Amp under Drivers seat Question

[cruxarche]

I am mounting an amp under the driver's seat of my 60. Looking for anybody's experience doing this Specifically how did you modify/remove the bottle jack mount? And what brackets did you use to mount the amp?

The length of the amp (longest dimension across the vehicle from door to door) is about the same length as the width of the seat mounts and the amp mounting wholes line up pretty close with the seat mounts (front to rear).

I was thinking I could run a strap or bracket from front to rear between the seat mounts. Any help appreciated.

Thanks

 

[pyrotech]

to remove the spot welds all i did was got a large-ish drill, about 15mm and slowly drill the spot weld out of the brackets, the bigger drill will drill out the metal of the bottle jack mount, before it does the floor plan, then u can just pull the brackets off paint the bare metal and then do what ever you need to do after that. hope that makes sence

 

[cruxarche]

Pyrotech,
That was my concern exactly..drilling through the floor. Are you saying if I use a larger drill bit than the diameter of the spot weld that the weld will break before I go through the bottom?

Thanks.

 

[rw74228]

Are you set on mounting it under the drivers side? I just installed a larger kenwood kac-7202 900wt amp under the rear seat and it was really simple to install and I ran the wires under the carpeting and got small screws that I drilled directly into the carpet with support brackets and it fit like a glove without having to move anything and/or drill into the body.

 

[gregnash]

Are you set on mounting it under the drivers side? I just installed a larger kenwood kac-7202 900wt amp under the rear seat and it was really simple to install and I ran the wires under the carpeting and got small screws that I drilled directly into the carpet with support brackets and it fit like a glove without having to move anything and/or drill into the body.

But with it under the rear seat is there any breathing room for it? Any worry about it overheating under there if you have passengers?

 

[rw74228]

The one I installed has about 2-4" of clearance and also has a built in cooling fan, which definitely helps. There really hasnt been any overheating or worry about passengers because of the fan, but even without that, I dont think I would be too worried.

My amp Dimensions: 15" L x 11-5/16" W x 2-7/16" H

 

[cruxarche]

rw,
How is fitment when you fold down the rear seat to open up cargo capacity in the rear?

 

[rw74228]

anything over the size of my amp and you might be pushing it... If your amp is over ~2.5-2.75 inches in height, I would go under the drivers seat

 

[cruxarche]

the amp is a diamond 600.4. It is 2.75". I will play around with it back there. I would rather not have to cut out the bottle jack mounts under the driver's seat. How did you mount it--as in did you install brackets? I am trying to avoid drilling the floor.

 

[Big Cruiser Guy]

But with it under the rear seat is there any breathing room for it? Any worry about it overheating under there if you have passengers?

I've had a 100W amp under my driver's seat for about 15 years with no issue whatsoever.

 

[REDBACK62]

I have both amps mounted under the fold down/up rear seat. No problems at all.

 

[djawahir]

I have a kenwood 4 channel amp without the fan in it located under the driver's seat. It drives an 8" sub and 2 6.5" speakers and it cuts off on warm days in the truck.

Mine's not mounted on anything and just sits on the carpet...I think if I mounted it on a platform, I would elevate it a little to get some airflow underneath.

 

[cruxarche]

I have a kenwood 4 channel amp without the fan in it located under the driver's seat. It drives an 8" sub and 2 6.5" speakers and it cuts off on warm days in the truck.

Mine's not mounted on anything and just sits on the carpet...I think if I mounted it on a platform, I would elevate it a little to get some airflow underneath.

I am going with under the driver's seat. The amp is huge. I mounted two steel brackets between the seat mounts to raise it off the floor. Hope that creates enough air flow. I figure it has got to be as good as anywhere else. This is not mounted yet, just checking fit. I have already put down more mat and closed cell foam layer to insulate under carpet. Will post a pic of final install later.

 

[Pedro60]

I am going with under the driver's seat. The amp is huge. I mounted two steel brackets between the seat mounts to raise it off the floor. Hope that creates enough air flow. I figure it has got to be as good as anywhere else. This is not mounted yet, just checking fit. I have already put down more mat and closed cell foam layer to insulate under carpet. Will post a pic of final install later.

Great idea with the brackets! I was wondering how I was going to mount my 4 channel under my drivers seat without drilling into the floor. Looks great!

 

[Cruzerman]

I think the space under the driver's seat is too valuable to give to an amp. At least this is the case if you rarely have to touch the amp. The space under the seat is a reasonable amount of space that is easily accessible. For me, I didn't want to lose that to something that I (almost) never would touch.

I ended up putting the amp in the back, behind the panel on the driver's side. Lots of space there, good cooling, etc. Plus, out of harms way, well hidden, etc.

 

[Callahan Offroad]

I think the space under the driver's seat is too valuable to give to an amp. At least this is the case if you rarely have to touch the amp. The space under the seat is a reasonable amount of space that is easily accessible. For me, I didn't want to lose that to something that I (almost) never would touch.

I ended up putting the amp in the back, behind the panel on the driver's side. Lots of space there, good cooling, etc. Plus, out of harms way, well hidden, etc.

This is where I would mount the amps too. Its too late for the OP though!

My thought would be "you need to replace that joke of fiber-board anyways, why not upgrade the wood, install additional speakers and pop the amp here."

 

[Pedro60]

My side panels are sturdy and mint condition. I see no need to replace them.
I also don't put anything under my drivers seat so it's the perfect space for my
tiny digital amp. I'm not trying to hack up and modify my interior. I don't think
everyone else is either

 

[Callahan Offroad]

My side panels are sturdy and mint condition. I see no need to replace them.
I also don't put anything under my drivers seat so it's the perfect space for my
tiny digital amp. I'm not trying to hack up and modify my interior. I don't think
everyone else is either

Hack-up implies poor workmanship.
My side panels were in need of reworking. I think its pretty common for 30 year old fiber board to need replacement. Just like 30 year old gaskets and 30 year old carpet.

My arguement for the rear compartment is simply that it is out of the way and you could build a filtered and heat controlled box for the amp to keep dirt off of it. Think about what ends up under your seat. Have you ever vacuumed it? Pennies, crayons, soda, mud, bugs, hypodermic needles, so on and so forth. I just think any place away from dirt for electronic components is a good move. But my family owns a recording studio so I'm a little crazy about audio gear and maintaining it.

 

[Pedro60]

I'm an Audiophile and don't worry about $100 amps. What I worry about is keeping my 34 year old rig as close to OEM as possible on the interior. Not everyone wants to replace OEM panels that are in good shape for the sake of a $100 amp. Just my opinion.

 

[Cruzerman]

I mounted the amp in the rear behind the panels. Mounted the amp to a couple of strips of steel I put back there and re-installed the panel. No need to replace or modify the nice panels.