded in saying that all I was going to do is rattle his house at night and that he was going to get his gun and shoot my tires! Great customer service, huh?
I ended up going to Columbus Car Audio where I just bought an over priced Lightning Audio kit ($40), but at least there was no threats of me being shot at.

caleb

dang that sucks, about home depot, tyour story sounds like a web site i found http://www.homedepotsucks.com/ the people at my home depot are really nice, as for 4 awg wire, most of the wal-mart super stores carry the scoche EFX 4 gauge wiring kit, it retails for $25 comes with 17 ft 4AWG power (2) 20ft RCA triple shielded oxygen free, power distibution block, 12ft 8AWG for ground 15ft split loom cable ties, and alot of connectors.

HI92Z28

Make sure you fuse the power wire no more that 18" from the battery and silicone the entry hole you just made. And also do not use electrical tape.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

Forget about screwing with the firewall. In a Camaro, the passenger kick panel near the antenna hole is by far the best place to enter the interior. No worries about drilling into stuff, and it's very, very easy to route through there.

mrzud

It has been wired through the firewall. Grommit used. The grommit is only $.26 with tax, why skip on it and use electrical tape, that is just stupid. Very professional looking.