# Amp in Trunk.. Where to drill?



## ocean_pacific (Mar 27, 2003)

Hi Everyone,
Any suggestions on where to fix my 4 channel amplifier. I dont have a subwoofer now so i am using tis amp to power my speakers. I was thinking of fixing it to the back seat (vertical). Is there any specific point where should i drill so that i dont screw up the fabric or anything?
Thanks In Advance


HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Ocean


----------



## NotAnotherHonda (Aug 7, 2003)

nah...when i had my old amp, i had it drilled to my back seat...you can feel the metal brackets on the back of the seat...just drill into that and youll be fine...dont use long ass screws...1" Will be fine


----------



## Punkrocka436 (Jul 8, 2003)

*Edit* I didnt read the whole post, nevermind


----------



## Russia (Jul 24, 2003)

Id save ur back seat for a sub amp...my 4 channel fits nicely under the seat and it works good there...jus a suggestion, its closer to the center of the 4 speakers so u dont have to run long ass wires.


----------



## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

Here's my amp mounted to the back seat:


----------



## Russia (Jul 24, 2003)

Thats mine under the seat.











Thats behind the back seat.


----------



## plat619se (Sep 6, 2002)

NotAnotherHonda said:


> nah...when i had my old amp, i had it drilled to my back seat...you can feel the metal brackets on the back of the seat...just drill into that and youll be fine...dont use long ass screws...1" Will be fine


What kind of screws do you use? Self tapping or just regular ones and drill/tap holes in the brackets? I want to do this myself if I can since the previous owner already left amp wiring in the trunk. :thumbup: 

I have an old RadioShack Optimus 170-watt bridgeable power amp and I just took delivery of a 12" Audiobahn bass cylinder.


----------



## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

Damn, old thread.

Self tapping should work, I prefer to pre-drill, but both are good options.


----------



## makaveli (Oct 5, 2005)

Russia said:


> Thats mine under the seat.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I dont see why people mount their amps on the back seat. when the amps are vertical or in the case with 200sx back seats like this / <---side view| The amps dont disperse(sp?) heat fast enough and tend to heat up, losing some power. I have my amps on a pice of carpeted MDF screwed to the bottom of the trunk. laying the flat like this ---> __ is the best way to avoid overheating. plus mine hold the box in place so i dont have to screw brackets onto it(and put more holes in it). just a thought

EDIT: O and BTW sony amps BLOW!!! J/K


----------



## plat619se (Sep 6, 2002)

Ninety-Nine SE-L said:


> Damn, old thread.
> 
> Self tapping should work, I prefer to pre-drill, but both are good options.


Thanks for the info. Turns out I ended up just paying the local car stereo shop to do it for me...they hooked up the existing wires, gave me some speaker wire and tested it. They used the self-tapping screws. It only ran me $35.00 which is less than the cost of a drill and other hardware I might need, so I'm happy with it. 

Now I have to listen to bass!!! heheh...

Oh yeah and they mounted it with the cooling fins running vertical. I read somewhere that is actually a good way because convection currents carry the heat up and off of the fins.


----------



## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

well, assuming the same amount of surface area is exposed, it doesn't matter if the amp is vertical or horizontal. It's nicer having it on the seat since it doesn't take up much room, but I too have mine mounted to MDF at an angle.


----------



## makaveli (Oct 5, 2005)

Ninety-Nine SE-L said:


> well, assuming the same amount of surface area is exposed, it doesn't matter if the amp is vertical or horizontal. It's nicer having it on the seat since it doesn't take up much room, but I too have mine mounted to MDF at an angle.


i can agree to that, ive installed like 3 systems(for friends) where i mounted them on the back seat. i didnt do it in mine for 2 reasons, 1 is that the seat isnt all that vertical the way i look at it, the amp (looking at it from the side of the car) would be at about a 45° angel, so it would be upside down as well as vertical. like if it was on / <---that side of the seat. the other reason is b/c there isnt actually that much room on the back of the seat, and i didnt want cords getting all confused, of heat to transfer from one amp to another. but yes i agree, it takes less room, and if the seat is vertical (0°-10°) it will cool just the same. 
P.S. Ninety-Nine SE-L - do you have some pics of your install?


----------



## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

makaveli said:


> P.S. Ninety-Nine SE-L - do you have some pics of your install?


I carpeted the MDF and hid that red wire on the battery, but this is basically my setup:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v160/jsaxophone/Battery/DSC01707.jpg


----------



## plat619se (Sep 6, 2002)

Ninety-Nine SE-L said:


> I carpeted the MDF and hid that red wire on the battery, but this is basically my setup:
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v160/jsaxophone/Battery/DSC01707.jpg


I likey.  My car stereo guys ran the RCA cable underneath the amp to take up the slack and hide the cable. They put the power and speaker connections on the bottom. I will have to take a picture. I never imagined a single 12-inch bass cylinder could make so much sound. I have my low-pass filter set at 120Hz and the high-pass set at 125Hz. Now I just need to get some double-sided tape to secure the license plate so it doesn't rattle.


----------



## makaveli (Oct 5, 2005)

Ninety-Nine SE-L said:


> I carpeted the MDF and hid that red wire on the battery, but this is basically my setup:
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v160/jsaxophone/Battery/DSC01707.jpg


ya thats pretty much the same concept as mine, tomorrow ill snap a couple pics, not pretty but it sounds fuckin awsome.


----------



## Russia (Jul 24, 2003)

I cant believe someone quoted what I said before I left like a year and a half ago just now right when I get back...fucking weird haha. Anyways, the Sony Amp is still hangin strong...Sony aint the best by far, but it gets the job done for now.


----------



## makaveli (Oct 5, 2005)

Russia said:


> I cant believe someone quoted what I said before I left like a year and a half ago just now right when I get back...fucking weird haha. Anyways, the Sony Amp is still hangin strong...Sony aint the best by far, but it gets the job done for now.


that actually is sorta werid. welcome back though. you know what else is really weird? we have the same car...... mabye its a sign.....


----------



## plat619se (Sep 6, 2002)

*Picture of amplifier/AudioBahn bass tube*

Here is the install I was talking about. The amplifier fits on the 60-side of the split folding seat. I have yet to figure where to strap the bass tube, so it just sits in there wherever. Nice thump though!!!


----------

