[noack]

Has anyone installed an AMP in their car, for custom stereo :?:

If so, could someone please tell me the best route for getting the AMP power through the firewall in the car :?:

Any suggested routes or methods are welcome.

Thanks.
Noack

 

[vaBooM]

Give me a few more weeks to bunch all my equipment together and Ill let ya know.

Debates of a tv/cd/dvd combo in the works.... as money permits. So far, the planned is: 6.5" components, 2 amps, 1/0 gauge, 15" sub.

 

[funkyfreshmonke]

oh yea vaboom are you going to include a tutorial? on how to install speaks sub and amp? that would be sweeet haha...also will a tv/cd/dvd even fit? err maybe cuz i have hte sedan....so its kinna smaller...

 

[vaBooM]

Yes, I will take pictures of everything that is done. Down to where I ground the amplifiers.

If I have enough money, I will buy a tv/dvd/lcd in-dash headunit and make a custom faceplate.

 

[noack]

The Install

I just had my amp installed, although they called it custom work because the LOC (speaker line converter) had to be installed in the vertical beam in the driver or passenger side door.

As you see, on the 3s atleast, the battery is located on the driverside, but the only rubber plug that is accessible is on the left... you may need to run the power cable along the firewall and clip there will pull ties and try shoving the amp wire through a hole that you create in the plug. MAKE SURE YOU DON'T DAMAGE ANY OTHER WIRES.

There is suprisingly enough room in there to stick the LOC in the actual beam.

Anywho, you can tap in that side (as long as you are just installing an amp for a subwoofer, you only need the mono not stereo) and run the RCAs up to the trunk, or in my car.. up the back seat carpet(velcro on the back), where it was attached to.

Any mobile audio/video shop should be able to do all of this for about $65 or so, not including the supplies.

Any questions, feel free to ask.

Noack

 

[vaBooM]

Hmm... I have always ran my LOCs stereo. Why? So you can still balance different sounds that are independant to each side. Not such a big deal for music.. but geared towards movies and such.

I plan to run 1/0 gauge power... so I gotta wrap it in flam-retardant film and run it under the car.

$65 for an amp install is typical.

What all did you have installed and hows it sound?

 

[Bieser]

Hmm... I have always ran my LOCs stereo. Why? So you can still balance different sounds that are independant to each side. Not such a big deal for music.. but geared towards movies and such.

I plan to run 1/0 gauge power... so I gotta wrap it in flam-retardant film and run it under the car.

$65 for an amp install is typical.

What all did you have installed and hows it sound?

I cant wait to see pictures of this. Im going to have a very high power system running through my baby(1000W min) so I dont anticipate being able to run anything smaller than a 2 gauge wire, which is a bitch and a half to get through any hole in the firewall itself. (ive tried before!)

My question of the day is, how would you get the wire to wherever your amp is inside, from the underside of the car?

 

[vaBooM]

There is 2 ways Ive done it:

1st - At the bottom of the spare tire wheel (removed of course) I drill a hole, usually 1.5" and use that plastic stuff (also comes in chrome or gold... for those bling-blingers) that runs along the door edge, protecting your doors from damaging another. I put super glue inside the lining and run it all the way around the edge of the hole. Why 1.5"? Ive had nitrous in all my other cars... good for upgrades

2nd - run the 1/0 gauge back into a distribution block under the car. Instead of 1x 1.5" hole.. i do 2x 1" holes (or more...) for 4 gauge to go to the amps. One BIG advantage to this is: replace fuses quickly. Quick disadvantage: Where will it be mounted? On my Jetta, I removed the spare tire well and replaced it with a flat sheet of metal.

It is not wise at all to run any wire larger than 4 gauge inside the cab. If anything were to happen to the power wire... it will burst into flames. If your running 4 gauge or bigger, that means your main fuse (near battery) will be over 100 amps. That kind of power will FRY...

Im going to be running a Phoenix Gold Octane 8:4.0 and a Cadence A7HC. The Phoenix puts out 125x4, and the Cadence dishes out 1400wx1. Both amps run 80amp fuses.

 

[Bieser]

Bieser whistles :shock:

I dont know how happy I would be drilling holes into the frame of my car. I would be worried about rust and other issues like that.

 

[vaBooM]

Oh forgot one step: Primering area.

I primer the top and bottom. Then I use rubberized undercoating for the bottom.

 

[Black7]

Thanks for the quick reply -

 

[Bieser]

hmmm.....could work :idea:

 

[noack]

I drill a hole

Cough cough... voids some warranty, eh?

 

[funkyfreshmonke]

are there any other ways to connect a sound system?

 

[vaBooM]

Drilling holes dont void warranties..

Where the heck did you hear that one?

Once again, only way you lose your warranty is:

1. Dealer hates you
2. Your "so-called" custom part breaks something else
3. An aftermarket part that has lead a stock part to fail.

Thats like saying if you had a sedan and you drill holes for your spoiler. Common sense people.

 

[trvale]

There is 2 ways Ive done it:

1st - At the bottom of the spare tire wheel (removed of course) I drill a hole, usually 1.5" and use that plastic stuff (also comes in chrome or gold... for those bling-blingers) that runs along the door edge, protecting your doors from damaging another. I put super glue inside the lining and run it all the way around the edge of the hole. Why 1.5"? Ive had nitrous in all my other cars... good for upgrades

2nd - run the 1/0 gauge back into a distribution block under the car. Instead of 1x 1.5" hole.. i do 2x 1" holes (or more...) for 4 gauge to go to the amps. One BIG advantage to this is: replace fuses quickly. Quick disadvantage: Where will it be mounted? On my Jetta, I removed the spare tire well and replaced it with a flat sheet of metal.

It is not wise at all to run any wire larger than 4 gauge inside the cab. If anything were to happen to the power wire... it will burst into flames. If your running 4 gauge or bigger, that means your main fuse (near battery) will be over 100 amps. That kind of power will FRY...

Im going to be running a Phoenix Gold Octane 8:4.0 and a Cadence A7HC. The Phoenix puts out 125x4, and the Cadence dishes out 1400wx1. Both amps run 80amp fuses.

VaBoom - Why are you running 1/0 awg power wire? What kind of amp is that powering? It better be a few 1,000's of watts or it is pretty pointless. 4 awg can do up to 1600watts and 8 awg can do 1000 watts no problem. It would be much easier to run the smaller guage wire if aren't running a 3000 watt amp. Also, I don't think that 0/1 awg wire would burst into flames. If you are using an inline fuse, which you should be, you are never going to run too much current on that line. Also lower guage wire have higher current capacity and lower resistance, so there should be no reason lower guage wire will "burst into flames". 1/0 awg just seems overkill and much harder to work with.

 

[vaBooM]

You got to keep in mind, the run from the battery to the distribution block. 4 gauge will hold up 1600watts, in a 10 foot stretch.

1/0 gauge will burst into flames (seen it with my own 2 eyes). That install, the 1/0 gauge rubbed up against something (keep in mind the fuse was 180amp) until it went all the way through. Then slowly, we seen sparks, than a small fire (insulation caught on fire). Not really burst, but a small fire.

The plan is: 2x Cadence A7HC's and my Phoenix Gold. Right now I have only 1 Cadence A7HC. Each of those A7HCs draw 100 amps, and put out 1500w x [email protected] The Phoenix is least of my worries, but still draws 60 amps. I have 2 circuit breakers, a 200amp and a 250amp. Ill probably do video before Ill be able to afford another Cadence.

Single 15" and mid 140db is the goal. With 1500w going to my sub, should be easy. I want to double power it at 3000w, and move the goal up to low 150s.

 

[trvale]

Are you going to enter any SPL competions? If you listened to your subs at 140dB inside your car, your brain would start to drip out your ears. To me ~110db is on the verge of being painful. And remember, every 3db increase is twice as loud. So ...

dB X's louder
110dB -
113dB 2x
116dB 4x
119dB 8x
122dB 16x
125dB 32x
128dB 64x
131dB 128x
134dB 256x
137dB 512x
140dB 1024x
143dB 2048x
146dB 4096x
149dB 8192x

Once you start hitting 150dB the sound will be 8000 times my pain threshhold! Maybe I have highly sensitive ears, or I am a pussy. I hope I am not a pussy!

 

[vaBooM]

Lmao.

Yes it will be for SPL competitions. And the "holy-shit-thats-loud" factor. Ive been building systems for awhile. But I havent tried my hand at extreme SPL. Back when I worked at a local audio shop, we built a 95 Astro van with 8 12" Rockford Fosgates powered with 4 Kicker amps. It got us into the mid 150s and ever since then, Ive wanted to go nuts.

Dont get me wrong, 145db is very painful. And I always go to competitions with earmuffs (same ones the airport ramp guys use). I dont by any means plan to drive around with the sub at full output.

This subs were made to pound. Check these guys out..

Resonant Engineering XXX > www.respl.com

 

[vaBooM]

There is a calculator here > http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm

You plug in the numbers and it tells you the voltage drop. So I plugged in 4awg, 12 VDC, 20 feet and a 160amp load.. and it will drop 1.9v.

1/0awg, with the same numbers has a voltage drop of 0.8v. Half, just by going with a bigger size.