Spent Christmas doing Big 3

[tkoforpresident]

I spent the early morning hours of christmas doing the big 3 on my 3.4 firebird :banana:

It looks a little ghetto but let me describe what i did just to make sure i did it correctly and i wont fry anything when i start the car. :eek:

1. I took a 4 gauge wire and ran it from behind the alternator, where the charging wire is and added it onto that one, i then ran it to the red positive box on the fenderwell about 2 feet away and tightened it down with the nut.
-alternator to battery

2. I took another 4 gauge wire and ran it from the alternator mounting bracket behind the alternator but this time on top where the bolt is. I tightened it back down there and ran the wire to the chassis ground which is located just a few inches above the red box on the fenderwell that i used earlier. -engine to chassis ground

3. Finally I took another 4 gauge wire and ran it from the same ground point to the negative terminal post on my battery so when i screw it in the ring terminal will be nice and snug. - batt neg to chassis ground

i did not start the car yet just to check here to make sure i did this right, also because i have no throttle body on right now =)

if i have to i could take pics later but i might be eating a good dinner with the fam. =)

merry christmas and happy big 3 !

[travis brackett]

Re: Spent Christmas doing Big 3

:tup: ....:rock: ......:cool:

[tkoforpresident]

Re: Spent Christmas doing Big 3

nice... you know U inspired me to do this mod hahahha

im gonna snap some pics with my ****ty camera phone just in case other 3.4 owners wanna see how darn easy the big 3 is on our cars.

[tkoforpresident]

Re: Spent Christmas doing Big 3

uploadin pics...

[tkoforpresident]

Re: Spent Christmas doing Big 3

[IMG][/IMG]


This picture shows the wire coming from the alternator bracket (engine ) to the chassis grounding point, this wire is blue.

It also shows the wire leading from the alternator to the positive red box on the fenderwell, this wire has black wire loom on it.

You will have to click on the pics to enlarge them.

[IMG][/IMG]

This picture shows up close the bracket on the alternator that i chose to use as the Engine to chassis ground (blue wire). You can also see the wire leading down to the alternator charging bolt that goes to the red box on the fenderwell as shown in the above pic. (black loom wire)

[IMG][/IMG]

This final picture is an overview of the big 3. You can see the final wire which is the easiest of them all. It is the red wire leading from the negative batt. terminal to the chassis ground point that is a few inches above the red box on the fenderwell.

Well thats it! The big 3 which i used to think was difficult... it is VERY easy. I used 4 gauge wire for the whole thing and a combination of 1/4" and 3/8" ring terminals to fit whatever bolts i was mounting them to. When doing this mod take a piece of string, map out your desired routed and measure the length of wire you will need. Make sure all the connections are tight and free of paint/dirt. u can use something bigger if you like but 4 gauge is a huge upgrade over the stock 8 gauge either way you look at it. You can also, as i did, leave all the stock wiring on as the electricity will take the wire of least resistance.

As many of you know, upgrading the "Big 3" wires in your engine compartment can lower the overall resistance of your entire electrical system. The effects of the lower resistance are typically:

1) Reduced dimming and smaller voltage drops
2) More stable voltage and better current flow
3) Less strain on your vehicle's charging system


I hope this helps anyone looking to do this mod.

max

[95firebird3.4]

Re: Spent Christmas doing Big 3

can i ask what the point of this mod is ?

[tkoforpresident]

Re: Spent Christmas doing Big 3

can i ask what the point of this mod is ?

t Brackett loves preachin it but i will take a direct quote from him in one of my earlier posts...

As many of you know, upgrading the "Big 3" wires in your engine compartment can lower the overall resistance of your entire electrical system. The effects of the lower resistance are typically:

1) Reduced dimming and smaller voltage drops
2) More stable voltage and better current flow
3) Less strain on your vehicle's charging system

Dont laugh this took me a while =) i made a diagram of the stock wiring for the big 3 on 93-95 3.4's.

[IMG][/IMG]

click to enlarge.
Yellow = Batt (-) to chassis ground.
Green = Alternator to Battery (+) (you reroute this wire to the red box when doing the big 3)
Blue = Engine to Chassis Ground.

Here is the same diagram, this time with the new wires.



Black= alternator to red (+) box rewire.
Blue= alternator mounting bracket to chassis ground
Red = Battery (-) to chassis ground (this time adding a bigger wire)


keep in mind all the stock wiring in the first diagram can stay where they are, simply add on the bigger wire, or reroute a bigger wire to a new location, whichever is called for.

In regards to the stock engine to chassis ground wire, like all the others, I simply left it on, the reason is that the current will take the path of least resistence so it will choose the largest and shortest wire possible. Repositioning it to go from the alternator mounting bracket to the stock chassis point on the fenderwell is a grea idea because the distance is only about a foot, plus its out in the open and easy to work with.

Hope this helps!


for people with sound systems, accessories, gages, tachs, ect. This is very helpful. Even otherwise, this can help everything electrical in the car. the stock wires gm gave us blow! It is relatively cheap and easy (as i have discovered)... so take it as important of an upgrade as you want to.

[95firebird3.4]

Re: Spent Christmas doing Big 3

very good to know thanks

[tkoforpresident]

Re: Spent Christmas doing Big 3

yeah no problem. In fact just to clear the air, these are the Big 3 wires that are spoken of.

the "Big 3"

1) Battery negative to chassis
2) Alternator to battery positive
3) Chassis to engine

the chassis to engine you can simply choose any bolt on the engine ( i used the alternator mounting bracket) and ground it on a good spot on the chassis (i used the stock one)

since the electricity chooses the path of least resistence, it will choose your bigger wire, bypassing your stock one (wherever it may be ) altogether.

[travis brackett]

Re: Spent Christmas doing Big 3

t Brackett loves preachin it

LOL ....

[FirebirdGT]

Re: Spent Christmas doing Big 3

Do at your own risk.

Firebirdv6.com/Camaro.com is not responsible for any damage to your car.