give me tons of advice for installing this stuff

Big10Fan · May 2005

looks like this weekend I will be installing my stuff with a buddy of mine. we plan to take it slow and do everything over 2 days. Ive never did an install and he's never did anything this big, so I really need tips or advice on howto set gains howto best mount speakers, any special tricks that arent too time consuming I can do to make it better/setting headunit/etc.

This is whats being installed into my 03 silverado ext cab:
set of mmc6500 up front with a 300.2 amp thats birth sheet read 170x2 rms
infinity kappa 10.1 with polk 500.1 at 4ohms
80sq feet of damplifier
i have a alpine 9831 now

I want to keep the stock rear 4x6's in for fill when someones in the back, maybe turn them off when not, do i do this through the hu? also where do i set the crossover for the 6500s? I believe my hu allows 80/120/160. Dont be affraid to post newbie tips, cause I might forget something like that when actually doing it, I hope to print the thread out with good info and use it. Thanks!

AsSiMiLaTeD · May 2005

I'm no CA expert, but we just installed some stuff in my friends's '02 silverado a couple weeks ago...

www.installdr.com was a big help for us, got us through everything with no issues...

Big10Fan · May 2005

i should probably add, comps r going in stock door locations and sub is behind driver downfiring sealed

exalted512 · May 2005

Neo has a site that shows you how to adjust gains, im sure hell chime in soon or you can do a search for "gains" and itll probably come up.

You can mount the crossovers on the kick panels or on the back wall (under the window). Another option is in the glove box. I'll be getting a newer GMC truck soon and my crossovers will be mounted on the back wall.

For help installing an amp I made this a while back
http://www.sounddomain.com/memberpage/531337/5

You'll want to high pass your components around 70ish. I cross mine over at 50Hz but this decreases power handling. The sub youll want to low pass around 80Hz.

-Cody

MacLeod · May 2005

-When mounting the speakers its best to make a baffle out of 1/4" MDF wood. This will provide a much more solid mounting surface than the flimsy door panels and lessen the chance vibration will color the sound.

-Here is Neo's gain tutorial. A damn good one at that.

-Set everything on the head unit to flat or zero for the time being. Then break out the manual and go thru all their settings and fiddle around with them. There is no set method for tuning. It all depends on what sounds best to you and it will take some time to work out the kinks. It took me about 2 months to get my beloved MM6's tweaked right.

-Wire the rear 4x6's to the head units rear speaker outputs. This way all you have to do is fade all the way to the front to shut them off. This will be a good thing because rear speakers running off the head unit is gonna sound like crap especially when compared to those wonderful components you have up front getting all that clean power.

-I agree with Cody to cross your 6500's at 70 Hz to start. You can tweak from there as you dial your system in. Same with sub. Best place to start is 80 Hz. I would run the head unit full range and use the crossovers on the amp.

-I assume youre building a box. Make sure its to the manufacturers specs. Seal the hell out of it. Sealed is the best way to go for SQ. I prefer birch plywood as its stronger although its more expensive.

-As for the damping, the doors are the first priority. This isnt for sound damping but for vibration damping. A vibrating door panel can cause distortion in the wave of the speaker.

-Fuse the power wire BEFORE it passes thru the firewall.

-Signal and speaker wires on the opposite side of the car from the power wires (theres actually little chance power wires will induce noise but hey, it cant hurt).

-Sand off the paint where your ground will mount. And keep your ground wire short. Say around 2 feet.

-Use same guage power as ground.

-Dont use a drill to electric screwdriver to mount your amps.

Thats about all I can think of. However I just worked my 2nd 13 hour day and I effing tired.

Big10Fan · May 2005

Originally posted by MacLeod

-Wire the rear 4x6's to the head units rear speaker outputs. This way all you have to do is fade all the way to the front to shut them off. This will be a good thing because rear speakers running off the head unit is gonna sound like crap especially when compared to those wonderful components you have up front getting all that clean power.

im using a wiring harness, do i just yank the front speakers out of it? or can i leave it as be? keep in mind im using all new speaker wire for fronts.

Originally posted by MacLeod

-Dont use a drill to electric screwdriver to mount your amps.

huh???? and thanks

MacLeod · May 2005

Leave the wiring harness as it is. It will have the front speakers running to nothing so it wont matter. No need in yanking them out.

If you lay your amp where you want it and use an electric screwdriver or drill to drill in the screws to mount it you could build up a good bit of static that could be discharged as soon as the drill bit hits the side of the amp and thats probably not good for the inards of the amp. Its best to use your amp as a template for the holes then pre-drill them. Then lay the amp down and screw them in by hand.

Big10Fan · May 2005

solder vs clips? and if solder, what type to use?

exalted512 · May 2005

i use crimps. i would never use solder, it takes to long with no audible difference
-Cody

MacLeod · May 2005

I use neither. I twist one wire around another wire and then tape em up with duct tape.

I even do that with my power wires. Ive got a 4 guage with about 6 inches stripped off and 2 8 guage wires wrapped around it and duct taped to hell.

Yeah, I know its pretty low tech but its worked for 15 years now. Cheap too!

Big10Fan · May 2005

grrr now this weekend looks like its gunna rain sunday lightly, i swear the weather forecasters cant get it right until the night before. if its gunna be crappy hopefully get my box done atleast.

MacLeod · May 2005

I know the feeling.

When I lived in Texas and would do a project, I would take out a big jug of ice water and a towel. Id work and drink and when the water was gone Id go in the house and cool off then go back out and continue.

Had to do the same when I installed my MM6's. It was like 20 degrees with a windchill of 10 or something. I would work for about 15 minutes and have to go in the house and warm up.

What I wouldnt give for my own garage!

Big10Fan · May 2005

ok i went to home depot to find stuff to help me, but just got confused. i looked for weather stripping to put under the sub but there was like 10 types, theres rubbe foam then just foam then stuff with adhesive, i didnt know what to get? also where do i find a wood/rubber roller to apply the damplifier? all they had at home depot was something stupid like this http://members.aol.com/woodmiser1/j-roller.gif

which was too big IMO, anywhere else to get something?

exalted512 · May 2005

most subs come with some kind of gasket on the back, just make sure to cut out any carpet behind the sub. as for as a roller, i use a tennis ball...works FANTASTIC, especially in small crevices and corners
-Cody

Big10Fan · July 2005

ok so yea im over a month late but i broke ground on starting this project, i got my power wires runs and amps mounted and 1/4 dampened, next sunday finish up the install. just one question im running 4awg through an ANL fuse from battery my amps are rated at 110 total amps and ANL is only avilable in 100 or 120, what do i buy? 120 i can get cheap, will it matter? ok from there the 4awg goes into a fused distro with two 8awgs going to the amps, amp y is 60 amp and amp x is 50 amp, i should put the corresponding fuses for each amp right? now say i cant find a 50 amp for the 50 or a 60 amp for the 60, do i go lower or higher? btw wheres a good place to get these fuses cheap(local stores) radio shack only had 20 as their biggest.

neomagus00 · July 2005

an audio store is the best place for the big fuses... home depot has a fuse section as well, it's worth a look. go with the 120 next to the battery, that 10 amps is inconsequential. yes, you put the 50 next to the 50 amp and ditto 60. if you can't find 50 or 60 for some reason, go up a little bit; if you have to up a lot, go down a little bit... just get close.

Big10Fan · July 2005

ok also, on the mono amp what do i set the slope for? manual says 24db, right? and when using the telephone remote thing do i have to set the amp boost anywhere or full or what? once everything is set its gunna be a **** to switch it cuz its mounted behind a seat with no access really, so i gotta try to get everything right first time.

MacLeod · July 2005

Sad truth of car audio, youll never get it set right on the first try.

Your manual should have a baseline for setting everything and then you tweak from there.

Id leave everything hanging out and ugly but easy to get to for at least the first week cause I guarantee ya, no matter how you set it the first time youll be re-adjusting it later. There are too many variable for me to just say "set your gain to X, low pass to Y and youre all set".

A 24db slope seems a little steep to me.

Big10Fan · July 2005

ok from both amps i have 8awg ground going to a distro (6" of the 8awg to distro), then 4 awg coming out, is there a rule of how close the ground has to be?the closts bolt is about 18" away, if i need it shorter I need to drill through my floor =\

exalted512 · July 2005

if the closest bolt is a seatbelt bolt and you even consider using it, slap yourself now...hard

the best ground is scraping off some paint on the floor and drilling a hole in it. its under the carpet, no one sees...problem solved
-Cody

Big10Fan · July 2005

the seatbelt bolt was the first idea, but the bolt is too big to fit the ring terminal on. my second idea was the bolt holding down the jack, i guess its just as bad?

swerve · July 2005

drill.

where's your awesome pictures so I can tell you it looks like garbage?

:cool:

-adam

neomagus00 · July 2005

what's wrong with using the seatbelt bolt? i mean, yeah, you have to make sure it's tight again (that is, you either use a pnuematic drill wrench thingy OR you call the company, get the torque number, and use a big torque wrench), but other than that, it should be fine...

exalted512 · July 2005

no, its not. whats wrong with a seat belt bolt is one, its almost entirely impossible to get all the paint off. two, sometimes they are not connected to the body of the vehicle with a very conductive metal. three, when they are connected with a good conductive material, there is still paint b/t where they are connected.

you dont have to believe me, but im still right:)
-Cody

give me tons of advice for installing this stuff

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