Heavy Duty Battery Terminal Upgrade (Busbars!)

[@Fetherko]

Radio Interference from ignition could be snubbed with an inductive coil or a ferrite choke. Aftermarket stereos use them. I did this professionally. It paid well, so I retired and hit the trail. I am trying to figure out how to get one more terminal on my stock Silverado. Having fun here. Great video, man!

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

Interesting, I'm used to seeing those on certain electronics, hadn't thought about it for in-vehicle radios. Would you need to install one at both ends of the power wire? Does the type that you'd use vary based on the frequency spectrum of the radio system? (GMRS, Ham, CB, etc.). Cheers!

[@brianmartin7964]

you can also use a small sheet of silicon rubber to cover the battery terminals to prevent contact. Much easier that trying to tuck the pos and neg away.

[@dirtworshiper2800]

Great video. I knew what I needed to do but you cleared some stuff up for me. Thanks so much.

[@Kq4hcuDan]

Im considering getting one since i have a dualband Mobile Transceiver radio and a cb radio

[@davidkay7389]

Nice video. Looking to clean my Jeep engine bay with some bus bars

[@wanderingoglethorpe]

Thanks for the quick video!

[@drvictoria07]

Awesome. It's hard to find one for a side post battery 🔋

[@christopherhendricks4369]

For a side post negative bus you can order side mount terminal from Rockford Fosgate or schoshe. Then connect the bus to that or connect the bus remotely using minimum 8awg .

[@joebenham27]

I’m guessing there must be current running through the brass body of the bus bar. Why is it that we don’t cover that with some kind of insulation to prevent it from being exposed?

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

This is kind of why the comments from some below about using only copper or dielectric grease, while correct in a lab, may not be the best in practice. Brass is stiffer, cheaper, and doesn't require a coating to prevent corrosion from the elements. The length of the bus bar is so short, that the difference in conductivity is barely measurable. We aren't using a 20 foot bus bar. Dialectric grease is best for conductivity, by that's not the only problem posed by vehicle batteries. Gas/fluid leaks are too, and that's what vaseline will help seal out, just don't coat the whole stud, just the bottom. You *could* cover the bus bar it if your engine bay is messy or you or family are clumsy with tools, but it is no different that the two exposed leads on the battery itself. If you arc positive to negative, you're going to get sparks, and possibly a fire. Keep them distanced, and you're a-okay.

[@freakyflow]

Only thing i seen that was off ...Dielectric grease instead of vaseline ( Vaseline is a petroleum-based mixture of minerals with a melting boil of 38° to 54° C (100° to 130° F) Engine temps surpass this every day Dielectric grease you can get in the 500° C ranges Also if the vaseline touches rubber it does draw out moisture in the rubber And makes it brittle ...Wires, Hoses etc The bus bar : If you are getting to a point that you have more than 2 or 3 wires going to your battery a Bus bar may be what is needed However Why would still need to have the bus bar at the battery? I run a Bus bar box off the side of my fender And run 2 main lines into the battery. I am blown away that Jeep V6 has the battery hook ups facing the Engine

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

Yep, I always go dialectric grease, and should not have said that Vaseline would work as well. As for the location, this product was conceived because of a problem that Jeepers have been dealing with for decades: minimal space. Wranglers have always been small, but about 15 years ago the engine compartment really got cramped. There's not really room for a traditional marine-style busbar without changing the position of the battery, which just changes which space is eaten up. There will still be a tradeoff that may make it more difficult or near-impossible to (properly) mount a switch system, for instance. Thanks for the comment!

[@mostlymoparih5682]

Good video. I would say excellent video but you left out where you got you bus bar from? Happy Motoring.

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

😅 You can typically find them for your application at a battery speciality store, but the ones in the video happen to be from Quadratec: www.quadratec.com/products/17004_9001.htm

[@mostlymoparih5682]

@@OverbuiltAdventure Thanks Excellent video.

[@alljunk4824]

Not to rain on your parade but this has multiple no-no. ex. nut not fully engage on the studs, at 1:39 you have a large AWG red cable connected on a small #14 wire connection, nothing is fused, 05:01 a what 1/2? or 1/4" connector on a 1/8 stud, same for the next, 05:34 Vaseline is NOT an electrical conductor it has isolation property so you are making your connection worse, 07:16, on the positive side one wire crossing over a different at a point where the conductor connectors are exposed, 08:21 again a small gauge wire Red at the bottom of the electrical tree with a larger yellow wire on top, 08:31 a positive wire is rubbing and chaffing again a Neg post that will make sparks, no boots on the Pos terminal, wire color codes not respected. The internet is a funny place. Cheers, a.

[@shokojimhollingsworth3940]

Having trouble finding the bus bar kit. Unfortunately I drive a non-jeep vehicle. Trying to add bus bars to my GMC savana adventure van. Wondering if the quadratec kit you posted might still work...

[@0VRLNDR]

As long as you have solid lead terminals instead of stamped steel, you can probably use any manner of brass accessory bar. You may need to pick up some more appropriate bolts from the hardware store if your terminals are threaded differently.

[@doc559]

🏆🏆🏆👍🙏 Subscribed Thank you for sharing.

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

Thanks for the sub!

[@karlchang6557]

Nice upgrade. I can’t find the bus bar on the web. Where did you get the busbar! Please post.

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

You can typically find bus bars at any battery specialty store. The one used in this video is available at Quadratec here: www.quadratec.com/products/17004_9001.htm

[@karlchang6557]

Thanks for info. I thought you said it was cheap. It is nicely build but I am going with Bluesea 2340 as I don’t really need “extreme duty”

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

@@karlchang6557 They aren't expensive, as upgrades go. The Bluesea 2340s are still a very thin plate. They are rated for 14awg connections, which I would only use for 15A circuits. You could get by with 20A on short runs. Definitely would not put a winch on that. There's only about a $10 difference, and the ones used in this video are more than just a bus bar: it also replaces your stamped terminal with solid lead, and comes with the anti-corrosion pads. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@glenmelville9815]

@@OverbuiltAdventure 7ù

[@OldCrowsClassicCars]

In case you still need bus bars, I'm actually making them, and mine are designed to resist the almighty himself. Here's a link to my video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZ27gWp4gLqqms0

[@davidm3210]

Nice tutorial thanks - but please remove metal jewelry when working around the battery.

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

Shouldn't result in a condition that would create an arc, but point taken, and also for hands-in-tight-spaces reasons, I've since switched entirely to silicone bands in the shop. Thanks!

[@hethaerto1]

Dielectric grease blocks voltage.

[@zr2overlander323]

Hoping you can help me out. I want to see if this is compatible with the factory accessory post on my Chev ZR2 which is 6mm. Any way you can measure the post that you connected the busbar to and let me know? Would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

Hey there! Yeah this same set should work, the empty accessory post on the JK that these are made for are also 6mm.

[@rocketeightyseven1823]

Can you use the busbar on a marine application with a Lifepo4 battery?

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

In a Marine application you shouldn't be attaching many devices to your battery, regardless of chemistry. For instance if you're using a "drop-in" LiFePO4, you'd still run to a house fuse panel to distribute the loads on individually fused circuits.

[@Vaish_allly]

hello everyone , i have one question about the busbar , busbar design : why are sometimes more strips needed and sometimes less, on what that does depend? thank you

[@anicetomaldonado]

It depends on the amperage and volts lots of power creates lots of heat. A bus bar allows you to add multiple runs with and without fuses (depending on the need) to one point. With a bar you can have one thick wire coming off the battery and connect two, five, ten or twenty thick wires to the one battery post. Or a very easy connection point for multiple batteries and multiple audio amplifiers. (Done very regularly in high end mega bass vehicles) if all you are doing is adding extra sockets like for charging phones or small led lights, a bus bar will not be needed, in that case you could get by with just a blade fuse block. Hope that helps.

[@hippo-potamus]

Any concern with leaving the positive terminal connections exposed? I was going to replace both of my basic oem terminals with 6 spot terminals for additional connection points but I don't particularly like the idea of having the positive terminal exposed. Any solution to this? Thanks.

[@0VRLNDR]

What's your concern, specifically? If it would add peace of mind, you would need to cover it with some non-conductive material. Something like Coax-Seal would probably work, it's pliable and would fit around any shape necessary.

[@hippo-potamus]

@@0VRLNDR Its peace of mind. Mitigate any possible accidental shorts to ground. I'm probably just being overly cautious.

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

@@hippo-potamus​ That's never a bad thing. Let us know what you end up using, maybe we'll do an update.

[@joebenham27]

@@0VRLNDRI saw that he put a washer between connection on the end of the cable and where it makes contact with the brass on the bus bar. Is that ok? And is it ok to do that same thing when connecting to a fuse?

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

@@joebenham27 Washers just distribute the load of the bolt across the surface instead of just the threads. Good idea any time, or you can use a flange nut to accomplish the same purpose. Not sure what you mean about connecting to a fuse, can you elaborate?

[@CaseAgainstFaith1]

No not "vinegar and baking soda". A million cleaning videos say to mix them. No, do not. One is an acid and the other is a base. You mix them you get salt and water. Use one or the other not both.

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

Yes, saltwater, but with a bonus: CO2. The CO2 gas created by the reaction between the acid and the base is helpful for displacing and removing corrosion. You definitely don't want to leave the solution on the terminals. And if you don't have bad corrosion, I absolutely agree with you vinegar alone is effective and the easiest. Thanks!

[@CaseAgainstFaith1]

@@OverbuiltAdventure If you want bubbles, put the baking soda in club soda.

[@Fetherko]

Baking Soda is mildly abrasive, so baking soda and a scotch brite (R) would scrub it. I searched on "lead vinegar" and found no reason not to use vinegar. well done

[@NWGarage]

I do like the video , but I do gotta say this wiring looks as messy at the end with the new parts as it did in the beginning Still a neat video 👍🏼

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

Fair comment, this build has a lot of accessories that require direct-to-battery connection that were installed at different times. If there were room in this engine compartment for a sidewall-mounted marine bus bar, running new wires would be best.

[@NWGarage]

@@OverbuiltAdventure agreed, the “remote location “ blocks are great - Amazon has them fairly inexpensive and you can get them to receive all the way up to a 0 or 2 gauge power wire to keep the connections real strong 💪🏽

[@Deuceblank]

What a cluster😂

[@jdkljfkjefjkjfdjdi]

Where can I buy those terminals and buss bars? I got multiple 1/0 AWG runs for car audio.

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

Link's in the description, cheers mate!

[@mybobbleheads]

@@OverbuiltAdventure not seeing the link

[@Evolution8R]

hope that Bus bar does not flex into anything.... bizzztt

[@knifeknerdreviews4609]

Vinegar and baking soda? why would you mix an acid and a base? If you are trying to neutralize acid you use the opposite side of the PH Scale, an alkaline product. Baking Soda in distilled water is perfect.

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

In this case I'm not trying to neutralize the acid, I just want my posts as clean as can be. Vinegar and baking soda combined has all of the benefits of baking soda and water, but it causes a reaction that creates CO2 bubbles that help clean away the corrosion from all of the nooks, crannies, and microscopic valleys that your wire brush alone won't reach.

[@PBS-nm1uu]

the busbar part number??

[@OverbuiltAdventure]

The one used in this video is Quadratec JK-HDBT12 Extreme Duty Battery Terminals: www.quadratec.com/products/17004_9003.htm For 2011 and lower JKs, it's just JK-HDBT: www.quadratec.com/products/17004_9001.htm

[@Dr.Meola1980]

Jesus Christ why does everyone use dielectric grease. You do not put it on your terminals before you connect your wires. You should always clean your battery real good connect your wires. Then and only then cover the terminal with dielectric grease.

[@Ron_Masterjohn]

Yep don’t get why they think it’s to make better connection.

[@WiSeNhEiMeR-1369]

never BRASS --- ALWAYS Copper