Does anybody have an idea as to how long your RCA's should be if you wanted to connect it to the head unit, assuming that I'm running the cables under the carpet straight through the cabin, (along the tranny hump) to two amps in the rear of the trunk? I have two pairs of Stinger Hyper series interconnects and a pair of Lightning Audio Strike series interconnects - all are 20' in length.

Also, where would you guys suggest mounting the fuse used to protect the main power wire closest to the battery? I know it has to be within 12-18" of the battery or else the main power wire could catch on fire. I have a 3rd Gen and I'd like to put it in the space where the stock airbox is/was (I have a APC cone intake and there's lot's of room there) but I'm concerned about drilling holes and the clearance from the hood when closed. I'm using 20' of Lightning Audio Strike 4ga wire along with the ANL fuse/fuse holder with a 150A fuse. I plan on running the power wire down the driver's side of the car to the rear passenger's side of the trunk - just under the passenger side rear speaker. I hope that I have enough power wire to reach the spot I have picked out for my amps!!! From there, I have a fused distro block with 2 MAXI fuses that I'll use 8ga wire to each amp. I also have a distro block that I'm going to use for the ground (8ga - - >4ga ground) and I plan on using one of the big bolts near the rear of the trunk as a grounding point.

If anyone has any suggestions for me, and can clarify this for me, I'd really appreciate it. I will be installing this myself and I've been planning everything for about 3 months now. I'd like to get everything going by this weekend or next weekend, and if you guys can help me out, I'd be very appreciative.

Also, I built a false floor for the amps made from 5/8" MDF and was wondering if I should worry about using any damping material in the trunk area or would the MDF flooring suffice?

BTW - I already know where to run the power wire without having to drill any holes in the firewall - thanks .org members, you guys are the best!

One more thing - what kind of tool do I need in order to remove the front seats so I can run the interconnects through the cabin? Is it a 11mm socket wrench or what? I already know how to remove the rear seat. Hope this wasn't too much. Thanks!

peace2u

 

What kind of amps are you running? An amp fuse of 150A is kind of high. As far as cable lengths, 20 feet is sufficient. Just make sure you run the power cable on the same side as the battery, and run the signal cables (RCA) along the opposite side of the car. This will eliminate any unwanted noise flowing through your system. Mounting the fuse 18" or less near the battery is a MUST! Just use a spot where a cable tie can latch to. As far as the front seats, I'm not sure how the third gen. are, but the seats are usually held by a few retaining bolts and they lift right up. I'm assuming the bolts are metric, since most foreign cars use the metric system. And finally, the MDF is good for a false floor, but be careful of how you fasten it to the car. You don't want puncture anything. As for everything else, it seems you know what you're doing. Just take your time and everything will be fine.

 

Thanks for the advice. I'll check the 3rd Gen forum and see if anyone has instructions on removing the front seats (non-powered).

FYI - I'll be running two Profile California series amps, the 640SX & 800SX. I believe that the 150A fuse protecting the main power wire should be fine, the two amps together draw 110A together (50/60) and I spoke to a tech from Profile who told me to go with a higher amp fuse rather than a lower amp fuse for the main power line in order to protect the line from catching fire. At the time I ordered the fuse, Lightning Audio only had 100A and 150A ANL fuses, and this tech guy suggested the larger of the two fuses because he said the amp draw would blow the 100A fuse prematurely. I also have a distro block with MAXI fuses to protect each amp with the proper fuse for each one - 50A and 60A.

The 640SX will be pushing 75Wx4 RMS @ 4ohms for the interior speakers (no, I don't have components unfortunately) and the 800SX will be pushing 200Wx2 RMS @ 4ohms into my 2 10" Kicker Comp subs. (I considered bridging the 800SX into a 600Wx1, but my subs can't handle it, and they're 8ohm subs - I couldn't get the load that I'd need for that amp anyway). All totaled, that's 700W RMS, which is a huge improvement over my last system (although I had a pair of HiFonics Series VIII amps in that setup).

Also, the MDF isn't attached at this point because I haven't started the wiring process, and I'm sure I'll have to remove it before I begin. What do I use to attach it to the trunkspace? Also, should I worry about sound damping the trunk area before I get started or not? Of course, money is a big issue, so any advice on that would be appreciated as well.

peace2u