Amp mounting help sought.

[tbomb]

nah, when i had my 91 explorer, i had 4 guage wire running in the same way that EO has his running, to a distribution block in the back. no problem to run it at all. even if youre using a smaller amp, i would still recommend using 4 guage wire as opposed to 8 or 10.

as far as mounting my amps and electronic crossover and distribution blocks, i had everything mounted to my bandpass box in the trunk (it held 2 12's and was custom built to the truck and the subs.) i had the port facing the rear hatch, and mounted the amps and stuff on the bottom of the box that faced the back of the seats, so you couldnt see the amp or anything, and the box couldnt be seen when i had the cargo cover/screen thingy pulled closed. so if i needed to haul something in my trunk, i just pulled the box with everything on it (after unhooking the power cable, ground, rca, etc. of course), and put the seats down.

al, whats the deal with your audio system? sub box, or you just have an amp for door speakers or what? what are the dimensions of the amp youre gonna use, etc.?

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by tbomb
al, whats the deal with your audio system? sub box, or you just have an amp for door speakers or what? what are the dimensions of the amp youre gonna use, etc.?

The amp will be for the door speakers.

I do not have it yet and am open to all suggestions...

Thanks

 

[EO]

The 4 gauge cable I used was very flexible and forgiving. It was part of an amp wiring kit I bought from onlinecarstereo.com (Lightning Audio brand). It was just very thick wire, which only caused a little trouble going through the firewall. I kinda chewed up my hood release cable grommet just a little bit trying to push it through, but I used black RTV automotive sealant on the firewall side and the driver's side to really coat the grommet and seal things up. I think it's good. This I would recommend - it's a cheap step and provides extra insurance.

My amp (MTX Thunder 4244) is for the door speakers as well. IMO, I would NOT mount the amp inside the rear passenger cargo area. Heat will always be an issue, but the Ford amp mounted there is a LOT smaller than most amps you'd buy for door speakers. Plus, it would be a royal pain to tweak the amp. I AM planning on mounting a subwoofer amp back there, which will be smaller (100W vs 230W) and will need no tweaking.

The most popular place for mounting amps seems to be under the passenger rear seats - which can still fold down w/no problem, or on a sub box if you have one (I don't and won't - need all my cargo space!).

Like tbomb said, run 4 gauge if possible. You'll have more than adequate wire for larger current draw, should you upgrade your system in the future. This way you only have to run utility wiring once, and you'll be all set.

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by EO
IMO, I would NOT mount the amp inside the rear passenger cargo area. Heat will always be an issue, but the Ford amp mounted there is a LOT smaller than most amps you'd buy for door speakers. Plus, it would be a royal pain to tweak the amp.

Thanks, i agree and didn't give a seconds thought to mounting an amp in the factory ( hidden ) location.

I really appreciate the help from you guys who have actually done it, thanks.....

 

[aldive]

Still need some suggestions from you guys on what amp to get.

I just want nice crisp music not necessarly loud.

Thanks....

 

[aldive]

Does anyone who has mounted the amp under the rear seat have a picture? Also, what is the maximum dimension that can be mounted there?

Thanks again.....

 

[bigtigexplorer]

Dead Link Removed
The max size for under the seat is around 12"Hx21.5"Wx2"D

Dead Link Removed
You guys have been talking about to heat build up, with the amp mounted here. I can say that after running the amp for a couple of hours, the heat on the amp ( by touch ) was no more than when I had this amp mounted the the back of the subwoofer's enclosure. If you think heat would be a serious concern you could always mount a fan to the inside of the grill cover to pull air in from the cargo area. As far as being able to tweak the amps settings, its just as easy. There is plenty of room for me to stick my hand in there and adjust the amp. Plus with the grill cover on, it is completely hidden prying eyes, talk about stealth.

 

[aldive]

Your amp appears from the pic to be mounted under the seat. Is this so?

Is so, why there rather on the flood under the seat?

Thank you in advance....

 

[EO]

That's a nice install on your MTX amp and easily accessible. I forgot to mention that THAT's the place where my subwoofer will go (either MTX or JL enclosure), so obviously my amp would have to be closer to the factory location, i.e. more forward.

Also, my MTX amp does not get that hot, even to the touch. Of course, I had no way of knowing HOW hot it would get, so I assumed it WOULD get hot and tried to design for the maximum amount of airflow in my location, which is a good thing to do anyway.

A few months ago I asked around on here for a good amp, and settled on the MTX. The Thunder series (not RoadThunder) has a good "bang for the buck" reputation, and this sentiment was also echoed at my local audio shop. The MTX amp I got was rated at 45wx4, but I got a factory certified spec sheet that shows it was tested and actually produced 58wx4. I think it has good, clean sound, and it was fairly inexpensive ($200, I think, at onlinecarstereo.com). Plus it looks cool, even though it's hidden under my rear seat. I was going for louder (not *!!LOUD!!*) and crisp sound as well, and I think this amp fit the bill perfectly. I am driving 4 60W (120 peak) Infinity speakers and it's plenty loud, w/no distortion.

 

[bigtigexplorer]

Originally posted by Aldive
Your amp appears from the pic to be mounted under the seat. Is this so?

Is so, why there rather on the flood under the seat?

Thank you in advance....

Yes the amp is mounted to the bottom of the seat. I did it this way for two reasons. One, with the amp on the floor there is always be the possibility of people putting their feet all over it may be even breaking the wiring connections. Two, when you open the door the first thing somebody would see would be an amp mounted to the floor, with it mounted to the bottom of the seat you can't see it unless you kneel down and look under the seat, so its hidden. And yes the seat folds down perfectly.

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by bigtigexplorer

Yes the amp is mounted to the bottom of the seat. I did it this way for two reasons. One, with the amp on the floor there is always be the possibility of people putting their feet all over it may be even breaking the wiring connections. Two, when you open the door the first thing somebody would see would be an amp mounted to the floor, with it mounted to the bottom of the seat you can't see it unless you kneel down and look under the seat, so its hidden. And yes the seat folds down perfectly.

I don't mean on the floor where feet would go, I mean under the seat on the floor rather than on the seat bottom. Why not mount it there?

 

[bigtigexplorer]

I know what you meant, my justification is this: If I'm going to spend a couple hundred dollars on an amp, I'm not going to mount it to the floor where there is a possibility that people could kick, step or worse spill a drink on it. This also includes anything that might me sliding around on the floor back there. With the amp mounted to the bottom of the seat, it is up and out of harms ways and is not visible to prying eyes.

 

[aldive]

With the ammounted upside down under the seat, do you have problems with heat not being able to rise off the amp?

Also wouldn't it be just as hidden on the floor under the seat?

I am curious, not trying to argue, since i need all the advise i can get on mounting mine.

Thanks....

 

[rpenner54]

Originally posted by aldive


Also wouldn't it be just as hidden on the floor under the seat?

I am curious, not trying to argue, since i need all the advise i can get on mounting mine.

Thanks....

Since you don't have one yet try getting board thats about the same size and go see where all you could mount it. I realize its hard to just go out to the truck and try and do that but give it a shot you might learn something!

Amps have cooling fins so they get cooled regaurdless of how they are mounted.

BTW for anyone wanting to mount and amp in the stock location you COULD do it however thats a really tight space. The only way I see one getting in there is if it goes where the sub is supposed to go. Cooling shouldn't be to much of a problem in there I wouldn't think. At least not in mine, there are two holes drilled in there that hold a u-bolt for my CB-antenea so it doesn't wave all over the place. It is dirty back in there though. Mine always seems to have a nice layer of dust/dirt in there.

 

[bigtigexplorer]

Originally posted by aldive
With the ammounted upside down under the seat, do you have problems with heat not being able to rise off the amp?

I've yet to have the amp overheat. It it such an open space down there the heat is still able to dissapate easily.

Originally posted by aldive
Also wouldn't it be just as hidden on the floor under the seat?

Only until you open your door, then everybody can see it. Being mounted up under the seat, you can't see it unless you kneel down and look under the seat.

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by bigtigexplorer
Only until you open your door, then everybody can see it. Being mounted up under the seat, you can't see it unless you kneel down and look under the seat.

I am confused. If the amp is mounted under the seat, how could anyone see it by opening a door?

Thanks....

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by rpenner54
Amps have cooling fins so they get cooled regaurdless of how they are mounted.

To quote crutchfield >>Amps should not be mounted on the bottom of a rear deck with the fins facing down because the heat will radiate back up into the amp.<<.

This is the reason I am concerned with the mounting location.

 

[EO]

Mine is under the seat on the floor. If you open the door and look down, you really can't see it because it's away from the edge of the seat. From the front seat, you can turn around and lean down and see a little bit of it. But it's not all that obvious, i.e. it's not sticking out on all sides.

 

[yob_yeknom]

Originally posted by aldive
I am confused. If the amp is mounted under the seat, how could anyone see it by opening a door?
Open the door, look at the floor. You see the floor, right? Do you see the underside of the seat? There's your answer on that one.

Originally posted by rpenner54
Amps have cooling fins so they get cooled regaurdless of how they are mounted.
That's not how it works. Cooling fins are heat sinks that are there to help draw the heat out. Kind of like if you put a big piece of metal up against a smaller hot one, the big one will take some heat away from it. The thing is that heat RISES. The heat will be going up through the circuit board of the amp instead of the heat sinks. Not just having them make it cool. Having them places for the heat to rise up to makes them work.

I'm going through this thought process also. Where do I need to mount my amp? Here's the best part: I have 3 of them to mount somewhere and a CD changer.
I'd like to put the changer under the passenger front seat, but I don't know if it'll fit and the exhaust is on that side of the vehicle which will make it get hot.

 

[bigtigexplorer]

yob_yeknom, Aldive:

You guys could always mount the amp right side up under the seat. That way the heat would rise away from the circut board and you would have heated rear seats. =P

yob_yeknom:

Why not mount the changer in the center console?
Amps, one in the rear cargo area, and one under each side of the rear seat.