91LuminaEuro Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 Ok guys, im gonna be running the wires and installing my subs very soon, since my project took a different turn. Here is what i've got: 2x 12" RF subs 1500w max amp and the enclosure I bought the wiring kit back when i bought them (mind you this was back in 05/06 i think) So i've got all the wiring for the project. Normally i would leave this up to the professionals, but i already have the interior out, and the dash appart, so i might as well do it not, while its easier to run wiring, and save me some $$. So anybody have a write up, or info on what to expect? There really are no instructions with anything so im just lookin for some info. Also, i will be using an aftermarkt H/U with the RCA outputs needed. I'm not sure which one yet, i'll be picking it up this week i think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
91LuminaEuro Posted July 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 Anybody have any insight or info? I trust you guys more than the results i get from google. Or bing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 Ground to the body. Power to the battery. RCA's hook up to the back of the radio, along with the remote turn on line. What else do you need? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtremerevolution Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 Get a head unit with 3 preouts. Otherwise, its a fairly simple install. Get a piece of plywood to mount the amp to, do NOT mount it to the sub box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
91LuminaEuro Posted July 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 Awesome, thanks guys! I've never installed subs, a couple of H/U's and some pioneers to replace the factory speakers in my lumi (those were plug and play tho) so i wanted to make sure i didnt get started and hit a bump i wasn't expecting. Sounds striaght foreward! Better to ask because i know you guys won't lead me too far astray! haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted2bass Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 Make sure to run the power wire through the firewall, not the door jamb. There should be a spot for a clutch cable on those cars you can use. I would also run the rca down the opposite side of the car from the power. You'll also need a GM battery post adapter for your power wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 If you are going to mount your amp to something, be sure to use spacers to allow proper ventilation and heat dissipation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visitor Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 If you are going to mount your amp to something, be sure to use spacers to allow proper ventilation and heat dissipation. YES! work well. Parts express sells some dedicated isolation feet as well. Not only does it help with cooling, it protects a bit from vibration damage which can occur over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtremerevolution Posted July 21, 2010 Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 YES! work well. Parts express sells some dedicated isolation feet as well. Not only does it help with cooling, it protects a bit from vibration damage which can occur over time. Lost an amp earlier this year because of someone who mounted the amp to the sub before me, so I can vouch for protection from vibration damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
91LuminaEuro Posted July 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 Awesome, great info guys! Wouldn't have thought about the vibrations. We've got some of those at the shope somewhere i'll snag when i start putting this all together....possibly as early as this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick1234 Posted July 21, 2010 Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 shit i have had my amp mounted to my box for 3 straight years now....not going to start messing with it now tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visitor Posted July 21, 2010 Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 shit i have had my amp mounted to my box for 3 straight years now....not going to start messing with it now tho and it might last another 10! (or forever!) The thing is vibration damage happens over time. if you're good now, and dont feel like changing it, no worries. But for the guy doing a fresh install...Use the spacers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted2bass Posted July 22, 2010 Report Share Posted July 22, 2010 I've never seen or heard about an amp failing because of vibrations. Maybe if it was a cheap amp and you were running some monster subs. But i wouldnt worry about it for 99% of installs. That being said, if i do an install and the car has a fold down back seat ill mount the amp there. But mounting it on the box is fine to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
91LuminaEuro Posted July 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2010 I noticed tonight that my sub box is much larger than i thought..and my trunk is also much smaller than i thought...i was originally going to mount the amp to the top of the box, with rubber spacers for hear distribution... I may not be able to...i may make a seperate pannel, in the quarter to mount the amp. It will look kool and show off the amp because it is chrome. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
91LuminaEuro Posted July 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2010 [ATTACH=CONFIG]1479[/ATTACH] 2 Rockfort fosgate 12" subs 1500 watt rockfort fosgate amp JVC Double Din H/U Wiring Kit for subs I need to go back and get the right wiring harness for my h/u my coworker gave me the wrong one today..blerg no biggie, and im waiting for a PAC Audio Steering wheel adapter to come in, should be in stock saturday or sunday. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1480[/ATTACH] Subs are installed in the box. Waiting for the Monte to get back so i can figure out how im gonna mount the amp, then run wiring for the system and install the H/U before putting the car back together to make wiring easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
91LuminaEuro Posted July 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2010 (edited) bought my PAC Audio SWRC adapter today, anybody have any experience with these and have any suggestions? Only problem i have already found is that the 3.5mm jack for the "wired remote" from the blue box to the h/u isnt gonna work right. The Jack that comes on the unit has the 90degree angle, and the way my h/u is set up, the jack sits back too far in a hole and it won't plug in all the way. I'm gonna buy an adapter tomorrow that has the straight ends on it so it will plug in fully and i'll be good to go! Edited July 24, 2010 by 91LuminaEuro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted2bass Posted July 24, 2010 Report Share Posted July 24, 2010 The PAC SWRCs are a bit of a PITA. You will most likely need to find a wire or two in the steering wheel harness and they can be a little confusing to program. I would have suggested getting one of the new Axxess ones which are much easier to install. But just read over the instructions thoroughly and you should be good. Does the Monte have a fold down rear seat? If so i would mount the amp there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visitor Posted July 24, 2010 Report Share Posted July 24, 2010 I've never seen or heard about an amp failing because of vibrations. Maybe if it was a cheap amp and you were running some monster subs. But i wouldnt worry about it for 99% of installs. That being said, if i do an install and the car has a fold down back seat ill mount the amp there. But mounting it on the box is fine to. I disagree. whole-heartedly. Has happened to several of my rf amps, and one orion (2100hcca) amp of mine. If possible try not to mount it to the box period.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
91LuminaEuro Posted July 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 The PAC SWRCs are a bit of a PITA. You will most likely need to find a wire or two in the steering wheel harness and they can be a little confusing to program. I would have suggested getting one of the new Axxess ones which are much easier to install. But just read over the instructions thoroughly and you should be good. Does the Monte have a fold down rear seat? If so i would mount the amp there. Yeah, reading the directions it seems like its gonna be a chore, but luckily they offer vehicle specific directions on their website which seem to make life easier. I saw the Axxess ones, but through work i got a sweet deal on the PAC one so i couldn't say no. For the amp, im working on mounting it on a custom board in the passenger side rear quarter. I'm gonna mount the board, slot it, cover it in the carpet from the parts monte and then mount the amp to that. It will look really awesome, especially because the amp is chromed alll over and looks really neat...so if i can make it look nice i will. If this turns out to be a bust, i'm gonna mount it to the seat like you said. So far though, i made a cardboard template and have the four mounting tabs measured out on 1 1/2 wide 1/8th inch steel strap. I'll keep you guys updated on the stereo install, im just waiting for the car to get back from the frame shop so i can finalize measurements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTP091 Posted August 1, 2010 Report Share Posted August 1, 2010 I disagree. whole-heartedly. Has happened to several of my rf amps, and one orion (2100hcca) amp of mine. If possible try not to mount it to the box period.. Quality built amps won't have this problem RF amps are not quality amps. If your box was vibrating it means the wood was flexing and built wrong, not enough bracing; happens when you get a prefab made with particle board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visitor Posted August 1, 2010 Report Share Posted August 1, 2010 Quality built amps won't have this problem RF amps are not quality amps. If your box was vibrating it means the wood was flexing and built wrong, not enough bracing; happens when you get a prefab made with particle board. absolutly incorrect. Ive never owned a prefab. RF amps are not high end, more middle of the road, but "not quality" is absolutly incorrect (not even real sure where you got this rediculous opinion). 1.5" MDF is plenty thick enough, as for bracing, I use something very similar to this- (not my pic, nor my work) Along with resin on the inside of the box. Vibration damage DOES happen. (to be fair- the vibration damaged amps happened to me in my younger "bass happy" days, 156.7 legal score, 2 re audio MT 18's in a tahoe) here are some quotes from knowledgable/reputable people in the industry- Jacob from sundown audio (fairly well built, zenon amps (buildhouse)) "Amps with heavier parts are more prone to damage from vibration as well. We added more screws to our 1500s and 3000s around the heavy parts to help prevent damage. It has worked pretty well in reducing the # of vibration related failures. Generally in an amp vibration breaks off the legs of the transistors or rectifiers - parts that are mounted to the board but also attached to the casing separately. If the board vibrates too much or warps too much from heat it will eventually snap off the legs of those parts. Much less common it is possible to rattle off a component from the main PCB board or break a solder joint... but those are much less common than breaking off FETs and rectifiers. In any event... a thick, nicely braced box with rubber stand-offs will *generally* not damage an amp. Although, in my experience almost any amp that has suffered vibration damage has been mounted to an enclosure. " DB-r repair (http://www.db-r.com/ - authorized repair center for a few big name amps, will repair about anything) "Does vibration hurt amps: YES Prove it: I have lots of pics, but some of the manufacturers might get pissed off if I started posting pics of their broken amps from vibration, but if enough people here must see proof and just don't believe me I will post some pics, I have a good lawyer.... Problem with this thread is everyone has had different experiences. But being a repair shop, I can tell you for 100% sure, YES vibration over time, will damage your amp... I have seen 1000's of mosfets, rectifiers, and capacitors (large ones) broken from the board just floating around in the amp.... now for the more technical people here who "just don't understand", no the solder isn't breaking, properly heated solder joints do not break very easy, even at 160 db+. The steel/copper/whatever they used legs of the parts themselves are breaking. Sometimes right at the board, sometimes right at the base of the part housing. Why does this happen? What can be done about it? How the **** can this be if the manufacturers KNOW the amps are going to be subjected to vibration would they not build in some sort of way to protect the part from being damaged due to vibration? This is why: The parts used in ALL car stereo amps are NOT designed specifically for car stereo applications. They are the same parts that you will find in everything electronic. No company out there that I am aware of makes transistors solely for car stereo amps. It's just not going to happen either, think of the "scope" of car audio.... small tiny group of sales, not worth the R&D to make parts just for their specific application. The only things you may find in a car stereo amplifier that was "made specifically for car stereo amplifiers" is the power supply transformers and output/filtering inductors as those things likely aren't used in much else, at least not in the exact shape/size required to fit in a car stereo amp, so alot of those are made at the factory by the manufacturer of the amplifier or made by a seperate company who all they do is sell those things to customers who manufacture car stereo amplifiers." (both quotes taken from page 7 of: http://www.caraudio.com/forum/amplifiers/373665-does-really-damage-amps-mounting-them-boxes.html, will be happy to find more testimonials from credible sources if you would like) There is also a reason no company (that i know of) will warranty a vibration damaged amp. We can play this silly yes/no game all day if you'd like, but isnt it really very simple to just err on the side of caution and mount it elsewhere? Also will look cleaner and more "custom" mounted elsewhere (nice side effect!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
91LuminaEuro Posted August 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2010 Not sure how this got off topic, but either way. I got the radio installed, and the wiring ran to the trunk for the sub. The wiring harness was labelled incorrectly, it has the front and rear speakers switched, luckilly i had the car wiring harness, and wired the unit that way, rather than what the directions said to. Also had to manually run a 12v accesory power line to the ant signal? i believe? It was the signal wire for the factory amp to turn on, so i could get audio. The radio works well, it was a bitch to fit in and i had to do some modifications to the dash, but im happy with the fit for an aftermarket radio. The PAC control unit is installed, but i have to switch the airbag and SWRC out on the car because when the old airbag blew it broke them. So once that is done, i will program it. (which will be a chore im sure) Also, have the mount for my amp all fabbed up, its gonna sit int he pass rear quarter, looks pretty good. I used the carpet from the Impala i scrapped to cover the board, so it matched the rest of the trunk. Very pelased. I'll get some pics soon and update once the subs are complete installed and functioning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
91LuminaEuro Posted August 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Install is DONE! Programmed the PAS adapter today, it was acutally much easier than i anticipated. No problems, everything works pefectly! I am beyond happy. Here are some pics of the subs and the h/u Couple pics of it with the multiple led colors it has to offer. This thread is done for now, progress on the car can be seen in the members rides section. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1570[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]1571[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]1572[/ATTACH] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhatTheFehl Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Kiss FM is gay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Is that the JVC double din? If so, how do you like it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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