upgrading alternator

[shortchevy84]

i have a stock alternator, and when i turn up the 792 watt amp, i notice the voltage drop when the bass hits, and also when stereo is not loud, and i crank the heater to full, it dims for a second and then goes back to normal. anyway, i want to upgrade alternator to i believe it was a 90 amp?? doesn't much matter. but i just want to know if i can upgrade alternator without screwing up anything. i have 84 v8, so no computer stuff to burn up. i just want to make sure that when i buy a new one, i'm not gonna break something else. thanks

[jhonijim]

the voltage drop is normal when u turn somthing on and as for the amp all u need is a capacitor

[shortchevy84]

i was thinking of throwing in another battery, as i seem to have a few spare decent batteries in my garage that are just going to waste. canadian tire seems to have a little dual battery connecter thingy, i think it was some sort of a heat disperser or something, but it seemed to be the easiest way to hook up 2 batteries. i'm assuming that extra battery would definitely help the power drain. yes?

[Redneckchevys]

You can buy A capacitor for the amp ....dont need 2 battiers...just the capacitor Thats what its made for ...thare like 70 bucks and u get a cleaner bass  

[redrum4441]

yes you can get the dule battery hook up.. i did this with a friend we had one deep cycle marine battery for the subs and a norm red top for the truck itself   woorks good

[SUX2BU99]

You're talking about a dual-battery isolator. Probably not a bad idea if you want to have one dedicated for just the stereo.  

A 1 Farad cap can help but only to an extent. If you like to listen to something like rap with long bass notes, the cap will drain quickly and won't be of use. Something to think of before buying a cap or even upgrading the battery (which sometimes does wonders) is upgrading your existing wiring and making sure all the grounding points are clean. I did this and noticed over 1/2 a volt increase. I was going to buy a new chrome 100 amp alternator but did this instead and was happy with the improvement.

[swc204]

Caps don't really do much other than maybe help for a split second with the voltage drop. Battery's just put more strain on the alternator and are kinda useless unless you compete or listen to your system with the truck off. A new high output alternator is the best way to keep a constant voltage which makes your amplifier put out more power. If you get a new alternator i highly suggest you do the big three upgrade.

big three upgrade: forums.caraudio.com/vb/sh...p?t=124175
it might even solve your voltage drop and help with the dimming of your lights if that happens

high output alternators:   www.excessiveamperage.com/

what amp do you have now? if you plan on anytime upgrading your system to a bigger more power full setup i would suggest getting a 180-200 amp alt. also upgrade your power and ground wires to 1/0 or a minimum 4 gauge. Remember your grounds have to be bigger of the same size as your power wires.