is there any place on the firewall that has an opening for the power cord? because i don't want to drill.

 

maybe look around for a rubber circle that would be covering a hole..

 

It depends on what size power cord you're talking about. I'm sure you can find a spot to stuff some 10 AWG through, but if it's 4 AWG or bigger... then forget about it.

Drilling through the firewall (or better yet the kick panel) is not difficult, nor is it time consuming.

 

I have installed 2ga, adn 4ga wire into Camaros, and you will have to drill. For passenger side battery, the best place is behind the kickpanel, and drivers side battery, near the relays, by the brake fluid container.

 

u dont need to drill, theres a hole by the pedals on the driverside, dunno if it has a rubber groment there or not but the whole is large enuff to run 4g wire thru.

 

If it doesn't have a grommet you're asking for trouble.

I'd like to see if somebody can snap me a picture of this hole, because none of my thirdgens had a hole big enough for anything bigger than 12 AWG.

Plus, for the sake of drilling 1 hole, you get to run the wire through the kick panel and in addition to having a shorter length of wire, you get to avoid the spaghetti mess under the hood... unless you like that sort of stuff.

 

I agree with Jim, one of the most important rules to running power wires is to keep it as short as possible. If you start running power wire all over the engine compartment you will drop the power handling capabilities of the wire not to mention you risk picking up all kinds of noise on the line from the motor. There is a perfect spot behind the passenger side kickpanel to run you power wire. I slotted an existing hole there and run three strands of 4awg through it. I prefered that over running one big 1/0awg cable. I have a picture at home that I wll post later.

 

i drilled.......

 

You definitely wanna drill, and get a grommet for it. I learned that the hard way when I put in my first system. Ended up going down the road, and a whole s**tload of sparks came out from where the wire was going through.

 

I drilled a hole in my firewall right threw the drivers side, perfect fit for the wire, and I mean really perfect, right straight to the back, premo job done by my bro!

 

With a grommet I assume?

 

We tried a wood drilling tip that didnt work, so we took a metal one.

 

What about using silicon instead of a grommet? As long as it surrounds the wire and does not allow it to rub against the hole, right?

 

I can figure out what a gromet is, but where would I get one? I'm pretty new to car audio, so please don't laugh.

 

grommets are actually a pain in the *** to find. You can get a package at a parts store that usually comes with 10 sizes you don't need and 1 size that you do need. Sometimes car audio shops have them. Well, actually, they always have them, but getting them to sell you one is a different story.

Anyway, as for silicone... I sure as hell wouldn't chance it. Just smearing silicone around isn't going to ensure that the wire doesn't rub the metal. With a good-fitting grommet it keeps the wire safely away from the metal. There's NO reason to half-*** it. It's not like grommets are expensive.

 

Click on the pic.

 

As neet as that thing is, I don't like it for 2 reasons. First reason is that you have an exposed 12-volt surface that can get bunked, and the second is that you wind up with 2 more terminals in the path to add resistance and potential corrosion. A straight wire run is always your best alternative, at least from an electrical standpoint.

 

I did it by running the cord through the fender and then through the door, is this any good or should i do it anouther way?

 

no thats actually the easiest way of doing it.
running it by ur fender and door
I know a lot of people who do that.

 

It's also a good way to burn your car to the ground. Running the wire through the door opening subjects it to a TON of chafing and bending. It's lazy and dangerous, and I'm sure I'll get flamed for saying it because I always do, but anybody that's too lazy to drill a hole should stick to clock radios or pay somebody that knows what they're doing.

 

ahahah, you idiot.


j/k man :P i agree 100%.

 

Yea..... if you don't know what you're doing.

IMO, it's MUCH safer than running a wire as big (or bigger) as 4 ga. through metal with only a grommet protecting it. A little inconvenience for safety is OK to me.

If it's put in the proper spot, and covered accordingly (which I've done many times) it's the best way. No different than the way GM used all the weather pack connectors for under the hood. You just have to think ahead and cover it with a plastic 'box' and locate it somewhere that doesn't get a lot of 'foot action'.

 

Just run it through the stock hole behind the passanger kick panel. It has the antina running through it and it wont cut the wire.

 

One thing I noticed missing from all these informative posts is the fuse. Surely every last one of you put a fuse in your heavy duty wire as soon as it left the battery! If you did, and your silicone/grommet/bulkhead terminal happened to fail, you would have no fears of losing a car, only your tunes for a few minutes. Maybe you should read some of the posts in "What NOT to do when working on your car" I learned it the hard way. I've tried each of those methods and still had a problem eventually, untill I started putting fuses everywhere.

 

I know what I'm doing, but thanks for the vote of confidence. "Only" a grommet is plenty. The grommet simply keeps everything from moving, so the wire can never come in contact with the metal. It's 100% safe when done properly. If you use the right size grommet in the right sized hole, it will never chafe through unless you've got a gorilla tugging at the wire all day long.

I see no reason to put another break in the wire and drive up the resistance when there's another method that's just as safe. That's not to say that your method isn't safe when done correctly, but any time you've got another connection, especially under the hood, you're just asking for headaches.

Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, but for my applications, the grommet method has less drawbacks.

 

I didn't mean "YOU" per say.

Calm down.

 

Was that directed at me, per say, or should I just assume that it's another general comment put forth for the better good?

 

is the way i did it fine the way it is, and just leave it alone or tired to find another way or just drill
I have had serveral different answers and was wondering if it is any good?

 

I would change it if I were you. As Jim stated, you can run into lots of problems. The funny thing is if you run it through the door and "do it right" it takes the same amount of time and effort to drill a hole and do the the right way.

Brian

 

Yes it was directed toward you. Why are you so hostile?

I was simply showing another method someone can use. Why do you have to try to bash it?

Back on topic.

I'd redo it. If you choose to use a grommet, use a hard plastic one, not rubber. 4 ga is very unforgiving. It's thick stuff, and if you're making tight bends with it, it becomes that much more determined to find metal to come in contact with.

By using the item that I've shown, it's much easier to make smooth transitions in direction. It allows clean, cooperative 90* bends that made much smoother runs under the carpet up near the firewall. To me, it gives me some 'piece of mind' knowing I don't ever have to worry about the insulation becoming cut. Plus it just looks cleaner IMO.

I'm not saying it's the only way. There are perks to every method, as well as some drawbacks. Just do what's easier for you, but is still safe.

 

I never got hostile. I disagreed with you and I pointed out why. We're all entitled to our opinions, but don't expect me to stick my thumb up my *** while people explain why they think their way is best. I'm going to explain why I think it isn't. Then the reader can chose whatever suits his needs best.

If you think what I said initially was hostile, you REALLY need to chill out. It wasn't hostile, it was disagreement. Deal with it, because it happens a lot here. It doesn't mean that I have a problem with you, it just means that I disagree.

 

You're mocking me. That's unnecessary and can easily be taken as hostile.

hos•tile

Pronunciation: (hos'tl or, esp. Brit., -tIl), [key]
—adj.
1. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of an enemy: a hostile nation.
2. opposed in feeling, action, or character; antagonistic: hostile criticism.
3. characterized by antagonism.
4. not friendly, warm, or generous; not hospitable.


You're extensive experience with car audio does not give you the right to make sarcastic comments toward MY experience nor my opinion. It's rude.

A more appropriate response would have been "Sorry. I took that as you were implying that I didn't know what I was doing. Sorry for the confusion."

I pointed out that the first comment ... “Yea..... if you don't know what you're doing” was not directed toward you. Then you come back with ..... “I know what I'm doing, but thanks for the vote of confidence.” even after I told you that it was not directed at you. It was a general “you” as in the person installing the equipment. I guess you don’t see that.
3. characterized by antagonism.

And you're right. We don't have to agree on everything. Nobody does. I simply pointed out the advantages of using what I showed IF it's done right. I even wrote "IMO". That's just my opinion, nothing more.

 

Actually maybe I should be the one to appologize.

Sorry. I wasn't insinuating that you don't know what you're doing.

 

Jesus dude. You REALLY need to chill out. I wasn't mocking you, I was responding to your uncalled-for "calm down" comment.

How do you make it through life if you can't even make it through a car stereo disagreement?

Are you serious with this stuff? You're really expecting me to blow sunshine up your *** and sugar coat my response just so it can be politically correct and non offensive? Forget it. That's not me.
I replied to a comment that appeared to be directly aimed at me. If you can't word it well enough to sufficiently convey your point, that's not my fault. All comments after that were in response to your replies. Do you really want to step through this useless bullsh*t one line at a time or can you just let it drop? You're wasting my time.

Keep whatever opinion you want of me. It's of no concern to me, but I'm not going to keep carrying on with this childish discussion. You obviously think I'm the anti-christ because I speak my mind instead of using all that good information I learned in my sensitivity training classes. Just don't patronize me with your personal issues. I want to talk about audio, not Webster's interpretation and pronunciation of adjectives.

 

Oops. Didn't see this before my last rant. You don't need to apologize... just drop it and life can go on for both of us. I don't expect everybody to agree with me, I just expect them not to get bent when I don't agree with them. I wasn't slinging personal insults at you, I was replying to your comments in the same "spirit" in which I interpreted them.

There are going to be plenty of times when disagreements crop up on this board. It's useless to turn it into a personal attack. It makes both sides look foolish and accomplishes nothing. HOWEVER, a good debate between people with different opinions can lead to a lot of very useful information for everybody that's reading it. That's the joy of disagreement. It's an educational opportunity

 

Thanks for clearing that up for everyone.