Ok so I have been reading and watching stuff about installing amps lately and I'm pretty confident I know how to do it. I just have a couple basic questions.


1. When I'm connecting the positive to the battery (negative and fuse is off) where is the firewall located? The battery is on the left side so will the firewall I run the wires through be on the left side also?

2. How do I run the wires through the back seats TO the trunk? and what screw will be the best for the ground wire?

3. Ok so my brother wants me to do the wiring but he'll be the one to connect the and and set it up. If I didn't want to connect the amp yet, would it be fine if I set up the WIRES ONLY and run em through around the car? Since most of the work is basically hiding running the wires to the trunk, will it be fine if the power wire is connected to the battery and not connected to the amp and still drive the car? I just wanna make sure I have everything connected right and my brother will connect the amp. And will it be alright if the rca's (blue wires that are connected to your deck) are not connected to the amp? Me and my brothers schedules are different so we rarely get time off.

Please don't recommend bringing it to a professional since we want to save money.

 

1. The firewall is the part of the cab that is between you and the engine. it runs all the way across the car from left to right. you will want to find a gromet on the side of the firewall where you intend to run the wire.

2. you will need to either pull the backseat and run in under the rear seat or jam it in between the cushions. I recommend pulling the seat up. it is easy to do. as far as grounding goes you will want to ground to the floor of your trunk. take some sand paper and sand the paint off of a spot. either use a self tapping screw or better use a bolt and a nut. make sure where you put it that you are not going to puncture the gas tank.

3. do not connect the power wire and leave it loose. you can run it but wait till the amp is in there to connect it to the battery. a hot wire will ground out and can blow a fuse (minor problem) or cause a fire (major problem). I would think the rcas should be alright cause the voltage is so low. insulate the end of them with something non conductive. packaging foam will work and tape it so they cant ground out.

 

All good info except it is not recommended to use a self-taping screw as they will loosen up over time causing ground problems and possible equipment failing.

A good solid place to use for ground is one of the bolts that attaches the seat belts to the frame. Make sure you do as Neo said and sand the paint down to bare metal where the ground is going to be connected.

 

Honestly man, if you dont even know what a firewall is I would just take it to a shop and have them wire it for you. Its better to have it done right if you dont know really what your doing then blowing up an amp because your wiring job shorted out.

Also, you would be fine to run your power wire if you tape the hell out of the exposed end. I would just leave it off the battery honestly. Saves you a potential fuse. Also, tape both ends of the rca's. Not good to have them touching together.

 

Honestly man, if you dont even know what a firewall is I would just take it to a shop and have them wire it for you. Its better to have it done right if you dont know really what your doing then blowing up an amp because your wiring job shorted out.

Also, you would be fine to run your power wire if you tape the hell out of the exposed end. I would just leave it off the battery honestly. Saves you a potential fuse. Also, tape both ends of the rca's. Not good to have them touching together.

 

for grounding - i drill a hole, sand, and use a bolt with a lock washer. preferred method over any other. i avoid using seat belt bolts.

pulling the seat bottom out is easy. two clips in the front that just pull out. one 10mm bolt in the back of the bottom, on passenger side of the middle.

agreed to wait to connect wires. you connect the amp wires first. second to last wire i connect is power wire to battery positive. battery ground is the last connection made.

how you route power wire is extremely important. poorly routed wire can be a fire hazard. when going through the firewall, there is an unused black plastic grommet above the gas pedal. simply look behind the factory sound barrier, remove the grommet, drill a hole in it sized for the power wire, then put the grommet back and route the wire through. a second set of hands makes this process easier (one pulls, other pushes). when routing in the engine bay, take care to stay away from the engine and follow factory wire routing. use black split loom and zip ties to secure and protect the power wire - the end result should look factory.

never rely on wire connections to hold the wire in place (i.e. at the fuse holder) always provide strain relief in the form of zip ties. the fuse holder should be securely mounted as well, and as close to the battery positive as possible. you can secure with zip ties or screws.