In its stock form, your truck's electrical system is designed to create enough amperage to power your vehicle and its electric components. It quickly falls short, however, when you add items like aftermarket lighting, a winch, an electric air compressor or a highly amplified audio system. This is because all of these things draw electrical power, rated in amperes, and the sum of the draw can easily exceed the amperage that your stock system is capable of producing. The result can be a dead battery, or worse: Most engine-management computers in new vehicles are programmed to shut the vehicle down when voltage dips below a set point.
We had to address these issues because Project Fiery Redhead is eventually going to receive a plethora of amp-sucking upgrades, including a winch, full perimeter lighting, a powerful electric air compressor and audio upgrades, among many other things. With this in mind, we wanted to ensure that we had enough headroom in our truck's electrical system to easily power each and every electrical addition, even in the unlikely event that all of them were on at the same time.
The best way to do this is to upgrade the stock battery to dual batteries and the stock alternator to a high-output unit. We began by installing Wrangler NW Power Products Dual Battery Tray. This ingenious heavy-duty steel tray allows side-by-side fitment of dual batteries in our F-150's stock battery location. We also used the company's Dual Battery Manager, which gives us a variety of options as to which battery we draw from and which battery receives a charge. Filling the tray is a pair of Optima Yellow Top batteries with top and side posts. We like these batteries because of their higher, more consistent voltage under load, increased vibration resistance, rapid recharge capability and the fact that they are totally maintenance-free. We chose dual-post batteries because the side posts will give us convenient auxiliary mounting points for all of the electrical peripherals that will come later.
Charging the batteries is a beefy Mean Green alternator. Its long list of upgrades include a tool-steel rotorshaft that's supported at both ends by heavy-duty double-sealed bearings, insulated heavy-duty copper starter windings and a heat-resistant multi-function integrated regulator. Best of all, this powerhouse can generate a maximum 220 amps. Finally, we want to know what's going on under the hood, so we installed an easy-to-read Nordskog digital voltmeter in an easy-to-install Pro Pods Full Pillar Gauge Pod so we can monitor the exact main battery voltage at all times.
The stopwatch said that it took about 41/2 hours for Matt Dinelli at Attitude Performance in Arlington Heights, Illinois to completely install the aforementioned components. While the following install notes cover our F-150 application, they will also reflect what you can expect when you install these components on your vehicle.
1: To install the Dual Battery...
1: To install the Dual Battery Tray, disconnect the battery cables and remove the stock battery. Remove the 6mm and 8mm bolts that hold the factory battery tray and lift out the old tray. Save the 8mm bolts--you'll reuse them.
2: The new Dual Battery Tray...
2: The new Dual Battery Tray will accept a pair of either Group 65 or Optima batteries. If you're using Optima batteries, you'll need to attach the supplied Optima Fit Kit because they're smaller than the Group 65. Installation simply requires using pop rivets to attach two special brackets to the bottom of the tray. If you wish, you can also use one Optima and one Group 65 by attaching only one of the brackets to the new tray. If you're using Group 65 batteries, instructions are given as to how to relocate the air-vent canister on the inner fenderwell to make room for the larger batteries.
3: Unlatch the wire ties securing...
3: Unlatch the wire ties securing the OE wiring harness located on the inner fender alongside the tray end and reroute the wires under the tray. Then simply bolt the new tray in place using the factory 8mm bolts and a pair of bolts supplied with the kit.
4: It's a tight fit on the...
4: It's a tight fit on the inner fenderwell, so you'll need to relocate the OE negative cable body-ground pigtail connection to the radiator support area. Use the rectangular slot on the motor side of the radiator support approximately 81/2 inches from the fender side. Use the supplied PEM bolt to ground the pigtail to the new location.
5: Place the batteries in...
5: Place the batteries in the new tray with the terminals facing each other. It is important that they are positioned this way to facilitate the electrical connections that come later.
6: Tip in the supplied "L"...
6: Tip in the supplied "L" bolts, making sure the "L" bolt with the tie wrap goes in the center position. Position the hold-down bar to engage all three "L" bolts and tighten using the supplied nylon washers and wing nuts. Install the isolation relay for the Battery Management System on the two studs that protrude from the hold-down bar. Then install the battery cables per the included instructions.
7: With the battery tray and...
7: With the battery tray and relay in place, install the four Battery Manager control harness wires as specified in the instructions.
8: Route the Dual Battery...
8: Route the Dual Battery Manager harness underhood, avoiding any areas where it could be pinched or melted. Find a suitable location to pass it through the firewall. Mount the Battery Manager switch under the dash and connect the harness to the switch.
9: Using the supplied power...
9: Using the supplied power tap, connect the red/green wire from the Battery Manager harness to a keyed ignition source. Make sure the source is on in the run position only.
10: To install the Mean Green...
10: To install the Mean Green alternator, begin by ensuring that the negative cable is still disconnected from the battery. Remove the wire connections from the alternator and remove the upper and lower mounting bolts which attach the alternator to the bracket. Remove the stock alternator.
11: Here you can see the difference...
11: Here you can see the difference between the stock alternator (right) and the Mean Green alternator. You'll find that it's quite a bit heavier than the stock unit, indicating its beefier internal components. This alternator is used for a couple of other Ford applications, so we had to re-index the alternator case 180 degrees so it would install in our F-150.
12: The OE Ford nylon alternator...
12: The OE Ford nylon alternator plug is known to suffer from a loose fit, and this often results in the piece shorting out and catching on fire. Mean Green provides new connectors that eliminate the nylon stab-in connector. The first step to making the connections is to cut off the OE nylon plug.
13: Strip the wire ends to...
13: Strip the wire ends to fit into butt connectors and solidly crimp. Slide heat-shrink tubes over the connections and heat them until they cover the connections completely.
14: The Mean Green alternator...
14: The Mean Green alternator case is slightly larger than the OE case, so we had to grind a small amount of the aluminum OE mounting bracket both at the base and the top mounting ear to create enough room for the alternator to install.
15: Install the alternator...
15: Install the alternator using the two mounting bolts and reattach the serpentine belt. Reconnect the negative battery cable and start the vehicle. Let it idle for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the voltage to stabilize. Check the voltage and ensure that it's registering approximately 13.5 to 15.1 volts. Stop the engine and re-check belt tension and ensure that the alternator mounting bolts are tight.
16: The Nordskog digital volt...
16: The Nordskog digital volt gauge simply snaps into the Pro Pods A-pillar mount.
17: Since we had already installed...
17: Since we had already installed the Pro Pods Full Pillar Gauge Pod and Nordskog transmission temperature gauge for a previous tech story, we were able to tap into existing power, dimming and ground wires for the Nordskog voltmeter gauge. That meant we only had to run one wire to the battery.
18: The Nordskog voltmeter...
18: The Nordskog voltmeter gauge powers up when we start the vehicle and dims when we turn on the headlights for night driving. We wired it to the main Optima battery so we can monitor its current voltage.
How the Dual Battery Manager Works
In the normal Dual On mode, our vehicle's starter draws power from the main battery, the Mean Green alternator charges both batteries and the batteries are isolated from each other with the ignition off. In the Dual Off mode, the vehicle's starter still draws power from the main battery, but only the main battery is charged and the auxiliary battery is completely disconnected from the main battery. This setting allows us to totally disconnect the auxiliary battery from the system should it become dead or shorted. Finally, the Emergency mode connects both batteries together with the ignition off or on.
An example of one of the cool things about the Dual Battery Manager is that with the switch set to the normal Dual On mode, we could totally drain our main Optima battery by using our soon-to-come full perimeter lighting with the engine off, and then instantly start the vehicle using the Emergency mode to draw starting power from the fully-charged auxiliary battery. The powerful Mean Green alternator would quickly recharge the main Optima battery, too.
So, Who's the Redhead?
We found project Fiery Redhead at Shults Auto Sales in Crystal Lake, Illinois, reposed in all of her splendor in one of the back rows behind the more popular extended-cab and four-door pickups. Sales Associate Bryan Cooper (who we were pleased to learn is an avid Four Wheeler reader and 4x4 enthusiast who actually got married in Moab), gave us the lowdown and a sweet deal on this lady.
When we set out to find a new project truck, our criteria were simple. We didn't want the initial investment to top $4,000, and whatever we bought had to be a fullsize, V-8-powered pickup. This docile, bone-stock '92 F-150 fit the bill. Over the next several months we will completely transform this stocker into a true multi-tasking pickup. When completed, it will exhibit above-average off-highway capability and durability while retaining its ability to put in a hard day's work in the real world. It is also being designed to display pleasing day-to-day driveability and, in these times of fluctuating fuel prices, return decent fuel mileage.
After a few weeks of working the Redhead around the Four Wheeler Midwest Bureau and Farm, we soon found that the she has an attitude that's representative of her name. After a particularly long day of hauling hay, she effectively put her hands on her hips and stomped her foot at the work we were asking her to do. Then she began spitting out parts. So we're going to enroll her in the Four Wheeler Performance Program and tone her up.