Where to mount amplifiers?

[naiku]

Does anyone have an aftermarket amplifier installed under the rear floor in their Avant? in front of where the spare wheel sits is an area that I think I have seen pictures of people who installed their amp(s) in that location. I currently have my subwoofer behind the drivers side cubby, and a single amp behind the passenger side. Problem is, I am installing an extra amplifier and while I think both amps may physically fit, as soon as I start adding wiring I am going to quickly run out of room.

So, has anyone installed an amp beneath the floor? how much clearance did you end up with above your amp? mine will have none, have you had any issues with over heating? The only other option I can think of is to either remove my subwoofer from its location, and place it in the trunk, so I can put the amps in that spot. But, I really want to keep it looking completely stealth and not lose any trunk room.

I looked under the seats, and there is also no room under there. My other thought is to cut out a wooden template that fits between the 2 wheels arches, and mount the amps to that facing the seat. Then cover the wooden template with cloth to match the trunk. Yes, it gives up some trunk space, but not a whole lot, and it should still appear at least somewhat stealthy. The other option is to attempt to sell both my amps, and look for some with a smaller foot print (which I would rather not do for various reasons, one being anything smaller with at least equal power is going to mean a higher price).

Any other ideas? Thanks.

[Dusty Mauve]

Well, the question is; how big is the amp?
You wont be able to fit all amps in the back, depending on size, but the under the rear seats should be plenty of room no? Not sure how much room there is at your car...

Here is how I did mine, not a big amp by any means, but theres good room :)
Some shots from building it:

[Dusty Mauve]

If there is absolutely no room it could be an option to raise the rear floor a couple of centimeters, that way it still would be hidden :)

[naiku]

Well, the question is; how big is the amp?
You wont be able to fit all amps in the back, depending on size, but the under the rear seats should be plenty of room no? Not sure how much room there is at your car...

The amps are fairly small, under the rear seats there is no room. I also can't really raise the floor, well, technically I could, but then there would be a step between the spare tire shelf and the trim on the sides of the trunk.

[Dusty Mauve]

Room enough to place it like this then?

[trayson]

I have a 99 C5 Avant. Currently I have a small 4 channel kicker amp in the passenger cubby for the highs. As a temp solution, I've thrown an 8" sub in a pre-fab box in the driver's cubby. I'm gonna run it off a Phoenix Gold R5.0:1 amp. for the time being, I have it mounted in the space between the hinged floor that covers the spare tire compartment and the false floor that covers the spare tire. There's *almost* the perfect amount of spade there. I removed the handle of the hinged part and that actually lines up just perfect with the blue LED backlit phoenix gold emblem. I'm of course concerned about cooling for the amp there. I've bought a pair of 12 volt computer fans. My plan is to cut a couple holes in the hinges part and flush mount the fans on either side of the amp. I bought an extra hinged floor piece for $20 from a salvage yard so I can play with it. The hinged floor comes within about 1/4" of closing perfect. I might just shim up the pieces of the flooring that trim it on the sides.

Ultimately, I'm planning on putting a 10" in the driver's cubby and using that as an enclosure (with extra work going into sealing it up as much as possible). That's the plan so far at least.

[617 Bones]

(2) JL Audio amps exactly where you are talking about:



And my sub is under the glove box:

[naiku]

(2) JL Audio amps exactly where you are talking about:

That's where I ended up putting them, they raise the floor up a tiny bit, but I don't know that anyone except me will notice it. So far they have not gotten too warm, I just need to secure them in there a little better.

Where did you get the carpet for your sub box from? I need some to cover a grill in my trunk.

[IGottaP]

For the people that put there sub on the spare tire spot what happens when u blow a tire your just assed out because of no spare? That would be a issue for me because y just never know when u can drive over a rusty nail

[617 Bones]

Where did you get the carpet for your sub box from? I need some to cover a grill in my trunk.

The shop that built the box for me supplied the carpeting. No clue where to get it.

For the people that put there sub on the spare tire spot what happens when u blow a tire your just assed out because of no spare? That would be a issue for me because y just never know when u can drive over a rusty nail

Yeah, I run a full size spare with my setup. "Just in case..."