what is the best way to connect 4 guage wire to my amplifier. the crimpers I have only go up to 10 guage and was wondering if I should just sauter the wire together. Is there a tool that I can use to crimp the wire if needed?

 

It's actually solder...and no you dont need to use that.

What I would recommend that you do is use some solder to "tin" the stipped portion of the wire. Then use either a benchvice or a hammer and cold chisel to crimp the 4 ga connector.

There are specialty tools out there, but are pretty expensive. just make sure that you don't squish the wire in there, but that you acutally bend the tangs on teh connector so that it looks more like a "C" or a "G" rather than a flat "O"

 

I just did this on my work van today, while I was switching out my old 8ga. wire for a 4ga setup. As long as you are not worried about a show-car wiring job, all you have to do is go to an auto parts store and buy a terminated 4 ga. RED battery wire. It should cost you about $5.

This battery wire is already crimped with a huge ring terminal that you can attach to your battery post. Take a close look at the inside of the ring b/c you'll be able to see the wire! It's a SUPER crimp job that cannot be replicated by normal means.

Simply cut the wire to length and run the bare wire end into a fuse block/fuse holder, which should be close by in the engine bay.

REMEMBER to set this wire in the empty fuse block before you bolt the crimp-end to your battery post.

 

oops, dang it's late, I just re-read your post and realised that you were connecting the wire to your amp and not the battery.

If you have a high power soldering iron, you can solder a smaller wire to the 4ga wire and then insulate it, but if you have about $20, why not buy a small distrubution block (fused or not, assuming you're already fusing) and add a little eye candy to your install.

Besides being able to step down in wire size, you'll be able to SAFELY mount & insulate that 4ga wire and distribute additional power leads for other electronics.

 

is there screws that are visible to mount my fuse holder to in the engine bay or do I need to drill

 

If you can find a place, you can use screws to mount it down. Otherwise, just use some velcro straps or cable ties to keep in from moving around.