Wiring Up a Power Amp and Sub Woofer, pre existing hot wires? Options

[Lexicon_Devil]

I'm in the process of taking my small, alpine power amp and sub box
and wiring it up to my Celica. My stock amp is already bypassed and
the car is pushing the six speakers from the head unit.

I'll be using the RCA outs of my head unit for the inputs on the amp.

My question is -

Are there any wires down there that are already "hot n ready" for the
amp? Or will I need to run new wiring? I need power and a ground.
I don't want to cut into my head unit. Want the amp and woofer to be
independent.

Thanks guys.

By the way, I already have the console tore apart. I'm just lookin' for
a possible tip. Haven't played with it since I installed the head unit in
2003.

[D-Man]

Um, from what i understand your looking to power the amp?

If so dont cut into any existing wires except for your acc.

Power (+) from the battery back to the amp, make sure you have a wire long enough with a high enough power rating. Also make sure it has an inline fuse with atleast 20-30 amps You can pick up a 1000W kit from wal*mart for like $10-$15... that should suit you. (i guess, maybe not, buy a bigger one if your going to be running more than that )

Negative; ground it in the trunk. any ol' unpainted metal surface will provide a good ground. if you have a multi-meeter it's a good idea to check and make sure that you're getting a solid 12+ volts.

Remote; Personally i like to run it off of the radio's remote/power antena thru a toggle switch and then back to the amp. that way when the headunit is powered off so is the amp, And if you drive past a cop or something and your banging like i am, it's good to flip a toggle and loose all the bass. plus if you have people that ride in your car with bad asthma or heart conditions

that's what they say. i think they're just being dramatic~

but that'll get you going.

[DEATH]

Make sure to use good wire made for an amplifier - cheaping out will effect sound quality/level. Also the only good ground I've found [and I've tried many spots back there] is the hatch/trunk release bracket right in the center of the back wall. Everything else back there seems to be a weak ground source or if too near the lights will give you feedback of a sort in the form of a whining noise [called alt whine usually].

[Lexicon_Devil]

Correct. Just power the amp.

Totally helpful! Thanks, bro.

I had this whole set-up in my old Nissan, but it's been so long, I
forgot a lot of key stuff.

I need to check my old box of wiring. If I don't have all the
right stuff, I'll hit the Walmart and pick up a kit.

[D-Man]

DEATH covered a few items i also didn't mention, and he's quite the pro

also, dont forget to pick up an assortment of necciciary connectors. It'll play fine if you just mash the wiring into the power / speaker terminal screw points, but you really dont want that stuff comming out while your driving... it ca really screw stuff up if those wires get loose.

Plus it just looks trashy to not use proper connectors. And it decreases your car's power by 12-15 HP.

jk!

but if your going to do it, just do it right the first time. That way you wont do it again. it's well worth the extra $2-$3 to ensure that your investment is installed correctly.

[njccmd2002]

its best to run the amp straight from the battery. Just my 0.02.

check my post, link under my sig. If you want to do this this way....

[Lexicon_Devil]

Thanks for the all the info.
I'm going to spend the night wiring everything up and
getting it going. I'll let you guys know on the progress.
Hell, I might have some more questions.

Thanks again.

[Lexicon_Devil]

Finished it. Sounds great.

I ran straight from the battery, through the fender, through the driver's door
and to the amp. grounded underneath the hatch latch and hooked up to the
power antenna.

It's just a small amp and small sub. Just enough to give me the low end I
lose from driving / road noise. Totally does the job.

Thanks for all the help.

[addictions]

Finished it. Sounds great.

I ran straight from the battery, through the fender, through the driver's door
and to the amp. grounded underneath the hatch latch and hooked up to the
power antenna.

It's just a small amp and small sub. Just enough to give me the low end I
lose from driving / road noise. Totally does the job.

Thanks for all the help.

Noo! bad idea! lol if u run it in the fender though the door jam the wire will break over time or short out. u need to run it though your fire wall drill a hole down and a little to the left of your clutch you have a 4 inch opening were you can rout some wire or take your fender off and run it with the rest of the factory wires are ran and then pop it in the back side of the kick panel. trust me the door is a very bad idea....

[Galcobar]

I'm guessing he means in the wiring cavity at the bottom of the door, actually under the sill plate.

[Lexicon_Devil]

Yes the wiring cavity for all the power stuff (mirrors, speakers, controls)

That would have been funny if I did all that work and just ran it through
the door jam! Hilarious.

[addictions]

Yes the wiring cavity for all the power stuff (mirrors, speakers, controls)

That would have been funny if I did all that work and just ran it through
the door jam! Hilarious.

o ok my bad didnt mean to make you sound dumb or anything just worried is all we dont need a celi burning to the ground due to bad wiring lol sorry about that i must have read it wrong.

[D-Man]

lol, good job looking out for him addictions! That's a good guy right there

also, where did you run your ACC? Did you toggle-switch it? What kind of fuses did you go with?