3000watt Inverter Install w/2ea optima Yeller tops

[rabidbandit]

Project Mobile Power officially underway:D

Yesterday I picked up a Vector (VEC051D) 3000watt power inverter to replace the smaller 800watt to run welders and other high draw powertools. I currently have a yellow top for the front @870ca in a group 78 style for the winch/compressor and normal starting duties. I also picked up two smaller yellow tops each around 575ca (D51 style) but a much smaller footprint @9.5x5x8in. (like something you'd find in a honda).

The goal here is to run 0/2 AWG POS and NEG from the main and parallel the smaller batts under the rear where the spare tire goes. I made some extra room by ditching the fullsize spare in favor of a 17in. (5in. wide vs. 10.5in.) doughnut from a firebird. I have to fab up the tray that will allow the 575ca batts to lay flat and be bolted in place. The 00 AWG heavy main power leads (0/2 AWG big stuff!!!) going from front to rear of the vehicle will have a 600amp continuous duty solenoid that serves as a break to isolate the main from the aux batteries that's switched from a position up front. For circuit breakers...I chose two 150A breakers for the two 2 AWG power wires that will feed the inverter (yes, it has 2ea 2 AWG POS and 2 NEG for inputs:eek: ). Added as well, a set of quick disconnect 400amp plugs (used on detachable winches and battery banks) in the front bumper and rear bumper for jumper cables and other high current apps. All in all...I'll add about 100lbs to the truck with the addition on the inverter, batteries/rack, and power cables. I'll run a bypass for the 300amp battery isolator to charge the aux and main batteries at the same time. 95% of the time...I'll just use the main battery up front...but at the flip of a switch...bam!...three batteries in parallel with a combined 2020ca and about 131amp/hr discharge:D So...lots more work ahead. Pics coming soon;)

['94 Big Blaze]

SWEET!!!!

and we need pics ofcourse...:D

[bespurcell]

Can't wait to see some pics.

[lucy_blue_93]

PICS PICS PICS!!!

[rabidbandit]

Well...wiring is a royal B****...trying to tuck that big crap around the bottom end has put me in my place. I'm determined though....so far this project has drained me of $349 for the inverter, $200 in wiring, $320 for the batteries, $180 for the 300amp ISO, $89 for the 600amp solenoid, $120 for the two 150a breakers, and some metal...little welding, and lots 'O Love and Paitence!!!:D I have to work the Mcguire Airshow this weekend...so no worky on the truck:( Managed to get remote start/security system installed...the viper 7900 with their cool little color OEL transponder:p Freakin loaded with features...definatly not a do-it yourselfer...4 modules total including the passlock 2 bypass. But she works as advertised! I'll tally up this little build soon...spent more than I wanted too...but pretty sure this is the last project for a while;) Ya'll have a good weekend...I'll post some pics when I actually get some batteries tucked up in there...just looks like a mess right now:) Eventually...I'll have to throttle back some...the other half is going to catch on when I start cutting back on her dinner dates...LOL!...then all hell will break loose!:D

['94 Big Blaze]

lol sounds fun

man i can't wait to start outfitting my truck with all this good stuff...

i had the same stuff in mind as your doing and then some...

[rabidbandit]

Here are a few pics with some of the equipment I'm using...such as the two optima yellow tops, continuous duty solenoid, two 200amp breakers for the inverter, and of coarse the massive inverter! There is alot more to this kit...but still waiting on my two kicker 1/0 Gauge installation kits (yeah 2/0 was ridiculous to bend and manuver through the chassis) so I opted for the slightly smaller gauge but still consists of smaller 4074 strand wire at about 5/8in. wire core dia. which will make this wiring much easier. Should be in this week:D
More to come....stay tuned;)
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[Mikz86TA]

Dats a big-a$$ inverter

[rabidbandit]

Lol! yeah...the sucker pulls 300amps at full load:eek: A little overkill...but these darn things like you to only use about 3/4 capacity to achieve 87%+ efficiency...otherwise it drops to 82% pretty fast after that due to thermal loses:rolleyes: I'll never exceed about 2200watts...or just enough for the welder:D

[bespurcell]

That's alot of juice.

['94 Big Blaze]

looking awesome man...:D

[rabidbandit]

Got my wiring today...all I can say is wow!...it's alot of heavy wire...kicker has the best powerwire out there! Super flexable and quality fuse blocks and distribution blocks:D I'll throw up some pics here tomorrow of the kit. Found out that I need a 30in. x 10in. x 1/4in. Aluminum plate and I'll use custom battery hold-downs with threaded rods and 6 mounting struts to hang them from the factory cargo holds and the re-inforced sheet metal under the truck. It looks to be pretty straight forward...the 17in. doughnut from the TA works great as far as clearance. Routing all the interconnects are proving fun...but I'm getting a better Idea as I go along. More to follow;)

[rabidbandit]

Here are some pics of the progress:D As you can see...alot of wire! The plate and mounts are all 1/4in. aircraft aluminum...drilled out the spare tire winch hole and it's ready for the doughnut. The batteries are not mounted yet as I need to get some rubber to insulate the batteries from metal to plastic rubbing. There is more room than I thought with the plate in place...I could even go with larger batteries in the future:rolleyes: I start the major wiring on sunday and will have it hopefully done that night! This is going to be sweet!

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[Zygoat]

nice!

[rabidbandit]

The almost finished battery tray:D

Almost found out the hard way installing these turkeys...freakin' had a wire ground out with both paralleled for a split second...scared the **** outta me:eek: As you can see..weather stripping for padding and insulation of the terminals...not to mention the bungies just encase one decides to work loose...added another front mount as well! She fits beautifully...just have to mount the inverter, run the power leads to it, and connect the front battery to the back battery via the 0 AWG wire...hell...just the tray took 6 hours to fab and trail fit everything. I have at least 2in. around anything hot (electrically) and it's really solid as far as being mounted to the frame. More to come...stay tuned:D

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[bespurcell]

Lookin good.

[Zygoat]

freeking awesome! i will probably never do anything like this, (because i dont use that much stuff) but i still love the project. i relocated my batt to the rear and i had fun with that project. even though it took for ever! i grounded that out too! it was an optima red topper, scared the crap out of me too! it put a hole in something metal (i dont remember what but i remember the hole.)


i think the batt on the right (in the pic) the positive cable would look better if it went up and around that cylinder looking thing. just visually tho, you might have a better reason for it being the way it is.

in either case it looks great! keep us up to date.

[rabidbandit]

yeah...it would have looked better with the cable routed else where and the cylinder is the continuous remote solenoid (I flip a switch up front and it connects the front battery to the rear in parallel):) ...but the front 4in. on the plate has to be clear as it bolts under the bumper/frame...didn't want to crowd that area. I still have to mount the 200A breakers and run some more wiring, so I'll still need that space. I drove it all yeasterday...you can tell there is some weight back there now...rides smoother:D The exhaust is moving to in front of the rear wheels because the air bags that I'm installing for load leveling will occupy that space between the leaf and the frame. Best of all...I can use the spare tire winch to raise and lower the battery tray for maint.!!! Who'da thought:)

Much more to come...thinking of installing a message center in the lower counsel for battery conditions and charge/discharge rates:D Niffty little LCD display that will fit perfectly where the old cassette player was!

[Zygoat]

Much more to come...thinking of installing a message center in the lower counsel for battery conditions and charge/discharge rates:D Niffty little LCD display that will fit perfectly where the old cassette player was!

that would be very cool.

['94 Big Blaze]

blows me away man !!

[rabidbandit]

More progress...used the fishtape for this run...alot of heavy wire! I ran it down, inside the frame rail...I'll just have to watch where I drill and put screws in...lol...otherwise...it could get interesting:)
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['94 Big Blaze]

damn son this just keeps getting more interesting everytime you post !!:D

[rabidbandit]

The battery bank is done...just need to mount and connect the inverter! Notice the anderson connectors...sweet:D Warning...lot of pics:cool:
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[Zygoat]

so, you cant really get to the circuit breakers unless you take the whole thing down huh? might be a bit of a hassle should one ever pop.


looks good tho! how much do you think it all weighs?

['94 Big Blaze]

Wow !!

i'd like to see your ending cost when this is done...bet this is getting steep really quick

[rabidbandit]

Nope...I have just enough room on the driver side to slide my arm up and around to reset them...figured this all in when I set the depth. And yes....the total wasn't cheap:p Weight is about 75lbs. I can carry it around pretty easily...which is why I went for aluminum plate and 2x1/4in. angle...steel would have been a pain-in-the-ass for both mounting and weight!

3000w inverter=$349
Optima Yellow tops (2ea)=$300 (Got a deal on them)
Aluminum=Free:)
Hardware from lowes=$48
Kicker wire kits (2ea)=$239
200A Breakers (2ea)=$75
0AWG Battery terminals and interconnects (2ea)=$45
2gauge terminals (4ea)=$30
Continous Duty Solenoid=$89
Anderson Q-disconnects=$60 (1ea 0gauge 350A, 3ea 2gauge 175A)
Grand Total=$1,235 not terrible for what it will do:D

Believe me...this install isn't for the faint of heart...ALOT of paitence and time. The wiring was very critical as far as placement and precautions were taken for shorts and hot spots. If this turkey ever decided to go south...the truck would be a total loss...I'm carrying a nice fire extinguisher as well:rolleyes: I RTV'd all the exposed terminals on the tray to provide not only insulation...but kind of a lock tight for vibration resistance. Should have it done in a few days...been busy and this I want to do right the first time:D

[bespurcell]

How much for the inverter?

[rabidbandit]

LOL!...oh yeah...forgot that part...(added to previous post and total). $349 at Pepboys for the Vector 3000watt (VEC051D) This is the only one that would work cause it's shorter size wise, for the output it produces...all the other ones are freakin 2ft long....this ones it about 13in. but pretty tall at about 8in. It's sits in the passenger rear corner perfect:)

[Bone Crusher]

How many dem der speakers you gots runnin in that truck wif 3000 watts.....j/k

Very nicely done....have you been able to test it with everything installed?

[rabidbandit]

Well...ran into a snag....apparently the Alternators I've been getting in the 250amp version aren't holding up to my power demands:( I opted for a refund and I'm now ditching the AD244 for the 'Ol reliable CS-144:rolleyes: For some reason the damn rectifiers are taking a dump...I think once the underhood temps get up there and the thing is under load...they burn out. One thing I realized is that the diodes in their AD244 250amp version only had a better heatsink...the diodes themselves are the stock units:mad:...so needless to say...I told them after 3 replacements...to refund my money;)

I talked to the boys at Quick Start Inc. and they offered me a CS-144 Dual Rectifier unit with special press-fit diodes mounted in a heavy-duty bridge rectifier. Now typically...your standard unit has 6 diodes and one bridge...this unit will have 12 diodes and two bridges stacked with a common binding post for an ultra-smooth power delievery and no voltage spikes even under extreme heat (which causes most others to produces less power due to thermal losses). It's pretty much what ambulances and service trucks use from the get go. The price jumped a hair too...$259 for the unit I had to about $429...but you get what you pay for!:D I'll post pics of the new alternator tomorrow after she's in...should be pretty sweet:D

[bespurcell]

Sounds sweet but, expensive.

[rabidbandit]

ehh...I was just tired of not having the tools to work with...so On-Board Air, 9500lbs. of Pulling Power, 3000watts of Grid, and a redundent battery system was needed. I love this truck...I'll never sell it and everytime I start it up...I smile...nuff said...LOL! But there are cheaper alternatives to this...I just wanted to customize something that has never been done on an S-series truck...and starting from scratch is expensive...but as long as it gives others ideas to build on and helps them reach their goal. I know it was all worth it:D

[Zygoat]

I'll never sell it and everytime I start it up...I smile...nuff said...


theres the truth of it!!!


very interested in the alt, post some pics

[bespurcell]

Agreed. Definitely a nice build.

[rabidbandit]

Well....here are some more pics:D The first few were the wiring location behind the grill and 2nd fuse box location. The terminals are freakin huge and routing couldn't be better. The switches in the dash are "Green" for the Aux Lighting and "Red" for the battery mode selector.

The "Quick Start" CS-144 Alternator is night and day better than the other one I sent back...this build is premo!!! Note the Dual recitifers (one internal/one external) each rated for 300amps!!!...that's 600amp rating for them in parallel (so there's no confusion, it's still a 250amp Alt...it's just over-built rectifier wise)!!!:eek: Voltage is rock steady and the case is just a touch warm...I can actually put my hand on it....the AD244 would have burnt the crap outta me. The inverter is still not wired up yet....freakin no time lately...I've connected it from under the vehicle and put it under load...runs the welder great....just haven't figured out how to re-inforce the side panel to mount it...maybe some 1/8 aluminum plate...workin' on it though;) More to come:D



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[Zygoat]

nice! looks really good.

now if only we could get upgraded a/c compressors...

[bespurcell]

Very clean install.

[rabidbandit]

And Finally....the inverter installed...woohoo!!!:D I had to make keyholes for the bolt heads and drilled 4ea 1/2 holes complete with grommets. One thing to remember...grab yourself some wire lube from lowes/home depot....the stuff makes pullin' wire a breeze...especially through the grommets. I had to improvise on the gound leads to the inverter...just a touch short on wire length...thankfully I had terminals. The colors don't match up to the norm. mainly because I didn't want to buy more wire. I'll eventually get blue to the positive and gray to the negative down the road. But she works freakin' awesome! The last pic was of the 800watt unit...I'll just leave it in there for a backup;)
Lots of time in this project...but well worth it...nice being on the road and having household power:cool:
Thanks for the comments and motivation these last few weeks:D

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[87wildside]

That's one crazy setup! Looks good, nice wiring job.

[spideyjected]

That is VERY cool. Great job.

[spideyjected]

Doesn't someone make an engine driven generator? I'm pretty sure I saw something about that on Trucks once. However I understand if you buy a GM full size hybrid it comes with outlets in it already.

[bespurcell]

Clean install. Looks vey good.

['94 Big Blaze]

awesome man !!

i can't understand why fords " sport trac " came with electrical outlets but chevy never used it in the 4dr s10's..:confused:

[rabidbandit]

LoL...yeah true...but...the sport trac only has enough for a laptop...I can run an entire kitchen...AHAHAHALOL...3800watts total...yikes:rolleyes: And yes...they do have on-board generators in addition to an alternator...but limited space under the hood and I wanted to still draw 120v even with the motor off...either way I was stuck with an inverter:)

Just think...I'll be the ultimate tailgate buddy...hell with the coolers....bring a fullsize fridge, blender, lights, and some tunes....hehehe:cool: Yesterday I ran a table saw and a 1hp compressor at the same time:eek:....(fired them up one at a time so to not exceed the 6000watt peak)...you could hear the motor drop in revs...that alt loaded up and was kickin out some serious juice to try and break even on the load draw. I could have ran them for about 30min before I saw a drop in voltage across the batteries...then I would have had to turn one off...the load draw from the batteries was about 294amps under load with them together according to my Fluke clamp meter. The winch at full load pulls 462amps...so the inverter is the less of the two evils. I'm very pleased with the outcome...better than I could have possibly imagined, and now....on to the motor:D

[spideyjected]

Again, Very cool!

[rabidbandit]

Thanks!....definately want to see your project come together...used to have an old bronco with the topper...but nothing like that...it's gonna be cool...lots of body mods and fabrication at it's finest...sweeeet;) Good luck!:D

[spideyjected]

Actually it's funny, because part of my long term plans has been to include some sort of larger power inverter. Nothing THAT big, just to run drills, coolers, ect. Your truck definately looks good, and practical!!

['94 Big Blaze]

awesome!!

im thinking about putting a inverter in my truck but the only thing im really gonna run would be a laptop, and mabe some stuff at a tailgate party.:D

[mischievous]

Nice, I'm glad to see this thread. I'm planning on wiring two of the same inverters in mine. I'm going with the 6000 watt model though, LOL! I want to be able to run my PA system. Two will still only run half of it, but none the less, it'll be one hell of a tailgate party!

['94 Big Blaze]

what happen to this guy ?

[BigMoney]

He is in the air force, maybe that's occupying all his time right now.

[rabidbandit]

Yeah....I'm back...sorry....duty called:) Couple months in the sand was fun;) What's up

[Jongo88]

Yeah....I'm back...sorry....duty called:) Couple months in the sand was fun;) What's up
Welcome back.. How you been...

[87wildside]

what happen to this guy ?He was occupying his time thinking how to electrocute you through your nuts.

[Jongo88]

I think he can do it too....:new_micro

[87wildside]

X2

['94 Big Blaze]

LOL!! HEY CHRIS !!

[rabidbandit]

Good to be home! Hey to ya'll too! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year too you ya'll...just incase I bounce in and out;) Saved up for some cool projects with all that hostile fire/tax free moolaa...LOL!....cool projects coming:D ttyl!

[rabidbandit]

I just bumped this up for the guys with alternator questions, figured the CS144 would explain alot in this thread:D She does fit....and still going strong!!!