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(BTW: this is a repost since the first one got no where)

What are all of the parts and pieces necessary for installing my new stereo equipment?

This is what I have thought of:
1. an adapter for the Stock HU so I can have RCA's for my amp. (where can I get this adapter? I don't want to have to order it)
2. RCA cables to go from the adapter to the amp. ("Monster" or "Lighting something or other")
3. cable for power to the amp. (What gage?)
4. a fuse for the power cable? (What kind of fuse? And the fees is supposed to be a close to the battery as possible?)
5. cable for ground. (Back bolt of the front seats?)
6. cable for remote.
7. cable for speaker wire. (What gage?)
7. U shaped connectors for speaker to amp wire? Or should I just strip the wire and use the bare wire to connect to the amp?

Does that adapter have 4 RCA's? 2 for front and 2 for rear? My amp has 2 for the front and 2 for the rear.

I was thinking of putting my amp under the passenger seat. Good idea? I don't want to have it take up any room in the trunk.

Yes, I know I should get a new HU, but I am not going to YET. I will get one, but in the mean time I want to be able to use the speakers and amp I just got.

I just want to make sure I do it right. Thanks so much for the help.


Here is the other thread if you cared: Link

 
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WesDluke,

If the amp you bought has speaker level inputs you could just tap into the rear speaker wires, if not, you will need to get an RCA converter, I dunno where you can find this. 2 Pairs of RCA cables 16ft, I used monster cable interlink, 2 pairs in one wire. For the power and ground I would recommend getting an amp wiring kit. The Kit will have either 4 or 8 gauge power, with fuse, turn on lead, and some U shaped connectors for the speakers to plug into the amp. The Fuse goes inline less than one foot from the battery terminal. Monster, Streetwires, or Lightning audio would be good for a wiring kit. These kits usually come with 16ft power, 3 foot ground, and 16ft turn on lead. Make sure your amp will fit under your seat because it will most likely be very tight fit. 16 gauge speaker wire would be fine for powering just speakers. What is the power/model of you amp? Anything more than 400 watts would need 4 gauge power, 4 gauge is good for future expansion.

 
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was perfect, lemme elaborate on a couple things. he was right about line in amps, this is one of the reasons i like earthquake amps in daily driver, it elimintaed teh need for a Line Out Converter:



you can see on teh left side of the amp, thats 16 guage soldered to the stock wires, no RCA neccesary.

If your amp does NOT have line level inputs, you will need a Line Out Converter (LOC) if you plan to run your stock deck. This will cost you about $20 and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, you can get them at radio shack, probably frys, a place like pep boys, i think kragen has 4 output LOC's (so you dont have to get two of them)

RCA? doesnt matter, all RCA has basic shilding. I personally get for my car radioshack gold series, tho ive never heard a difference between gold series and standard crap. Even after the great CAT-5 RCA cable debate with richard clark, ppl i know who run RCA cables made outtta cat5 cable even sounds good (or so they say.) so go with what your budget likes. you wanna spend $40 on RCA, may as well go with Monster cable, its got the name, for sure.

speaker wire, 16 guage, for speakers and subs. why? its big enuff, maybe too big, but it costs a dime, so you may as well get a 50 Ft. spool of it at radioshack or your local shop for $12-15. (here is your remote cable, too)

power wire for amp? I highly reccommend looking into getting an amp kit, 4 gauge. scala sells one for $25 plus shipping that has EVERYTHING you need minus a D-block (only needed when running two or more amps) another good location to go to is www.knukoncepts.com, (they also sell on ebay) you can put together a hybrid kit for $35 or less, INCLUDING all your D-blocks and fuses. however, teh advantage of getting the amp kit from scala, is that it comes with an RCA cable (only one, but has an included ground wire) but more importantly, it comes with spade terminals for 4 gauge, if your only rnning one amp, its SO handy, as you can screw the 4 gauge right into any amp, no matter how small the terminal is.

you can get spade terminals for the speaker wire if you want, but its not neccesary at all. its personal choice.



Now, listen up, this is important. The way you ground your amp could have a GREAT effect on sound (especially if your gonna amp your stage) it is VERY VERY important to have a good ground! you need a SOLID connection with the frame of the car, or else you might get "alternator whine," which is this annoying buzzing that matches frequency to the RPM's of your motor. To best prevent this, when you ground yoru amp to a seat bolt (which is fine) make sure you cna REALLY clamp down hard on it, make sure that it is SOLID to teh frame. Then, after you have removed your seat (i reccommend removing the seat completely cause of teh next part) I would pick up a dremel and grind down ANY surface that wire is gonna be touching till it shines like stainless steel. you want all your connections to be as good as possible. woul dbe easy to just clamp down teh ring, not so easy to dremel a solid connection, tho.


When we isntalled an amp and sub into that mustang, the box cost about $60 total (this includes the vinyl)
so keep that in mind, that when building a system, you not only have the cost of speakres, amps, and such, and also the hidden cost of the electrical system discussed here, but you also have the "hidden" cost of teh box. the box can be alot more expensive than you think!

hope not too much of this covered what gocivicracer already said, or what you already know.... good luck!

 
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BTW, when looking at that pic, you can see teh flourescent RCA ins on teh amp, and you can see how clean and easy the scala1 4 guage amp install kit really hooks up to a single amp!

 
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Thats Great. I think I know all that I need to know now.

I will take my seat out. I really want to do a good job on this.

This is the amp I have Link. Just so you know.

I think the only thing I will have trouble is finding the right adapter. I want it to have 4 RCA's so that I can still Fade and have "Surround Sound".

I am head to Kragen right now.

Thanks

 
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WesDLuke,

I have the same Amp, I dunno if it will fit under the seat. I ended up putting it on the back of the 60 side of the 40 rear seat. I like the location because all I have to do to adjust the settings is fold the seat down and I can adjust it from the drivers seat.