Stock plus??

[DrinkMD]

can a amp be added to a stock system that doesnt have a factory amp ?? 1999 XLT no amp, has the little storage space in the passenger side rear where i believe the factory amp would normaly be. i really dont mind the factory HU and i plan on upgrading speakers in the near future.so my question is, is the wiring in place for a factory amp?? and could i just put a aftermarket amp in and use whatever wiring adapters i need.

 

[Foo]

Well if your XLT doesn't have a factory amp you can get one but unfortunetly I don't beleive the wiring is 'in place' for an amp to just plug in. You'de have to do some splicing/soldering/crimping etc. I'm pretty sure on it.

Welcome to the forums and Cincinatti is a great place! I love it!

 

[DrinkMD]

thx FOO!! well, so if what you are saying is the case, then i am going to be in for more work than it is really worth to try and do something like this on my own??

 

[Foo]

Well I wouldn't think it would be too hard to do it on your own. I'm 17 and I could probably do it without too much of problem actually. I'de say the hardest part would be just finding and wiring the right wires. (I'm sure somone on here has a chart)

I don't think I would pay somone to do it unless I really trusted them.. this is something that can potentialy be screwed up very easy if you don't do your homework.

 

[DrinkMD]

lol, well the one reason i wanted to do it was to save a little money, and two, like i said i dont really mind the factory HU, but i would like to have a little more volume and if i could, better sound. i was hoping i could get that by just adding a amp and then shortly after some new door speakers for front and back. i really dont want to add a subwoofer cause i need all the space i can keep, and i dont really want a sub. i do realize that without a sub there is far less bass. do you not think that the sound and volume could be improved with just a amp and new door speakers ??

 

[IAmTodd]

If you do get an amp get one with line level inputs. Putting signal in that has already gone through an amp into another amp is no good for an amp or the sound quality. Most likely you'll have to run wires back there which is no big deal and very easy. good luck, and if you need any help throw me a message, I know a little bit about audio, but watever amount of knowledge I have, I'm more than welcome to share to you. WOW, doesn't that sound mature

 

[DrinkMD]

lol sounds like a friend to me!! "a friend in need is a friend indeed" i am in need of some help if i am going to try this!!

 

[Foo]

Oh come on subs don't take up that much space! here's my dual 12's with the amp mounted on the back of the enclosure ... And you could always do a stealth install like V8BoatBuilder on here has.

Also if do buy anything.. mkae sure it's Alpine

 

[DrinkMD]

nice looking setup Foo! but a little more than what i need, i think. i really do need my space, 3 kids eat up all my space, and the subs wouldnt last long with all the stuff that gets thrown in the back, and i do mean THROWN!!

 

[Foo]

Aw yeah they would! My enclosure has some sort of bouncey reistent ABS cross-netted plastic grilles on them (you can't even tell in the picture) which makes it near impossible to actually make contact with the sub's. I throw my 70lbs back-pack in there all the time at a high velocity


(whispers in your ear), "You NEED subs!"

 

[Foo]

V8BoatBuilder's Stealth....

 

[snocross1985]

Originally posted by Foo
(whispers in your ear), "You NEED subs!"

So do I, but I am only a poor college student

 

[Foo]

<- poor HS student, circuit city had a sale what can I say

 

[YettiCrush]

Usually it's better to get the speakers first, or at least pick and plan on what you are gonna get before buying an amp. Why? Different speakers have different constant flow ratings (RMS) and it would really suck to go and get an amp that is great for your stock speakers but is lacking for your new upgrades.

About installing a sub. You don't need a sub to get good/decent bass output. Audiobahn has some very nice 6.5" and 5.25" mid-bass drivers (under the mid-ranges and drivers section, not full-range or components). They come in a pair and depending on where you get yours they can run for about $60-120 (for the pair). They are 200watt RMS per pair so get a 2 channel amp that can put out 100 watts at 4ohms RMS, easy to find for around $100 at www.cardiscountstereos.com or www.etronics.com or www.ikesound.com ...this combined with nice speakers should provide an almost complete range of sound.

I would use 1/2" MDFB to make some small sealed enclosures for the mini-bass drivers. They can be easily fabricated to fit under your rear bench seats on either side on the floor. Also, to hide and store your amps you could bolt and mount them to the tops of the enclosures. I think a decent set of speakers, front and back, mini-bass drivers, 2 amps, an amp kit and distributor/wires, and MDFB would cost around $500-$550. The speakers and drivers will run around $200 or so with shipping, the amps will run about $250 or so, an amp kit with a distributor and wires shouldn't run more than $100, and MDFB will run you $10-15.

Only thing with adding more than the door speakers is, you will more than likely need a new HU.

Another option would be to slightly alter/shave the mounting holes for your door speakers to fit a 6.5" speaker/driver. It's not hard to do since the existing holes are nearly the same, and some Dynamat Extreme can easily cover the gaps along the sides. A better approach for this would be to go and get the same sized MDF as listed above and cut out a new mounting area as it may be needed to fit the new magnet and voice coils. This route would run about $200-$250.

Good luck.

(I based my prices off of the 3 sites I listed)

Edit- Using Dynamat to fill the hole should only be temporary if you do that b/c it will absorb some of the resonance from the speaker. Not much but you may not get the full sound.

 

[M.Scott]

With a little guidence you can upgrade with the stock HU. Some people with large systems will cringe at the word "stock" but I did this and was a big improvement. The only reason I finally went aftermarket was that the stock HU rolls off the base at high volumes so the sound was good and clear but at high volumes I kept having to increase the bass and then when I turned the volume down again the bass was too high. I would start with phase one being speakers. The simple way is to get 2 pair of 6X8s and some speaker harnesses if you would rather not cut wires. To upgrade this set up you should 1 pair 6x8 and one pair 6 1/2 in components for the front. The mid and low freq from the 6 1/2 in the door and the tweet higher up on the door. These use a x-over and are harder to get into the door but sound even better with more bass.

After speakers get a 4 channel amp to power all the new speakers. Once again big improvement. Much more clean bass. But you weill have to runs wires from the battery as there are stock wires ready to go.

There are other options like only getting one pair of front speakers and only a two channel amp. Think about it. Here is a link to another thread that has wiring info that should be the same for your 99. >>98 stock wires

I still have all my harnesses, converters, adapters sitting in the basement so if your interested may be we can work something out