1995 GT Convertible. Bought some amps that are too big for stock location behind seat. Any good ideas? I have a custom sub box in trunk. Can i mount amps to eaxh side of box? Too late to return amps as they have been in the garage for a while.
Mounting them on the box is fine, sometimes it's about the only option. This is what I did in my brothers 99 vert...
Well, I have my head unit coming in a couple days. I plan to do an install once it gets here. Between then and now, I have been running power lines and planning the locations everything will end up. I have an AudioControl electronic crossover and two amps. The amps are each the size of a std piece of paper, except they are 2-1/4" tall. The connections coming off of them add a bit to the skinny dimensions, but they are pretty small. This is good, because I am only seriously considering a totally stealth install. Well, except for the sub box in the trunk. I was thinking I might be able to put my amps on the cabin side of the rear deck, under that cover that goes back to the base of the rear window. I was thinking I might cut out a 12" X 24" section out of that cover piece. It would be off to the side a bit, or maybe right in the center. Not sure, but it would be way back toward the base of the rear window, and I could put the amps on the rear deck there, open to the sky (between the rear window and the cutout in the cover). I could then put some plywood endcaps on each of the 12" sides, and cover those two end caps with tan grille cloth by stretching some really tight between the two - across the 24" dimension. That would give me a breathable, very slightly raised, "tent" for the amps to occupy back there. When they were off they might be invisible, between my limo-tint back window and the tan grille cloth directly over them. They have a power indicator light though, so when they were on there might be a glow back there. Well, this is what I am thinking, ATM. I have yet to remove the rear deck panels and take a look to see if it could really be done, but I suspect it can. I might reinforce the rear deck a bit, though. My only real concern is that my 1.7cuft (gross), sealed, 700w RMS (getting only 300w, though), Reference-series MB Quart 15" sub might rattle the poor amps to death if they are mounted on the rear deck. Anyone have any thoughts on this as an amp location in my '00 GT? Head unit won't be here 'till Wednesday, if it is on schedule. I have time to figure some other stealth mounting method out. There don't seem to be many such methods from what I have been able to search for in this forum. I would think if it was a good idea, it would have been done many times by now.
I don't think stealth and a 15" sub are going to work together, kind of hard to hide that kind of sub. Personally I would get rid of that 15" and get a 12" JLw7. Amps on the rear deck under the window would get HOT in the summer from the sun...so since you are in CA that is probably not a good idea. Anyway, for a sub that big you might as well pull your whole trunk apart and then build a box for the sub, then see were you can squeeze the amps. You can always remove the back seat and put an amp rack where the back seat used to be. I have all my amps and my sub in my trunk, but its all covered except for a grate that the sub sits behind. www.geocities.com/snaglpus00 I have 2 amps, Epicenter, CAP, fuse block, fan and a 12" JL under there and I only lost about 3inches of trunk floor height along with my spare. ~K
Well, I have a sub budget of $100. I got the MB Quart RWE-352 (reference series) new-in-box for $99. If I can get a JLw7 for $100 or less, sure. I don't think that is possible, however. Also, I have the 15 in a sealed MDF box ATM, but I will be gutting the trunk and doing something in fiberglass as a permanent solution. That setup will not have the woofer visible. My goal is that a thief would not be able to reach around and "screwdriver" the sub, either. That seems like a popular move for them when they realize they are leaving with much less than they thought they would. I would like to be able to prevent it, even with the back seats down. I think I have the the typical defensive problem: stationary, static defenses with a mobile, adaptive opponent, so it is all likely for nothing. Still, if my system is both invisible and more difficult to jack than the next guy's, why not just move on? Hopefully. Hmm... with 115-deg happening at some point in a Sacramento summer, for sure, I guess you're right on the rear deck amps. I have an objection to a false floor becuase of how much it would need to weigh to be capable of supporting the stuff that goes in my trunk at times. My car weighs in at ~3260lbs. I would like to combine the system install (w/ fiberglass) and some weight savings to keep that number fairly static. I would need a very light, but still strong, false floor material. I guess I could 'glass that too, though. That might not be too heavy. It is definitely up for consideration, now. Thanks! As far as replacing the back seats with an amp rack, that is a no go. I do not use a passenger front seat (I transport DIY tower speakers back and forth from home to the work shop), so removing the back seat would give me a single seater. It is my only car, so converting it to a single seater is a bad idea. I could always do the "put it in when I need it" thing with the front seat, but there is going to be an unexpected time when I will really want to be able to seat someone else, and couldn't plan ahead. It is amazing though, how much fits into a Mustang w/o a front passenger seat. That, and how easily it all goes in. Thanks again for the comments/ideas.
-1 Pushing a 15 inch sub in a Mustang is just ridiculous and overkill. Unless your a basshead...then it makes sense. But even then, a true basshead would run 2x18's in a Mustang. Drop down to a 12 or better yet a 10 inch sub. You don't need all that sub for the small amount of cabin space we have. Just my 2 cents.
I don't much care about loud, but I really like deep, and a 15 from the same series has a lower resonance than a 12 or 10 of the same series - just because the cone has more mass. That alone justifies the use of a 15, from my perspective. This woofer is rated w/ a usable frequency range down to 16Hz. Not that that means a whole lot. I have an email to them for the TS numbers I need to model the driver in WinISD to see what it will do in different enclosures, before I commit to something in fiberglass. I got addicted to the low stuff after setting up my Home Theater sub w/ -3dB @ 16Hz at the liistening position. Regarding space (as opposed to output, above), MB Quart recommends only 1.5cuft sealed for this model. I like sealed enclosures in cars. Cabin gain makes a ported enclosure a waste, IMHO. 1.5cuft will not take up much of the usable room in the trunk, once I can lay down a fiberglass enclosure on the left side. It will get a lot of space from the "nooks and crannies" in the side, vs an MDF one. Besides, I have plenty of storage room, since I don't have my passenger front seat installed.
I've gone from 1 12" sub, to 2 10" subs, now I think I'm going to go with 1 8". I don't want alot of stereo and added weight in my current stang, but alittle extra bass with nice clarity is what I'm looking at.
