where do i put my amp, and running wires.

So im looking into buying an amp and stuff tonight, but my big questions are this. (Car is a 1996 Mercury cougar XR-7, 4.6l V8, Premium Sound Package)

1.) Im sticking my boxes in my trunk, directly behind the seats. I still need to actually use my trunk, so I don't know where to put the amplifier. I can't put it behind the subs, or it becomes inaccessible, and i cant put it on the floor in front of the subs, cause then it will be in the way and take up trunk space that we need. Where can I put an amp thats 20x18 ? Would the trunk lid work?

2.) Running the wires from my deck to the amp location, whats the best way to do this? I was going to run the wires right down the middle of my car, under the center console all the way back to the trunk.... but again, Im lost on where to locate the friggin amp(s)(later on i may need a smaller one to drive the component speakers in the cabin)

So theres my big dilemmas ..... I'm not sure what to do here.

Put them behind the sub boxes.  Once you get them set, they don't need to be accessible.  As long as they have adequate ventilation.

Well how would i get it set, without my sub boxes being mounted? or how do i secure my boxes properly and still have them able to be removed easily?

I would like to have it somewhere that I could get to it semi-easily if need be.

Im freakin stumped on this one.

what megaman said they don't need to be accessible as long as its set you dont need to worry about the amp

that's fine, But how do I set it initially if I can't put everything in place first?

There won't be a lot of room to begin with, and the speakers will obviously have to be connected in order to get it set up.
So with the speakers in the trunk, and the amp mounted, I would have to get all the way to the back of my trunk to set the amp, in between two speaker boxes, then I can put them in place and secure them.

I don't really have a problem putting it behind my speakers, but I will need to have it in place, and do a bit of listening to make finer adjustments to X-Over and stuff. this means frequently getting to the amp in the beginning to make these adjustments, until it's finally all perfect.

Could I mount the amp to the trunk lid? I know vibration is a problem, but I make orthotics for a living and have access to some pretty good damping materials. One in particular called Nyplex, a rubber/pvc blend that makes a 28 durometer material. It comes about 1/4" thick and can be glued together to make it thicker. This stuff is very soft and absorbs shock like you wouldn't believe.

I mounted my computers subwoofer directly to my desk, and used a 2mm piece of Nyplex between the sub and the desk, and when its pumping, my desk doesn't vibrate at all...... that's just an example.

basically, is there anyway I can safely mount my amp to my trunk lid.

uhm... prolly isnt a good idea cuz you have to open it all the time right cuz you say you use it alot so yeah your best bet is to place it on the side of your trunk to the left or the right side walls of the trunk BEST PLACE or where your spair tire goes

If you put the amp on the trunk lid you're gonna have heat issues.  Either you mount it feet to the trunk, which when you close the trunk the amp will be upside down, or the top to the trunk lid, but then you have no clearance for heat to disappate (spelled wrong) to cool the amplifier.  Do your seats fold down?  If they don't then, yes, you will have a difficult time adjusting the amplifiers because you will have to keep moving the sub box back and forth until you get it set.   You can also mount the amp on the sides of the trunk as suggested above, but it becomes difficult because of the awkward surfaces to do so.  You will most likely have to build a small amp rack to mount it to in that location.  Another suggested place would be the spare tire well.  Some of my customers balk at the idea because then they have no spare.  But when you're slappin a big ol' box on top of the spare tire and strapping it down, you have no access to it anyways. lol.

megaman wrote:

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If you put the amp on the trunk lid you're gonna have heat issues.  Either you mount it feet to the trunk, which when you close the trunk the amp will be upside down, or the top to the trunk lid, but then you have no clearance for heat to disappate (spelled wrong) to cool the amplifier.  Do your seats fold down?  If they don't then, yes, you will have a difficult time adjusting the amplifiers because you will have to keep moving the sub box back and forth until you get it set.   You can also mount the amp on the sides of the trunk as suggested above, but it becomes difficult because of the awkward surfaces to do so.  You will most likely have to build a small amp rack to mount it to in that location.  Another suggested place would be the spare tire well.  Some of my customers balk at the idea because then they have no spare.  But when you're slappin a big ol' box on top of the spare tire and strapping it down, you have no access to it anyways. lol.

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No my seats dont fold down...... can I buy replacement seats that do??

I've considered the heat issues, and I was thinking I could put a couple of fans in my rear deck to keep air flowing through the trunk.
There are already holes in the deck so sticking a couple of fans in there shouldnt prove to be too difficult.....but im not set on the idea of putting it on the lid, it just seems like the only place im able to put it.

I really dont want to put it on the side of the trunk, because then it would be right near where the trunk opens, and this area gets wet when I open the trunk in the rain.
How would i build a rack to put it there?

Im bloody screwed here.