I am planning on running the following wiring to the Kenwood KAC-8401 amplifier:
Right side of amp: 1) power wire from battery,
2) ground wire from chassis,
3) remote turn-on wire from head unit
4) speaker wiring to HU area to plug into factory harness
Left side of amp: 1) 2 pair of RCA jacks from Kenwood head unit,
2) 1 pair RCA(pass-thru) to powered sub,

I have a few questions:

1)I know that I should run power separate from RCA's: Should I run power under the middle console and RCA's/speaker wires under right door panel? Or vice versa?

2) I have 3/4" MDF to mount the amp on. Is that too thick? Will I have room under the rear passenger vent?

3) Under the seat, should I have the sides of the amp that have wiring connections on the sides (next to middle console and next to door) OR at the front and back? I was thinking the on the sides to keep rear passengers'feet from kicking the wiring, but then I thought that it would be harder to make the wiring attachments? It seems that it might be easier to make the wiring connections as well as amp adjustments if those sides of the amp were at the front and back. OR do you connect all of the wires to the amp BEFORE you slide the amp/board under the seat?

Any help and ideas from you guys would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

 

I ran the RCAs down the console over to the amp, and ran power down the door sill. The grommet I went through for the power wire is where the clutch piston goes throigh the firewall, and is enough to the driver's side to make this a logical choice. I was able to (barely) use 6 foot RCA cables from the LOC's attached to the stock deck and harness.

I prefer the amp wiring connections on the sides, as this would be a little easier to make it tidy. The adjustments are on the same side as the RCA connections usually, though.

I think I mentioned in a reply to one of your other posts that I mounted my amp to the seat rather than the floor. It is a bit more difficult to do the installation, but it is less visible and less in the way than mounting to the floor.

 

1) I ran the power wire and remote through the right side (under the scuff plates) and the RCAs down the center console, I used one of the bolts that secures the seat as grounding point but you can make yourself a new hole if you want to, just make sure you remove the paint around it and that there are no wires, fuel lines, etc... beneath.

2) I used some plywood boards to mount mine, I didn´t want to drill holes to my floor so I used some industrial strenght velcro to attach them to the floor(under the carpet) and drilled the amps to the boards, it worked fine.
The thickness of the boards depends on the amps, one of my amps (PG T300.2) barely makes it under the passenger seat but the other one has plenty of clearance. I´d measure the amp first if I were you.

3) First off, save yourself A LOT of trouble and just remove the seat before making the install. It will also make running the wires a lot easier.
Mount the amps with the conections facing either the center console or the door, you don't want people screwing things up with their feet.

I hope this helps, good luck .

 

hey GolfDad..

1. I would run the power down the side of the car and all your RCA's and speaker wires down the middle....just seems simpler since your headunit is in the Middle.

2. Its not to thick...and I don't know about part two of the question.

3. it really would depend on how wide your amp is...personally I mounded mine with the connections from side to side....for the very reason that it isn't in the way of anyones feet later on...to make the install very easy...what I did was remove the seat totally from the car...that way you have easy access to the amp and all its connections....you can also tune it and get all the settings just right THEN put the seat back in....

 

If your amp fits under the seat, there is a AC duct under there that will keep it cool.

Mister T

 

are there any disadvantages of having an AMP underneath your seat?

 

You can also slide the seat all the way foward later on so that you can make adjustments, so it´s not thaaaat big a deal to get all the settings the way you want them the same day (wich is nearly impossible), heck, I play with my settings almost daily.

 

Thanks for all the tips. Especially about removing the seat first. It really made things easier. I slid my 3/4" MDF under the carpet, velcor'd the bottom of the carpet to the top of the board; made slits in the carpet for running wires alond edge of board. I then screwed the amp to the board thru the carpet. I then took it for a test "spin" and the amp did not move, even on curves!

Thanks again!

 

I´m glad everything turned out ok, how does it sound?