4 gague from the battery to the distro block, 8 gauge from there to the components. any screws/etc that i took out are noted by the red blotches.


i couldn't seem to get to/find a grommet in the firewall to use, so i ran it under the body and up through where the smugglers box is (funny, never heard it called that before). i removed the box and there was already a grommet there that seemed to fit a 4g wire just fine.




from the underside i pulled the cable around an anchor for the ebrake, then over to the side. there's a gap that seems you can use that goes between the body and frame right in front of the rear tire. originally i was just going to have it go on top of the heatshield for the muffler but thought that might not be a good idea (melted wires anyone?).




from there i just follow an existing wire harness up to the engine bay, then follow the rear ac lines up and then to the battery. i ziptied in a couple places to the factory wires.



taking out the rear panel inside wasn't too hard. just a few screws/latches/seatbelt anchors and the rest are the plastic 'pop' pins (whatever they're called) that you just pull on. i left the 3rd row seat in when i took the panel out, but it would be a little easier to have done it without the seat in the way.




i spliced my audio feed from the factory sub. there's only 5 wires that come into the sub: red is + power, black is - power, i assume yellow is acc/remote, black/silver seemed to be - speaker, and the blue/silver seemed to be + speaker. for some stupid reason i didn't splice the remote turn on lead from the remote lead to the factory sub. i just put in a manual switch for now (grabs power from the main + hitting the amp). while it's good that i can turn the amp on and off, i have to -remember- to turn it off when i get out of the car.



i temporarily removed one of the seats to and grinded down under one of the screws to use for my ground point. i don't currently have a volt meter to test the ground, but after installation i don't have any hum so i think it's good (no ground loop).



the only thing screwed down right now is the distro block. the inverter (made by peak, 400w) fits perfectly where the smugglers box was, and the amp just barely fits under the side (width/length wise, has 2-3 in clearance above). the amp has remote gain, and the remote turn on switch, which run under the floor mat and in between the console and seat. the sub wire runs towards the back under the floor mat and then in between the 3rd row.


i have a small speaker box for a 12 that i'm using for now (i'll add a pic later) and it does the job. it fits perfectly behind the 3rd row with the seats up. eventually i'm going to remove the 3rd row and build a box flush (or as flush as i can) with the floor to house the sub. i just have to figure out how i'm going to manufacture a cargo cover first since that's the only reason i use the 3rd row now: to help conceal the box and my laptop backpack/etc.


i still need to do a little wire clean up and redo the remote turn lead to the factory sub, but other than that i'm done. to use the inverter i was just going to run a small surge suppressor or small ext cord. i really only plan on using it for trips/camping/etc so no real need for something permanent.

i hope you put a fuse in the 4ga feed immediately after the battery.
i didnt see anything about your main fuse location... so just checking.

also, if it was me, i would use the split/convoluted loom anywhere my wires were exposed (engine bay, underneath the truck, etc). no matter how much you strap them down, the wires will move, and they will rub on something.

~mike

i most definitely put a fuse within 1 ft of the battery terminal. this isn't my first time to the rodeo. i put in an 80 amp (probably could have done 60 though) based on the amp having 2x40amp fuses, and the inverter having 1x40amp fuse. wanted to leave a little headroom just in case both are pulling full draw.

i was thinking about switching the fuse out to a circuit breaker though. i'm very very cautious around car batteries, because i was always told it was the amps that kill you, not the volts. and since it's 600+ amps in the battery...well you know. anyway back to the point, a circuit breaker would make it easier for if/when i change out/add any electrical components back there so i don't have to deal with taking out the fuse and putting stress/moving the fuse connecting wires when i'm in the action of taking it out.

and i know what you're saying about the looming, but honestly i've never done it (i've always had and installed my own sub system for the past 17 years worth of cars) and never had a problem. now watch today something will happen and the wire will get rubbed through.

like i said... just checking. you know there's gonna be someone reads your brief summary and tries to "do what he did".

also, regarding the circuit breaker instead of the fuse. i've never done that before, so i cant comment too much. but if you are concerned about stressing the connections when you do work, you could consider a quick disconnect in the power feed between the battery and the fuse. ive never done that either, but it sounds feasible as long as you can find one with a high enough rating, and a large enough wire connection (for 4ga).

edit... take a look here:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdet ... er=263-120

~mike

Not a fan of running it underneath, but if thats what had to be done, it works. What does your setup consist of?

So im doing the exact sa,e thing in my 2005 pathfinder w/ the bose stereo. im trying to add an amp and sub and i was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me. did you use a line output converter from the factory sub to the new amp? and im having difficulty finding the color speaker wires from the factory amp to the sub?

What inverter did you use? It looks like it's an exact fit which makes it look better.

weird, didn't see these replies before.

jesse - yeah, i would rather have not run it underneath either, but i couldn't find any other easy way without drilling. my setup is pretty simple, just a mtx thunder 2301, a 300w 2ohm stable amp. my sub is a infinity 12" dvc in a small ported box that sits -perfectly- behind one of the 3rd row seats. the box was original part of a pioneer 300w speaker deal.

jchoneycutt - yeah i did use a line converter because that mtx amp doesn't accept speaker level, only line (low) level. and i spliced in -before- the amp. there were too many other wires to figure out which was which, but before the amp there's only 5. i had detailed out which was which for me above the 8th pic.

volvite - it was a "peak" inverter i got from sam's. it does fit pretty well, but it feels pretty cheaply made too though.

some pics of that box i use. it's really a -perfect- fit.


it's just about as wide as one seat, and comes right to the load line in the rear




and then you have about an inch between the speaker and back of the seat




door closed

Is there any clearance for the amp and under the back seat. I dod not think there was and that the seat would rest on it.

Caliber747 wrote:Is there any clearance for the amp and under the back seat. I dod not think there was and that the seat would rest on it.

yes and no. for the two amps i've used (the mtx before and now a jl 250/1) there's enough space so the seat doesn't rest on those particular amps.

now ventilation is another story. IMO would definitely stay away from class AB amps since they put out even more heat than a class D, and i would stay in the ~300w or less range. if you're wanting to put in a neighborhood shaking system, then under the rear seat mounting is not for you unless you engineer some sort of ventilation. if you're just looking to add a single 10 or 12, then you should be fine mounting there.

i don't really do extended high volume sessions (more than an hour) that much any more for that long, but when i did i just pulled the seat forward and everything was fine.

now, all -that- being said, i am looking into those rockford pbr style amps for my jeep. they're hella small and fit easily under the dash in the jeep, so i figure they'd fit very easily. there's also those alpine pbx amps that are pretty small. not sure how much heat either of those put off though.

doctahjones wrote:

Caliber747 wrote:Is there any clearance for the amp and under the back seat. I dod not think there was and that the seat would rest on it.

yes and no. for the two amps i've used (the mtx before and now a jl 250/1) there's enough space so the seat doesn't rest on those particular amps.

now ventilation is another story. IMO would definitely stay away from class AB amps since they put out even more heat than a class D, and i would stay in the ~300w or less range. if you're wanting to put in a neighborhood shaking system, then under the rear seat mounting is not for you unless you engineer some sort of ventilation. if you're just looking to add a single 10 or 12, then you should be fine mounting there.

i don't really do extended high volume sessions (more than an hour) that much any more for that long, but when i did i just pulled the seat forward and everything was fine.

now, all -that- being said, i am looking into those rockford pbr style amps for my jeep. they're hella small and fit easily under the dash in the jeep, so i figure they'd fit very easily. there's also those alpine pbx amps that are pretty small. not sure how much heat either of those put off though.

Understood, I'm looking to install some old school equipment I have under there. Mainly an Audio Control 2xs crossover acting as a line driver and an Epicenter Bass restorer. My amps are going under the front seats . one 4channel eclipse and one 2 channel eclipse. Will run an Xtant 301 on a Boston Pro 10.5 sub in Cargo area.