How do you guys mount your Amps?

[Heffer_Slayer]

Gday guys, ive been doing some thinking about how ive got my current setup in my vt....i have mounted the amps at the back of the boot under the parcel shelf.

I don't like the way its setup.... does anybody have any tips or advice on whats a good way to mount my amps?
Its mainly because the heatsinks on them are rendered useless because they are not facing up and they heatup like hell in summer!

[holdenboy]

You'll have to let us know what room you have to play with....theres always the option of a semi false floor (basically you have layers - boot floor, MDF, amps mounted on MDF, then cover panel over the top with cutouts that just show the amps).

Or you could go with right angled brackets that screw into the underside of the parcel shelf, then you just mount the amps onto these brackets, basically so they just "float" below the parcel shelf in the boot.


Many, many options here mate

[Heffer_Slayer]

Well...I have the whole boot to play with!!
At the moment i just have a 12" sealed enclosure pioneer sub nothing special but planning on getting dual 12's or something with a real deep note.

So yeah, essentially all the boot!!!
im down for sweet custom enclosures if they are easy to do.

I have two amps

Im pumped now!!! What other idea's do you have??

[holdenboy]

Mate, i could be here for an hour or two going over all the options for mounting amps...it basically comes down to what you want in an install.

Whether it be practicality (able to still put stuff in your boot), stealthy (so when you open the boot you dont know theres any audio gear installed).

Semi show (where the amps are on show but still able to access the controls, still able to easily see the cables going to the amp/s)

Then complete show (where the amp/s are mounted in a way that just shows off the amp itself, and everything else is hidden....which means its kinda hard to adjust gains/filters etc. This option is what alot of people initially choose, but then realise how much work/time/money it requires to get the install to look amazing, they usually go for one of the first two options)

Choose your poison....lol.

[Heffer_Slayer]

Well i guess at first something practical and neat. Conserving space i think is better then putting on a show. Id rarther just hide the cables as much as i could and it would look neat to me

[sweefu]

hey i'm interested to know what other ideas are around, i was fine with 1 amp but now with 2 i'm not too sure how to go about mounting them. Cheers guys

[wrx884]

plenty of ideas in the sticky above man

Post your car audio system and pictures

[HCVP]

Not sure what the boot is like on the VT, but in my VP, there's a slight gap between the back of the rear seats, i cut 2 pieces of MDF board, and slid them in, and i've fixed my amps to them. I had to cut them in 2 seperate pieces so i could fit them in tightly. I havent trimmed it or anything, but does the job. Quick and cheap,,,,,

[stocky]

mounted upside down on the parcel shelf on mine. heatsinks are no issue. it has the shelf to disperse heat into. also another thought, video cards in computers have had heatsinks mounted upside down for years and had no issues

[holdenboy]

Yep mounting amps upside down definately isnt a problem....done it for many customers (even mates cars), years later the amps are still working fine

This method is a very good option if space is a concern....

[Trent1291]

I built a mdf board and screwed my amp into it at the back of the boot so its on show with a neon coming down on it... looks pretty mint.

[Phreddy]

My mounting method in a VZ - will work in a VT as well...

6mm Aluminium checkerplate (real stuff, not the Ricebarn plastic muck...) with a piano hinge along the front edge - swings down to get to the power/speaker wiring if needed. Amps mount "right way up", and the al plate gives additional heatisinking. My amps hardly break a sweat.

To finish off nicely the mounting screw threads are tapped into the plate, and the top surface can be buffed to a mirror shine - a light coat of lacquer keeps it looking that way. (my sub box now houses 2 x 12" units - at 2 cuft it's the perfect size for that setup... Just need a better sub amp now... )

Stereo Planning Questions

Cheerz!

[sweefu]

My mounting method in a VZ - will work in a VT as well...

6mm Aluminium checkerplate (real stuff, not the Ricebarn plastic muck...) with a piano hinge along the front edge - swings down to get to the power/speaker wiring if needed. Amps mount "right way up", and the al plate gives additional heatisinking. My amps hardly break a sweat.

To finish off nicely the mounting screw threads are tapped into the plate, and the top surface can be buffed to a mirror shine - a light coat of lacquer keeps it looking that way. (my sub box now houses 2 x 12" units - at 2 cuft it's the perfect size for that setup... Just need a better sub amp now... )

Stereo Planning Questions

Cheerz!

I love that one mate, what do you attach the piano hinge to, the underside of the parcel shelf? Also, how to you secure the checkerplate with the amps on it when it is in the 'up' position?
Thanks mate

[DUK13Y]

I built a mdf board and screwed my amp into it at the back of the boot so its on show with a neon coming down on it... looks pretty mint.

pics please?

[Phreddy]

G'day DUK13Y - I will get back to you shortly Mate...

swweefu - theres a kind of "box section" along the forward edge of the shelf, the hinge is attached to the underside of that. Steel pop rivets. (don't use aluminium ones, vibrations from serious subs will eventually flog out the rivets and you'll get rattles - use a strip of foam double sided tape along here too, to prevent same...)

Another pic here of the brackets (two on each side) which hold the "amp shelf" up. Basically a pair of "L" brackets, cut from 40x40x3mm aluminium angle, drilled and tapped - one with a clearance hole, the other with a M6 thread. The threaded bracket is attached underneath the parcel shelf, and the one with the clearance hole attached to the checkerplate.

Once the plate is swung up, allen-head 6mm screws go though, and get tightened up to stop rattles. (yeh, I know - broken record... I HATE RATTLES!)

That's it!

[sweefu]

G'day DUK13Y - I will get back to you shortly Mate...

swweefu - theres a kind of "box section" along the forward edge of the shelf, the hinge is attached to the underside of that. Steel pop rivets. (don't use aluminium ones, vibrations from serious subs will eventually flog out the rivets and you'll get rattles - use a strip of foam double sided tape along here too, to prevent same...)

Another pic here of the brackets (two on each side) which hold the "amp shelf" up. Basically a pair of "L" brackets, cut from 40x40x3mm aluminium angle, drilled and tapped - one with a clearance hole, the other with a M6 thread. The threaded bracket is attached underneath the parcel shelf, and the one with the clearance hole attached to the checkerplate.

Once the plate is swung up, allen-head 6mm screws go though, and get tightened up to stop rattles. (yeh, I know - broken record... I HATE RATTLES!)



That's it!

Fantastic mate thanks heaps, i'll be doing this in a few weeks, i'll let you know how it goes!
Thanks again

[Pez]

so mounting your amp upside down on your parcel shelf is all good.
i might have to try that

[panda88]

just make sure its mounted securely, had a shop mount mine upside down under the parcel tray, after two weeks the amp dropped and snapped some of the cables. Ended up just screwing it down to the floor.

[Phreddy]

Pez - depends on the individual amp really. If the amp is prone to overheating in even ideal install locations, then it might give trouble. If it's a normally "cool running" amp, it's most likely fine.

But definitely what Panda said about securely mounting it!!

Cheerz.