Just finished the Big 3 on my vehicle last Saturday. It is a great upgrade to any vehicle. All that extra current flow helps with cranking and ignition as well as getting more amps to the battery in a shorter time. Watch the video and do it.
I have my subs and amp power coming from the front battery, when I put the bass up my lights on dash board dim will this upgrade help me in my situation ?
Great job! I like to use dielectric grease on all my connections , just so they don't rust or corrode in time. Especially living in New England with the winter road salt.
Im so glad that I found your channel. We have practically the same vehicle which made this extremely easy to follow along. Im very glad you were the one to explain this. You do a very good job on your content.
its amazing how much that big 3 upgrade actually helps the system. proper grounding for amps and batterys are too the thing to keep in mind with building a system. great video again EXO!
That is pretty interesting, but what really helped me on my wiring was to run positive and negative cables straight back to my amp instead of bolting to ground. That helped my dimming lights. I'm pretty sure the big three will only make it better.
Your vid of the big 3 that you did on your van,oh yeah the van, was the FIRST video of yours I ever watched. Here we are years later and your still making em' and I'm still watching em'.Outstanding work over the years man. Thanks for the good times EXO!
The 3800 are one of the best engines GM has made, Thus why they call them lifetime motors. They run 300K miles easily if taken care of. Wife has a grand prix for 13 years now and still runs like a new. .
yeah My Bonneville has the battery under the backseat....so doing the big 3 takes more wire. on the flip side... running the 0 guage from the back battery to the alternator requires no firewall drilling because the grommet for the stock power wire is nice and fat and already supplied by GM
it looks like you connected the fuse block to the battery twice. is that right? You said to go from the alternator positive to the fuse and then the fuse to the positive battery. It looks like you connected both ends of the fuse to the battery. Am I missing something or is that how its supposed to be done?
Great video, I saw someone use a 200a fuse for their classic car, not sure how old it was. I have a 1989 Chevy k1500 with a new alternator and was wondering what size amp I should use.
Oh, one thing I would have liked to have seen you use dielectric grease on the connections, a $0.99 pack which are right by the check out at any auto parts store will go a long way or better yet Parts Express has plenty of different sprays and greases to clean and protect electrical connections of all kinds...I get all kinds of great install from them for both home and car audio/video installs
Not quite sure but if your original ground has a decent amount of resistance in it, would it not be possible that leaving it in there would create a ground loop?
I have always I guess done a big 4. Do what you did in the big 3 but added a ground from my engine block to the frame. My side post negative terminal had a thick wad of wires coming from it. 3 (0) gauge and then the factory ground wires. Was actually thinking about putting in a ground from the cab to the frame. That way everything is grounded good
thanks for one of the best, simplest and clear video of a big 3 upgrade...as inexpensive, fast and easy as these are to do I can't believe its not always the first thing people do in their install....guess its not as sexy as showing off a bunch of cheap, weak sounding subs to your audio ignorant "intercity youth" homie Keep up the helpful videos, the more car audio 101 level subjects are what most people need to know the most about yet know the least
Lol, doing this to my car within the next 2 weeks hopefully, new 320 amp is coming in and doing the wire upgrades all throughout, am excited and a bit nervous not to screw it up lmao
EXOcontralto I got the 3800 motor to where do I do the battery ground? I have a really short wire going from negative to wall right next to battery will that black wire be the negative? The wire is maybe 8 inches long maybe shorter
Awesome video, but i have a question......How do you do the big 3 upgrade if your battery is in the boot from factory? Do you have to run 1 gauge from front to back?
As usual exo you've done it again very well explained my basshead brother a big thumbs up I've been subscribed to both your channels well the original for 3-1/2 years and when you went with a second channel i subbed as well i hope one day we can meet up and get to sit in each others rides mine is nothing like frankie but once i get all my surgeries done and over with i want to do a big build i wish i could have you help me with it that would be awesome i never miss a vid bro :)
Question: the bat to the alt with the 0g is fused. Makes sense, high power, if issue arises the fuse will protect. But by keeping the stock wire, that path will be next in flow. Is there a fuse in the OEM pathway from alt to bat? One should confirm this and add one if not. If the fuse pops on the 0g so the electricity doesn't melt the OEM wire and fry down the line.
I have ran 2/0 from: Engine - to chassis - Battery - to chassis - Alternator + to battery + Should I still do a run from battery negative to alternator chassis?
So basically 1 positive and 2 grounds...? If using those hammer crimped connectors, why need such heavy wire as that's way more than what would go threw the connector?
On my vehicle, the alternator connects to the starter and the starter connects to a 300 amp fuse block at the battery. Instead of trying to trace the wire to the starter then to the battery, could I just run a new wire from the alternator directly to the battery and leave the stock alternator to starter wiring? If so, do you have any recommendations on this process? Should I install an additional inline fuse between the alternator and battery? My 240 mechman amp just arrived and I want to complete all the underhood work at one time.
Are you leaving the original wire on after the bigger alternator? I'm asking because on my car the wire goes from the alternator to a fuse box then to the battery, and it would be a real bitch to have to replace all of that
Anthony Owens Hi, Yes, You can leave the Stock thin wiring in place.. That's how I did it when i first did big3 on a civic.. Now a dif car, I saw some doing it alt to fuse box, then fuse box to batt, and thought, heck I'll do the same. It is a ibtch and pricier, as you gotta buy more wiring (0ga for me) and gotta cut down the wire terminals to fit the fuse box (I managed to do it w/4ga ring terminals, it's gonna be harder to do so w/0ga terminals.. ) - Stock wire u can cut end terminals n add it to your multi input batt post, or add a side ring and keep the stock batt terminal.
I have a 5th gen Camaro and then battery is in the truck. Will the long ground and power lines from the battery to alternator be an issue being so long?
Exo do you have a video of how you ran the 0 gauge wire on that impala???? I have the same car and I'm trying to figure out how to run a true 0 gauge wire
I havnt got to instal my subs yet but I feel like when connecting wires to my engine/frame to ground, I will somehow instead charge the vehicle, and therefore electrocute myself when I touch the car 🤷🤔
I don't use fuse on the charge wire, I don't think it's necessary but prolly isn't a bad thing to do. Are u gonna make a video showing how to ground ur secondary battery that's gonna be in the trunk? I want to see how u get to the frame from inside of trunk. I'm scared to cut a hole in my Tahoe to run my grounds.
Hey EXO! Great video. I have a 99 Ford expedition and want to do the big 3 upgrade. The default charging cable from the alt to battery runs through a junction on the passenger side before reaching the battery. Is it ok to run a 0 gauge directly to the battery?
Is there a big 3 kit for cars that have the battery under the rear seat what can I do for that since the wire is going to have to be longer also there's a thing to hook jumper cables under the hood will I need to do anything with that
Question: When connecting the ground wires to the battery, did you secure both grounds together without any separation between the ring terminals? Thank You
Just finished the Big 3 on my vehicle last Saturday. It is a great upgrade to any vehicle. All that extra current flow helps with cranking and ignition as well as getting more amps to the battery in a shorter time. Watch the video and do it.
I have my subs and amp power coming from the front battery, when I put the bass up my lights on dash board dim will this upgrade help me in my situation ?
Great job! I like to use dielectric grease on all my connections , just so they don't rust or corrode in time. Especially living in New England with the winter road salt.
Great advice sir.
Cobra Kia will never die! 🐍
I just finished this upgrade and I used dielectric grease too
Best big 3 upgrade video I have seen man good job!!
Im so glad that I found your channel. We have practically the same vehicle which made this extremely easy to follow along. Im very glad you were the one to explain this. You do a very good job on your content.
This is the easiest diy explanation I've watched on YT
its amazing how much that big 3 upgrade actually helps the system. proper grounding for amps and batterys are too the thing to keep in mind with building a system. great video again EXO!
Watch how to measure ground resistance for maximum power
EXO thank you for the training. Your vids are easy to follow, your personality and attitude make watching your channel a pleasure.
thanks so much , i have a 2000 watt system in my 95 Suburban and headlights where dimming so bad when bass hitt . but now its perfect!
That is pretty interesting, but what really helped me on my wiring was to run positive and negative cables straight back to my amp instead of bolting to ground. That helped my dimming lights. I'm pretty sure the big three will only make it better.
1 of the best step by step install ever thanks EXO
Agree GO NINERS!!!
Thank you for explaining this clear and simple ,good teacher even the ones who cant pay attention should understand this how to video
Your vid of the big 3 that you did on your van,oh yeah the van, was the FIRST video of yours I ever watched. Here we are years later and your still making em' and I'm still watching em'.Outstanding work over the years man. Thanks for the good times EXO!
I love the 3800 series motor easy as hell to work on
Yeah no doubt man:) I have a 3800 Bonneville. Sickest engine ever! :D
I like the 5.7's
Its a good thing theyre easy to work on you gotta work on em often
The 3800 are one of the best engines GM has made, Thus why they call them lifetime motors. They run 300K miles easily if taken care of. Wife has a grand prix for 13 years now and still runs like a new. .
Thank you EXO I kept hearing about this"big three" but never knew what it really was. I'm new to audio
Hope you've made a great journey these last 6 years!
There were a bunch of video options on how to do Big 3 but when I saw you had one up I knew which one to watch 🤙🏽 thanks for all the great videos
The end thing he does is what got me hooked on this guys videos they are fun to learn how de does stuff
After you did the big 3 do you just run a power wire to the back to power the amp
Yes from your positive post on the battery
Let me just say your videos are killer. Your hilarious and you know what your taking about. Appreciate all the hard work man.
Can't wait to see this system once it is finished! Keep up the awesome work EXO!
HEY BROTHER I APPRECIATE YOU FOR THIS VIDEO! I DID MINES AND NOW IM GETTING GOOD POWER TO MY AUDIO! THANK YOU BROTHER
You make it look to easy. Keep that great stuff coming.
yeah My Bonneville has the battery under the backseat....so doing the big 3 takes more wire. on the flip side... running the 0 guage from the back battery to the alternator requires no firewall drilling because the grommet for the stock power wire is nice and fat and already supplied by GM
it looks like you connected the fuse block to the battery twice. is that right? You said to go from the alternator positive to the fuse and then the fuse to the positive battery. It looks like you connected both ends of the fuse to the battery. Am I missing something or is that how its supposed to be done?
where those booties at
Loved the video you said you didn’t have to remove your existing body ground you just added another one
Love how you work bro. I don't get to say that to many people.
Great build! Keep it up man I'm with you every step of the way!
Thanks EXO. For explaining the correct way.
nicee vid! i feel like this one goes more in depth than the older vid, thanks Exo!
Do you have to add a fuse for the power wire of the alternator? Every kit that I’ve seen does not come with one.
Great video, I saw someone use a 200a fuse for their classic car, not sure how old it was. I have a 1989 Chevy k1500 with a new alternator and was wondering what size amp I should use.
This big 3 video is much better than your old one.
Oh, one thing I would have liked to have seen you use dielectric grease on the connections, a $0.99 pack which are right by the check out at any auto parts store will go a long way or better yet Parts Express has plenty of different sprays and greases to clean and protect electrical connections of all kinds...I get all kinds of great install from them for both home and car audio/video installs
Not quite sure but if your original ground has a decent amount of resistance in it, would it not be possible that leaving it in there would create a ground loop?
Quick question I hope somebody can answer me. Q: Do you need a second battery to do this or can you just do this with only one?
What was the battery voltage prior to the big 3?
I bet it was still 14
@@BillyBob-os7kr mine was about the same. Gained about 0.3
@@yusufjorgenz5951 stock alternator ?
I have always I guess done a big 4. Do what you did in the big 3 but added a ground from my engine block to the frame. My side post negative terminal had a thick wad of wires coming from it. 3 (0) gauge and then the factory ground wires. Was actually thinking about putting in a ground from the cab to the frame. That way everything is grounded good
I learned a lot of details on system hook up from you. Keep it coming.
EXO You The GOAT!!!!!!! 🤟🏾🤟🏾🤟🏾🤟🏾💯
thanks for one of the best, simplest and clear video of a big 3 upgrade...as inexpensive, fast and easy as these are to do I can't believe its not always the first thing people do in their install....guess its not as sexy as showing off a bunch of cheap, weak sounding subs to your audio ignorant "intercity youth" homie
Keep up the helpful videos, the more car audio 101 level subjects are what most people need to know the most about yet know the least
Lol, doing this to my car within the next 2 weeks hopefully, new 320 amp is coming in and doing the wire upgrades all throughout, am excited and a bit nervous not to screw it up lmao
Definitely will try this technique because I put an aftermarket radio in my 🚗 and it's whiny like a new born baby!! The struggle is real
nice job man. looks good
Do you have to put a fuse for the power wire to the power alt? or can you just run the wire without the fuse.
You can do it without a fuse, however, if the wire somehow got lose and touched ground, the wire would cause a serious fire.
Using a fuse is almost always recommended for the big 3
If the wire got loose and you had a fuse installed with it as well, the fuse would just blow and protect everything else.
Excellent demo!
One thing you could have added to your install is dielectric grease at your connections. This prevents connection breakdown in the future.
OVER not on the connecting surface, this need to be clear haha
Alot better explained than the last video. Thanks for this!
Thanks - You made it simple and easy.
I will be doing mine now!
I see you did a good job with securing all the OFC . What I wanna know is did you notice any improvement on your stereo system?
Crimped with a vice grip..massive hand strength
Why do you need a fuse on the positive side from alternator to positive post on battery?
In case of a short, used to prevent a fire from happening
Just what I was looking for, you the man EXO
After a big 3 upgrade do you still run amp kit the same? So you'll have 2 fuses under the hood? One for amp kit and one for the big 3?
Yes, that's perfect!
EXOcontralto I got the 3800 motor to where do I do the battery ground? I have a really short wire going from negative to wall right next to battery will that black wire be the negative? The wire is maybe 8 inches long maybe shorter
Yes, that's the stock ground wire most likely. You'll just need to SUPPLEMENT it, not replace it.
What about with the alternator positive and ground wires? Replace or Supplement?
By any chance do you remember the length of the wires you used? I have the same car.
I need to know to I have the 02 impala but its still under the same generation. I want to buy some wires but I dont want to be short
Just remove OEM for measurement and follow same path
Damn that was nice and easy, for my big 3 my freaken alternator is behind the engine, pain in the ass it was...
I'm glad I watched this because I would have had done more work than I had to removing the old ground and power wire instead of just adding to.
Nice man, always working as smart as we can :)
This would have been so helpful like 2 months ago when I did the big 3 on my monte carlo lol.
More upgrades to this vehicle please. I got the same vehicle. What else did u do for the set up. Tryna bounce some ideas.
This was an ex-girlfriend's car so unfortunately that won't be happening lol
Is it necessary to fuse the added power wire?
Just to be clear. Are you ADDING wires to the EXISTING wire OR replacing the original/old wires with zero gauge new wire?
👍🏽👍🏽 Good Job A+ Video Bro, Short and Informative 💯🤣
Super awesomely done man!!!!
Thanks, Godspeed1!
Awesome video, but i have a question......How do you do the big 3 upgrade
if your battery is in the boot from factory?
Do you have to run 1 gauge from front to back?
A lot better then the video you did years ago. I believe it was in a station wagon.
Great video. Gonna be doing a bigger install pretty soon and this helps out allot.
How do I do a big 4 UPGRADE to my 2000 dodge Durango 5.2L v8? I want to do it myself
Thought you had to ground to the frame of the car and ground engine block to frame?
How many amps is that stock alternator though, and how much power can you run on it after doing that upgrade?
As usual exo you've done it again very well explained my basshead brother a big thumbs up I've been subscribed to both your channels well the original for 3-1/2 years and when you went with a second channel i subbed as well i hope one day we can meet up and get to sit in each others rides mine is nothing like frankie but once i get all my surgeries done and over with i want to do a big build i wish i could have you help me with it that would be awesome i never miss a vid bro :)
Question: the bat to the alt with the 0g is fused. Makes sense, high power, if issue arises the fuse will protect. But by keeping the stock wire, that path will be next in flow. Is there a fuse in the OEM pathway from alt to bat? One should confirm this and add one if not. If the fuse pops on the 0g so the electricity doesn't melt the OEM wire and fry down the line.
Great man ... I remember your old big 3 video that was helpfull as this one :)
I have ran 2/0 from:
Engine - to chassis -
Battery - to chassis -
Alternator + to battery +
Should I still do a run from battery negative to alternator chassis?
So basically 1 positive and 2 grounds...?
If using those hammer crimped connectors, why need such heavy wire as that's way more than what would go threw the connector?
On my vehicle, the alternator connects to the starter and the starter connects to a 300 amp fuse block at the battery. Instead of trying to trace the wire to the starter then to the battery, could I just run a new wire from the alternator directly to the battery and leave the stock alternator to starter wiring? If so, do you have any recommendations on this process? Should I install an additional inline fuse between the alternator and battery? My 240 mechman amp just arrived and I want to complete all the underhood work at one time.
cheers for the great vid EXO! super helpful
I received my order of a 0 gauge Big 3 kit the lug on the end of the power wire looks to big for the alternator Positive post bolt what should I do🤔
Y didn't you go wit the ground from the front bottom of them motor to the chassis? Or that y u grounded the alternator out?
Are you leaving the original wire on after the bigger alternator? I'm asking because on my car the wire goes from the alternator to a fuse box then to the battery, and it would be a real bitch to have to replace all of that
Anthony Owens Hi, Yes, You can leave the Stock thin wiring in place.. That's how I did it when i first did big3 on a civic.. Now a dif car, I saw some doing it alt to fuse box, then fuse box to batt, and thought, heck I'll do the same. It is a ibtch and pricier, as you gotta buy more wiring (0ga for me) and gotta cut down the wire terminals to fit the fuse box (I managed to do it w/4ga ring terminals, it's gonna be harder to do so w/0ga terminals.. ) - Stock wire u can cut end terminals n add it to your multi input batt post, or add a side ring and keep the stock batt terminal.
Anthony Owens Just hook them back up. The other wires plus your stock just equals even better current..
Love your videos man.
I have a 5th gen Camaro and then battery is in the truck. Will the long ground and power lines from the battery to alternator be an issue being so long?
What about the ground from alternator to body/neg battery terminal? Haven't found good info on this. I heard it helps in various ways?
Hey EXO, i like your Video´s ! Big Thumps up from Germany ! Geets Siggi
Would this be beneficial for a small 5 channel and one 12" sub? How about a resetable fuse instead of a replaceable?
Exo do you have a video of how you ran the 0 gauge wire on that impala???? I have the same car and I'm trying to figure out how to run a true 0 gauge wire
I havnt got to instal my subs yet but I feel like when connecting wires to my engine/frame to ground, I will somehow instead charge the vehicle, and therefore electrocute myself when I touch the car 🤷🤔
I don't use fuse on the charge wire, I don't think it's necessary but prolly isn't a bad thing to do. Are u gonna make a video showing how to ground ur secondary battery that's gonna be in the trunk? I want to see how u get to the frame from inside of trunk. I'm scared to cut a hole in my Tahoe to run my grounds.
Bam, Baby! Bam Bam! Thanks bro! Great video! ima do this to my 2009 Acura TSX
great informative video man. makes it very easy to understand. youre the man
So if I add on thicker gauge wires then I don't have to upgrade the alternator or battery??? Or do I still have to upgrade them?
so do you leave the 2 negative wires hanging until the power wire and fuse are installed? and then bolt them to the battery?
hook everything up thats positive then you connect the negatives back up hence why you take the negative off first to keep from frying anything
I'm exp volt drop. I did + batt to + alt, -batt to -ground block bolt on alt, then - alt bracket to -chassis.
I watched this video a while ago and ever since I’ve been using that razor blad method to strip wire
very nice installation EXO :D
Can I just go from the positive post on the alternator to the positive post on the under hood fuse box instead of the battery?
Hey EXO! Great video. I have a 99 Ford expedition and want to do the big 3 upgrade. The default charging cable from the alt to battery runs through a junction on the passenger side before reaching the battery. Is it ok to run a 0 gauge directly to the battery?
Do you base the fuse size on the wires size or alternator amps or both? I'm using 1/0 gauge wires as well with a 300A fuse for a 120 amp alternator.
Did you test voltage prior to your PERFECT install? If it was equal, aren’t we just building redundancy here?
Thank you for the very simple and easy steps to follow... sad my batterybis on the other side.. i own a 04 sebring sedan
. Any ideas of ground...
Is there a big 3 kit for cars that have the battery under the rear seat what can I do for that since the wire is going to have to be longer also there's a thing to hook jumper cables under the hood will I need to do anything with that
Great video...thanx for showing the proper details
You know it! Glad you enjoyed the video :)
Question: When connecting the ground wires to the battery, did you secure both grounds together without any separation between the ring terminals? Thank You