Help with some Audio stuff

billygoat286

Registered User
If this is in the wrong spot, Sorry. Spent a few minutes deciding where to post, and since i'm not a member (yet, gotta wait for some extra cash, blew it all on the car) i thought i'd put it here.

So question one:
I install audio systems, and usually finding a way through the firewall takes me a bit(i like my installs to be clean, and quality haha so a bit means like an hour). I'm currently working on a complete aftermarket system for the 'Bird since the original has literally been hacksawed apart. No Joke. ill post pics if you like. Anywho, I've got a big 0 gauge power lead thats going from the battery to the trunk to another battery (yes. The Big 3 shall be upgraded along with the alt) Any knowledge of a good place to come through?

Next, i need some help with the factory premium sound. Usually when i amp my hi's i pull out the headunit get to the speaker harness *snip* (making sure to leave enough so if anyone ever goes back to stock it can be done, im not a nob -__- like the guy who owned the car before me) then i take a 9 volt test to see which speakers move on what just to triple check polarity and connect those together to create two channels isolated from the headunit. then splicing into the rear speaker wires i run that into the trunk and connnect to the amp. Is this possible with this car and the Premium Sound?(To be honest i haven't looked) Do you think the stock wire can handle the power ill be putting through it? which will be in the area of 1200 to 1500 watts.


Lastly, any other advice or warnings about things i should know about on this particular car? i love to learn new things hahaha i hate when i get into something and i get tripped up by something someone should've told me. Sorry for grammar, capitalization, or any spelling errors. I'm not in the mood to check myself today.
 
I don't know of a good place to come through, so I won't answer that one. Although, I'd be checking on the passenger side, possibly around where the antenna goes into the passenger bay.

For the wiring - Oh, NO! Pull new wiring for that level of power.

See, the amp for premium sound is in the back, that wiring harness (and no, don't cut it - use an adapter if you use it!) carries differential line level signal to the amp in the package tray in the back. It's not designed to carry any real power.

If you DO use it, grab the amp bypass harness for the amp, cut it up, and use it to make a amp-in/amp-out harness to plug into the stock harness.

And then put the amp in the back, and use line level for the wiring to the amp.

RwP
 
I came thru the spare tire well with mine LOL I figure it was the easiest and would look the best since the 0awg doesnt bend easy I didnt want it holding up the carpet. My 4awg was hard enough to hide inside the car.
I ran a conduit under the car and bought some firewall bushings and found they screw into the fittings for the conduit my exhaust hangs lower then the conduit so there shouldnt be an issue
 
I would highly reccomend not attempting to use stock speaker wiring with what your attempting to go. Also you cna also drill and grommet your firewall to run the power lead through. Ends up neater that way
 
Thanks guys!

i decided to do some poking around and (i can feel the ridicule now haha) i had never seen all those amps. I've owned the car for well over 2 years and had never opened the trunk because the guy didnt have the key. bad move on my part haha. Is it normal to have four amps? from what i see theres one for each speaker in a tray and then one larger for the little subwoofer. I think my best move would be to scrap ALL of the OE stuff because the previous have done some interesting modifications here and there and none of it works. I am going to glass out the back seat panels and put two of these and a few of these

the front doors might get the same treatment depending on what i want to do. BTW the panels are thrashed i dont like modifying cars that much but theres so little to work with ill just go crazy. About the power wire i think im going to do that now that it looks like itll be that easy. This is a multi amp setup. We might do at least 3 depending on how radical i wanna get with this.


I jsut saw the third reply. we usually drill at the shop. and i only ask because on the cougars we built for competitions we could actually use it. crazy i know.
 
Thanks guys!

i decided to do some poking around and (i can feel the ridicule now haha) i had never seen all those amps. I've owned the car for well over 2 years and had never opened the trunk because the guy didnt have the key. bad move on my part haha. Is it normal to have four amps? from what i see theres one for each speaker in a tray and then one larger for the little subwoofer. I think my best move would be to scrap ALL of the OE stuff because the previous have done some interesting modifications here and there and none of it works. I am going to glass out the back seat panels and put two of these and a few of these

the front doors might get the same treatment depending on what i want to do. BTW the panels are thrashed i dont like modifying cars that much but theres so little to work with ill just go crazy. About the power wire i think im going to do that now that it looks like itll be that easy. This is a multi amp setup. We might do at least 3 depending on how radical i wanna get with this.


I jsut saw the third reply. we usually drill at the shop. and i only ask because on the cougars we built for competitions we could actually use it. crazy i know.

the package tray dont have 4 amps it has the abs computer , ride control computer, and the amp up there
 
Billygoat286 - you really, Really, REALLY need to check the EVTM for this car.

As was mentioned, you have just ONE amp on Premium (JBL has two, but the sub's amp is on the bottom of the sub). The other electronics are for the other electronic things in the car - ABS, ARC, EVO, etc.

There's a 12V tap back there for the JBL sub, but it won't have the current capacity for the size amp you're wanting to push back there.

(The factory amp is something like 20W per channel IIRC ... not a whole lot all things considered.)

RwP
 
Billygoat286 - you really, Really, REALLY need to check the EVTM for this car.

As was mentioned, you have just ONE amp on Premium (JBL has two, but the sub's amp is on the bottom of the sub). The other electronics are for the other electronic things in the car - ABS, ARC, EVO, etc.

There's a 12V tap back there for the JBL sub, but it won't have the current capacity for the size amp you're wanting to push back there.

(The factory amp is something like 20W per channel IIRC ... not a whole lot all things considered.)

RwP

Where is said 12v power tap and would it be enough for say... 300watt amp? Id like to eliminate the power wire I have if it is..
 
Where is said 12v power tap and would it be enough for say... 300watt amp? Id like to eliminate the power wire I have if it is..

no its not big enough

with a 300 watt amp I would have a min of 8awg running to it if its a sub amp in the trunk I would do 4awg with a fused distribution block in the truck and an 8 awg coming out going to the amp. This was how I had my old setup and it was a 5 channel 200 watt amp. I always have a fuse 18" min from the battery and another near the amp your better off blowing a fuse then burning the car.

My new setup I have 2 of the above mentioned amps and I'm running 0awg to the trunk with 4awg going to the amps but they can handle the large wire
 
Gotcha.. just would have been a nice thing to be able to eliminate the power wire. Thinking of actually running mine UNDER the car instead of under the carpet like i have it.
 
There is no eliminating the power wire and tapping a power source for even a 100 watt amplifier. you need to run at least 8 guage wire and a fusable link to the battery. If you dont it will pull voltage away from accesories in the car that it isnt supposed to. I ussually even add a stiff capaciter to the system to prevent it from damaging the regulator in the alt. On some of the bigger systems I have built over the years I have also upgraded the alternator and ran a spare battery. I also still run old school ppi art series amplifiers, they run really cool even at 1/2 ohm stable and the clarity is still just as good as any of the new amps on the market today.
 
I've got 8 guage straight to the battery with a fuse under the hood. 300 watt visonic(cheap ~~~ I know) amp and 2 no name 10s (only gave 100$ for amp and subs and they were never used) pioneer mp3 head unit, all the factory speakers have been replaced with Rockford fosgates sounds pretty good for a cheap system just want to re route some stuff.
 
Mine goes through the driver side back under the rear seat, and the rca cable runs down the pass side so you dont get interferance or humming. I also plan to add a stiffining capaciter on the rear seat frame and build another sub box that fits in the spare tire well and mount the amp rack in it as well.
 
Mines under the carpet but i need to rerout through the firewall my power cable goes out between the fender and the door (i know i know terrible!) i need to reroute it cant seem to find a hole in the firewall
 
I was hoping to find an existing hole but no luck there guess I'm going to have to drill one and find a rubber gromet.
 
There is a hole your boost line that goes to the back of your cluster goes through it. Find it and there ya go.
 
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