First thanks for all the help from everyone so far, lots of great ideas.

OK now to the meat of things, I have a 99 SCab (4 doors), I the process of doing the sound as you can guess.

Mainily I am looking to learn from you folks in locating pass throughs best place to hook up etc. and mounting.
and also a generial review if I have everything covered and every thing appears in order... I think i have most of the electronics covered (I do computer/electronic controls for a living) but It never hurts for someone to check the design idea.

My plan is to run a Alpine CDA-7878 head unit . Metra harness/bracket these I have already and appears pretty stright forward.

I have Polk DX7 (rated 40w rms) in the front doors and EX 572 (rated 60w rms) in the read doors with dynamat on them now. MTX Thunderform (rated 300w rms) under the rear seat.

Will be pulling in 16ga wire for the door speakers. 12 ga for the sub.

I Figure on using some 12 ga soild copper home type wire as a fish/pull lead. I would fish in the soild wire through the door tube then tape the speaker wire to it and pull it through.

Any better ideas on fishing and pulling leads?


On the amps I will be running a RF punch 600.4 configured 75w x 2 to
power 2 door speakers and bridge the other Pair for the sub 300w x 1 then another RF Punch 160.2 40w x 2 rms for the other door speakers.

Ok a question should I run the 40w to the dx7 and 75w to the 572 or vice versa. The head unit has full EQ, active crossover, and one He** of a lot of tunning and adjusting capability. I don't want to pop speakers but I figure 75 to the dx7 40 to the 572 would give "lots of head room" up front with decent fill to the rear speakers. but maybe to much juice to the DX7's but all the deep base will be routed to the sun... Need help here... mments / Ideas please!!!

Ok on wiring planing on 4ga (w/inline 60a fuse) from the battery to a fused
distrubiution box located inside the center counsel. Also a 1F cap in the counsel with 4ga from hot to the + side and 4ga to ground from the - side so it would be in parell to the amps to give a boost if needed. (running a 130amp alternator).

Running 8ga to the amps and 8ga amps to ground. I plan on locating one amp under the drivers seat and the other eather under passenger seat or under the rear seat. depending on fit.

Ok do you guys just screw the amps to the floorboard or use a base of some type (wood? plexaglass? etc) and mount the base to the floor?

Next running power wires is there a gromet or pass through on the passenger side up front somewhere (firewall under carpet) I can run power through? I want to run power down passenger side and rca on drives side to avoid running the rca past the computer and to reduce noise. The RCA cable will be Pheonix gold shelded twisted pair.


ok guys what you think? I mess any calulations up or screw up the design idea at all?

Comments requested...

also any pics of amp mountings under the seats would be great!!!

Thanks again

Jim

 

Ok lets see if I can help

First I would move the DX7 to the rear doors and put the 572's up front. why? well, first is the power handling, and second I like the sound more of Infinity over Polk.

Second, put 75w to the front and 75 to the rear. Set x-over @ 100 150hz. I know this seems high, but will give the most protection to the speakers. 80hz to the subs.

Next, a 60 amp fuse actually seems small. I would probably bump it up to an 80. You didn't mention, but I am hoping you are planning to use a fuse distibribution in the center console. This is safest and gives quicker access in case in does blow. I would probably wait on using the cap to see if you really need it and then if you do, put it as close as posible to the 600.4.

Everything else looks in order.

Hope I helped and good luck

 

OK I should have said the 572 speakers are Polk EX572's.

Yes I plan on running a fused distrubution block in the consel for the reasons you stated. Fused 20A to the Punch 160.2 and 50A for the Punch 600.4 as RF recommends. The main line was calculated for 10A under the max draw of both amps. I don't think both amps would max out simtanioulsy or long enough to blow the main line fuse.

However do I need to rethink this? 4ga wire is good to 120+ amps but didn't see why I should fuse this way as I don't need power...

I have 1 amp currently (a new RF punch 160.2 40w x2 rms) and with the other foul ups getting parts and the sub I have had over 30days so I can't send it back and trade up for another one. I figured the RF punch 600.4. 75wx4 rms was the best way to get 300w for the subs and power the other pair of speakers without going to 3 seprate amps and I don't really have room for that I don't think. Is there a better way anyone knows about? It was the best option I could think up.

I could eat the RF 160.2 amp but being it is new would like to get my moneys worth out of it.

I was planning on use 2 of the 75 w channels bridged to power the MTX thunderform subs as they recommend 300w RMS. and the other 2 75 to power a set of door speakers. and the punch 160 to power the other set of doors. Figured the 75 up front made more sense and 40 in back as fill...

According to the alpine manual the hu allows me to adjust the drive to the amps to keep from overpowering the speakers...

I guess I was looking for a good compromise soulition to use the amp I have, drive the sub properly and drive the second set of speakers...

If this isn't a good Idea, I need a soultion fast. I go out of town tommrow evening and want to order before I depart on bussiness or it is another month wait...

Ideas

Jim

 

Oh was going to crossover around 100hz with a 18-24db slope I though that should work, the head has active crossover in both freq and slope so I could tinker with it but this was my starting point...

jim

 

Sorry i meant to say 40 to rear. I was also giving a little room for error on the amp. You won't be pulling max power, but with the 2 channels bridged, you will be pulling more. Best of luck, seems to be a very sweet system.

 

My system is in my gallery (link in my sig.)

I used the stock wiring for the door speakers just because it was easy. I didn't attach my amps to the floor at all and they haven't moved since I put them there. The Clarion would have been a real pain to attach because it is wider than the distance between the holes where the seat bolts to the floor. The MTX I just left as is because the Clarion never gave me any problems. I know that people are worried about the amps getting enough air so that they will stay cool, but the Clarion has 2 fans built in and I'm not really pushing the MTX too hard. I have a 100A breaker under the hood. There must be a place in the firewall where you can run the power wire; I know that others have found one. I (again) was lazy and did not want to drill a hole in the firewall so I just ran it between the quarter panel and the firewall, in through the door wiring grommet, then under the carpet to the back fuse block where it splits the power for both amps. Definetly not the best way to do it, but I've kept an eye on it and it doesn't seem to be rubbing at all.

I know that I took the easy way out, but it works, I think it sounds good, and I did it all myself so it was fairly cheap. I might not win any sound-offs but I'm really happy with the way it came together.

Your system sounds sweet, would love to see some pics when you get it all together.