Mounting amps on bootlid

[Julie]

Heya audiophiles (pssst Ray )

We're redecking out the boot again, space is on a premium, we'd like to mount a couple of 4 channel amps on our bootlid. I know its a no-no to put the things in upside down and the last thing we wanna do is fry a couple of new amps. But are there any amps suitable to be mounted upside down or are we just gonna have to find a new place to stick them?

I'm loving the look of the soundstream amps with the pwetty tarantulas on them , are they decent or all show not much go?

Cheers, Julie

[semi]

im not sure aobut what amps are or arent suitable for being mounted upside down, but i was under teh impression that good quality amps were ok for this, although its probably not a good idea to take my word for that. As for the soundstream, apparently theyre pretty good quality for SQ

[Krustyone]

Hi Julie,

Having a small background in electronics, I would advise against mounting anything electrical to a boot lid.

The problem would be in the forces used to close the boot lid and the jarring effect when the boot lid reaches a zero closing speed in the split second it hits the closed position.

Although their are no moving parts, the electronics within the amp will likely be more prone to dry solder joints through the heat generated by the amp and the weight of some of the components being in an upside down position and closing the boot on an average once a day basis.

You would also have difficulty finding a stable base to secure a heavy amp to the boot lid without redesigning the original structure.

Krusty.

[semi]

after reading that, i agree with krusty, closing the boot all the time will probably start to crack solder joints etc. Also, you might have problems with your boot flexing if you have much in the way of subs.

If boot space is really needed, you might want to try making an amp rack, one on top of another

[Lumps of cheese]

I mounted my amp upside down in my vt below the parcel shelf in the boot, wasn't aware that it was not good for them but i never had a problem.
I just used a piece of craftwood and covered it with car carpet, looked the goods and worked well for the space side of things(with pram and kids stuff ect.)

[89vncommy]

I have seen a fair few amps mounted upside down on the parcel shelf, and they have never had any problems...

[Julie]

Thanks Krusty, thats some food for thought, I didn't even consider that. The boot lid would be modified, was also planning speakers and possibly lcd monitor. Bootlid wouldn't be opened much at all, it doesn't get driven much, and with all the other amps subs etc there not much need to open it as we can't fit anything in the thing lol.

Unfortunately under the parcel shelf is not an option, theres 3 12" subs there. We will have to give this a lot of thought. I might have a look @ caa forums and sounddomain 4 some inspiration.

[Brycestro]

hhmm if this goes ahead i'd be interested to see pictures. I'd agree with the others, i'd be cautious mounting the amp on the bootlid, mainly because of the impact element of opening and closing. For my boot i'm going to be re-making a false floor and hopefully get around to having some glass cut to chuck above the amps so that they're visible through the floor.

It's good in the sense that you can chuck all your stuff in, not worry about banging it, helps keep it away from heat a little etc and allows you to mount it flat without worrying about it being in the way.

Which Soundstream range were you looking at? Most people will tell you that their oldschool equipment was next to unbeatable and of a superior build quality. Real top stuff. They'll also tell you that their new equipment isn't as good since the Power Acoustiks takeover, but i haven't found any hard proof, mostly 'word has it' sort of stuff. Ultimately though i think it will depend more on the particular amp you're looking at from their range as to the quality. They still do make some outstanding equipment, and as you said they've gotten a little more show now-a-days where as back in the day they were what most would consider ugly as hell, but their performance was quite the opposite. Despite everything, i've got a soundstream PCA3500D sitting on my desk awaiting some of my time to be installed.

Personally i'd be reconsidering mounting options, but i think a nice speaker/lcd setup on the boot lid could look quite nice. Let us know how you go, cheers, Bryce.

[garfa]

well another problem almost as big as the over heating of an amp was that a ground loop will probably be introduced (READ: more noise in the system).
unless you isolate the amp chassis from the lid it is a bad idea, and it would be rather dificult to isolate it. mount upside down under parsel shelf.

[Krustyone]

If its a show car, that may well be different..

Reinforce the lid with ply and pad it with velour etc... May be alright as long you dont force the boot down with the power of twelve stampeding elephants.

The other thought I had was to make a MDF fold out panel that folds out after you have opened the boot lid.

Just a thought. Never seen it before but I'm sure it could be done with some ingenuity.

As for mounting under the parcel shelf, It wont be feeling the forces apart from the occaisional bump. I wouldn't be too concerned unless you have 10 amps in the back of your Hyundai. Heat dissipation would be the only issue.. Your boot would turn into an oven.

[Tasmaniak]

Julie, the guys are fairly correct in that the trunk lid isn't the ideal place...not so much the opening and closing but the trunk lid vibrates like you wouldn't believe! With stereo going and five minutes of driving...those pwerty soundstream just became pwerty unks of steel and silicone

Who needs to see the amplifiers that you have already? Fit them inside the enclosure for the subs. YOur system is pretty much designed for looks over performance? So, the little space that the amps will take inside the enclosure really isn't going to affect the sound to a point where the average person will know.

Food for thought

[VNCalais98K]

The best mounting i have seen is on the side of the boot area.
Use MDF and carpet to create a flush mounted setting for the amp up against the side of the boot, opposite to where the spare tyre was stored in the VN.
Looks tidy, hides the wires, is relatively easy and maximises boot space and minimises the impact on the amp.

[Julie]

Thanks for all the replys guys, wasn't the answers I was hoping for but I'm glad you told it straight up. We'll have to have a good hard think about this and get creative, we want to utilise the existing sub boxes, which effectively remove the under the parcel tray and side of the boot area, these space are taken already.

The idea of mounting them inside the sub box is also something to think about, I'm not sure though, I'd prefer them to be more accessible. Plus I spent many many hours calculating the exact size the uniquely shaped sub boxes had to be to have the correct volume (ltrs) for the subs. Its a bit hard to explain why its such a dilemma, I'll try to find a pic later of our current setup so u guys can see what I'm getting at. We basically wanna keep similar design, just freshen up the upholstery with leather & suede, lose the stacker and have a carputer in its place.

[semi]

Why is boot space at such a premium?? isnt it a show car? I still say make a flashy amp rack