help installing subs and amp

[Smooth23]

Okay, so I'm a complete newb to tinking with car audio. Anyhow, a friend of mines got some subs in a box and a 660w amp he's willing to sell me dirt cheap. I'm wondering what all will I have to do to install it myself. I'm not afraid to do my own work on my electrics if I at least have a general idea where I'm going with it. I'll be keeping stock stereo and speakers as I love the sound quality, I just want more bass. Thanks in advance.

[steveyblack]

ehh get a new head unit, there are more options and gives you a little more wattage to your speakers....

as for installing it pretty easy...you connect sub out from the head unit to the amp's input....ground the amp... then connect your subs...then for the power i belive you run a wire from the battery to the amp, idk about that one but that the jist of it

[kc2005ptgt]

For amp install you will need (on stock stereo):

12ft RCA stereo plugs
Low level/High level converter (found at WalMart)
-8 awg wire for power (red) fused at least 20-30A 10-12 ft
-8 awg wire for ground (black) 2 ft max
-16 awg wire for switch ign on+ for amp remote on (blue) come in 30ft rolls for $4 at walmart
-a roll of speaker wire, 14-16 awg usually sell in 25ft and 50ft rolls (don't need that much! maybe 10ft MAX)
-some blue BUTT connectors, some o-ring connectors for ground and 12V positive (8awg RED)
-black electrical tape
and time.

-First things first, discconect ground then 12V+ from battery
-remove center radio/hvac panel surround to access behind radio (pop out ac vents on top, take off two screws located behind these vents, remove four knobs for hvac controls, then carefully remove the panel surround.)
-remove four screws that hold radio in place
-disconnect radio and set aside
-access wiring harness and locate following wires:
1) red/white (or yel/red)
2) brn/yel
3) dk bl/wht
4) brn/lt bl
5) dk blu/org

-now this part is subject to some guess work because of the different kind of hig to low level converters out there. I prefer NOT to use these items, but on a stock system, it is ONLY way to get a good signal to amp and then to subs. SO, with that in mind, I hope you can figure this part out:
take converter, and look for the input side of it. This is where you will either run wires to it, or splice wires into it. You are basically taking a signal of high levels and turning it into a low level input for use of RCA plugs to plug into your amp. So, you need to wire into the stock wires, and do so like this:
1) find the +LR and -LR speaker inputs and wires (for +LR, wire is brn/yel, -LR is brn/lt bl) and cut them in half (do not cut too short on either side, you need to strip back enough to wire into it and connect back together).
2) Then take a length of speaker wire and splice together, using a butt connector (blue) crimp one end of the LR+ on to it (one closest to head unit), and on the other end, the other half of the +LR and some wire. Then do the same for the -LR.
3) then take the +RR and -RR and do the same as above (+RR is dk bl/wht, -RR is dk bl/org)
4) now with the extra speaker wire hanging off of your orignal harness, you have created a new signal output which needs to be wired into the hihg/low level converter. Make sure you match POSITIVE to POSITIVE and NEGATIVE to NEGATIVE and LEFT to LEFT and RIGHT to RIGHT.
5) conenct RCA plug to back of converter, using black electrical tape tape over the blue butt connecters, then tuck everything neatly away.
-now you should have the RCA sticking outof the front of dash.
6) Time to rip up the carpet! Ok, gently you need to remove all the running boards on both sides of the car, the bottom of the back seat, and the trim panel pieces along the lower portion of the B-Pillar. You need to access underneath the carpet so you can run wire back to the trunk, and wire from trunk to engine bay/etc.
7) run the RCA through the inside of the dash, hide it under the carpet (ours go all the way up into the center console!) and run it along the passenger side of the car. make sure you tuck it down into the floorboard, avoid moving parts, and run it up under the back portion of the seat into the trunk! done.

-installing power connections is easy, all you need to do is find a 12V+ ign switched source, and there are many, but the one we will use is in the main stereo harness.
1) locate the red/wht (or yel/red) wire in the stereo harness and cut in half. strip back both ends, and place a butt connecter onto the portion closest to the stereo
2) take the blue wire you bought (14-16 awg) and strip back the wire and connect to the butt connecter as well as the remaining part of the main harness (piece you cut in half)
3) tuck this down behind the radio and run it under the carpet on the drivers side
4) now stop before running it back to the trunk. POP HOOD and prop open (if haven't already) and grab your red 8 awg wire. Place a red O-connecter on the end (closest to the fused section after you expose wire) and crimp together, really good.
5) now open up the fuse relay center located next to the battery. You will see a red wire coming off of a post that runs to the battery. You can tap in here if you like... just unbolt and place on, bolt back up. Or connect directly to the positive terminal on your battery post - your choice
6) under dash inside car up near the clutch/brake area is a big black rubber gromet. Poke a small hole in it and stick a LONG screw driver, flexible grabber tool, or hanger wire through it and up into engine bay.
7) tape the end of the red wire (not connected to the battery) and pull it through the gromet. Take off tape, and now you can pull it all the way through - not too tight, leave a little slack and route nicely in engine compartment
8* run red wire and the blue wire you earlier installed together along the length of the driver side of the car, carefully tucking all wires down and out of the way all the way to the trunk.

-now you should have a set of RCA's coming out the passenger side, and a red positive wire and a blue ignition switch wire on the driver side.
-somewhere under the carpet, towards the driver side, out of the way, hidden, find a bolt or screw already in the trunk... this may be hard to find - you can always go all the way down into your rear seat area, but find one and loosen it, and scrape away the paint under neath and connect an o-ring to the end of the black wire and place it on there; this is the ground.
-now route it along with the rest of the power stuff.

-connect everything up (red to positive, black to ground, blue to swictch ign) then mount your amp - to the back of the speaker enclosure, wherever you want - and run a length of wire from left side to left speaker, and right side to right sub. Hook up RCA's to RCA input on the amp.
- reinstall stereo and hvac control panel, etc, and make sure everything is neatly tucked away down below the stereo, out of sight.
-hook up positive cable to battery, then neg.
-turn on car, and listen to good tunes and adjust levels on amp for appropriate sound levels.

GODO LUCK!

[steveyblack]

lol wow thats a nice lil write up...you could always go to a shop and get it done.. around here is on 50 bucks per hour and i dont thing it will be more then 200$

[kc2005ptgt]

the above should cost YOU no more than $30 yourself, plus you get the pleasure of working on your own stuff - that is how I learned. I use to install professionally, and I will tell you know - most stuff people pay to have done can be done yourself with a little haynes manual and some time. I swear by it. My friends would hire me to do it for them outside the shop instead of taking it in.
Ah well, I hope it makes sense, and I hope i didnt leave anythign out - I was getting tired when I wrote it, but I double checked all my wire colors, etc. Hard for me to go into such detail on a subject like this. I just do most of it without thinking that someone else might not understand strip the wire or butt connecter, or splice, etc.

[Smooth23]

Actually I think thats EXACTLY what I needed, I'm no newb to electronics, just car audio systems. Thanks a boat.