I just bought an amp to go with 2 - 10" bus for a subbox.net box. I have a 2000 Ext. Cab and I wanted to know where is everyone getting main power and acc. power from? The box takes up the all the space under the back seat, so I was wondering if it is better to put the amp under the drivers seat or the passengers seat? Or for that matter, I have Captains seats with a center console, is it better to put the amp there (where ever is easiest to get power and run wires, etc.)

 

I've got 2 amps in mine. I've got one under the driver seat and one under the driver side back seat. I don't think you can put one under the passenger seat on a 2000 without relocating the jack. I've heard people say that under the driver seat is not a good place because of lack of air flow but I've had mine cranked for quite a while and when I got out of the truck I felt the amp and it wasn't hot at all. Hope this helps.

Bob

 

Hi mthunwardsen,

You'll want to pull power for the amp directly from the battery. Generally I use 10 ga. wire and install a fusable link up near the battery with the recommended amp. fuse. You'll want to ground the amp to the chassis of the truck. Nearest to the amp is usaully best. Scraping off some paint off the floor of the cab and screwing it down will do the trick. You will need to pull remote power from the head unit to trigger the amp to turn on with your head unit. Some RCA's have a built in wire for this. The remote wire is usually connected to the power antenna wire coming out of the back of the head unit. The remote wire is usually blue, in case it's not labelled.


As far as amp location, I would try to go under one of the seats, if there's room. I wouldn't recommend inside the console, as amp can get very hot, especially when running subs. They need air! My motto has always been - Mount it where it fits! Sometimes you have to get creative.

I also have captain's chair with the center console. My sub is in the console - a JL Audio Stealthbox. My amps are under the passenger side back seat.

I hope this helps. Good Luck!

Clem

 

Oh yeah, I forgot about the power and turn on wires. I've got a 4 gauge main wire running directly from the battery to a distribution block behind the rear seat. From there I've got 8 gauge power wires running to each amp. I've got 4 gauge ground wires running to the seat bolts to ground everything. For my amp turn on wires, I just tapped into an existing fuse in the fuse box. Piece of cake. Also, there's a nice big rubber grommet to the right and above the steering column that you can run your main power wire through.

Bob

 

Thanks a ton. You guy are outstanding. It sounds like a fairly straight forward install. I am putting in a Pioneer DEH-P7400 probably this weekend. Once I get that guy all squared away, it is on to the amp and subs. I think I am going to put the amp under the drivers seat. I was concerned about finding a good enough ground there (resistance wise), but it sounds like that is not a problem. I have been planning to run the main power wire directly from the battery. Did you guys have to get a new terminal post connector to accomidate the additional wire, or were you able to modify the existing one to work. I haven't looked at mine with that in mind, so I can probably answer that question myself. Even if I do have to swap it out, a new one is cheap and takes less than 10 minutes, I am just lazy. Anyways, thanks for all the info, and any other info you can give me is greatly appreciated.

-Matt

 

The stud on the solenoid on the firewall should be sufficent for most amp power apps. F-150 interiors are 'Install Friendly" most floor panels and dash access is just pop off. Sand away the paint on the floor and use a self drilling screw to hook up your ground, this will ensure a good connection. Use the same gauge as your power wire for the ground and keep the length short, mount the amp where you can get to the crossovers and the gain pots fairly easy you will be tweeking them alot at first. According to Richard Clark the factory speaker wire should be sufficent up to about 75 or 100 watts rms. If you do not install a monster amp for the door speakers the existing wiring should be fine!

 

This time with Sig.

 

Hey Eddie,

How's that pioneer head unit workin' out for you? It's the unit I'm considering in my move to XM. Are you running XM? If so, what are your impressions of it in that capacity? In any capacity for that matter.

FYI, I'm currently running a Pioneer DEH 505 with a PPI FRX-322 processor in the dash. JL Audio XR570CX's all the way around with JL Audio center console stealthbox for thumping purposes.
2 PPI "Art Series" amps do the driving. ( 4 x 50w and 2 x 75w bridged to mono)

Clem

 

This Time With updated Sig!!!!!!!!!

 

I like the unit alot it has alot of features. The flexibility in the sub out section is pretty good. It probably wont be long before I go to a amp and a couple of subs under the rear seat. The Bazooka works well but I am considering running the rear door speakers off the head unit and bridge the front & rear Of the memphis to a pair of 6.5 components in the front doors. After that I dont think the Zooka will keep up! I should have XM in the next couple of weeks

 

Thanks again for all your help guys. Hey Clem, I also have a Pioneer DEH-P7400MP3 that I just installed. It is pretty awesome. Definitely a lot cooler than the stock unit. Given the opportunity, I highly recommend one. I was able to pick mine up off ebay for less than $250 (that includes shipping). They are too much $$$ if you try and get them through a local store (suggested retail is about $390, plus you have to pay sales tax on top of that), so check around.

 

Thanks mthunwardsen,

You must be reading my mind. I just finished checking ebay!
Looks like good deals to be had, But I'm hesitating only because I've never purchased on ebay before. Any tips on how to separate the good from the bad, seller wise? I see that you can read reviews on the sellers, but is that to be believed? There are a bunch of units available for bid and I sure love to save $$$.

Clem

 

Clem,

Funny you ask about this. I actually bought the same unit from some guy on ebay about a month ago. The seller was a little shady, but I thought I would give him the benefit of the doubt. So I went ahead and paid him. Then never heard from him again, nor did I get my CD player. Fortunately for me, I paid using an intermediate service, Paypal, and they were able to refund me my money. It took like 10 days, but at least I got it back. This was the first time I had been frauded in almost 100 ebay purchases. It is rare, and don't be discouraged. So when shopping on ebay I look for a couple of things. High seller rating. This usually indicates a business, that is good. Business's tend to have a faster turn around and are a lot more professional to deal with. I also only purchase items that I can buy with PayPal. PayPal is this seperate middle man that you can use to pay for things over the internet, not just ebay. I highly recommend them, and I think it is an absolute must if you want to buy off of ebay. Highly secure, low hassle, and they work for you (e.g. they got my $250 back). Just follow their instructions, and get verified. Also check for shipping, sometimes it is not listed, or when it is listed, it makes the total cost of your purchase more than other more expensive one, with cheaper shipping rates. That is just a general BUYER BEWARE type thing. Also, just look around. Get good at being creative with you searches. People list things under different key words, so you can find the same thing in many different places. Also, the last thing. If you really want something, and others are bidding on it. Don't bid right away. Look at when the aution ends, and place your bid only in the last minute or two. Even if you bid with 10 minutes left, you still may be out bid. I know it is hard sometimes to be at your computer at 3 am to win something, but people are from all different time zones, so 3 am back East is only midnight for me out here in Cal. Just some tips. Good luck. I got my Pioneer DEH-P7400MP from Ike's Electronic's. It was $233 plus $15 shipping. They are in Florida, so by the time they got around to mailing it, and that they sent it UPS ground, it took about a week and a half to get here. Just to give you an idea. Also watch out for same state stuff. Although it may get here quicker, I have to pay Cal. sales tax (8.25%, ouch!), so that jacks up the price again. Alright, that is all I can think of for now. Good luck.