My buddy wants me to install his subs for him tomorrow. This is his setup...

(2) 12" MTX T4512-04 SVC subs
Profile AP1000M
KnuKnoceptz Complete 4AWG amp install kit
Some Circuit City box (not sure if this is the one)

Now onto the questions...

Since I've never installed an amp in a Mustang before (only F-bodies), where is the hole in the firewall? I've read a few posts, and I think its near the steering column/fuse box somewhere on the driver's side. Is the battery in a Mustang located on the driver's side as well? Also, how easily does the carpet pull up? In my Firebird, there were screws holding down the carpet by the doors. If I recall correctly, I didn't see any screws. So does the plastic part just pop up or what? Also, where is the best place to ground the amp in the trunk? Just drill a hole in the quarter panel or is there something better? My main concerns are the hole in the firewall and running the wires under the carpet. So can anyone answer a few of these questions for me? It would really help in the install tomorrow.

 

You have the right idea on the location to run the wire.
Battery is on the drivers side.
Carpet is easily removed, theres the trim piece that pops off, then you have the white clips attached to the carpet that run along the joint of the metal floor.
Inthe trunk, doesn't really matter where you ground it just make its the shortest posible distance between the amp and the grounding point, make sure to clean the area first scrap or sand off any paint or coating, you want bare metal connection.

 

Well we got some of it done Saturday afternoon, but man it was cold out. When he told me he had a place to do it, I figured it was someplace warm. It was just his grandma's garage, not heated or anything. So we started working on it in single digit temperatures, while I watched the snowmobiles go flying by at least once every half hour.

So we got the power wire ran. That rubber gromet near the steering column is veeeery thick, and its hard to stick a 4AWG wire through it. But we got it through, and stuck it under the carpet near the door. Then, instead of taking all the plastic off next to the rear seats, we decided to run it along the side of the seat tucked down outta sight. And really, its probably as useful as an 8AWG wire now, since we had to cut off so much at the ends to stick it into the fuse and amp. But it doesn't matter, he is only running 450WRMS so he really doesn't need the 4AWG.

The RCAs and the remote power wire are ran on the other side, also tucked in at the rear seats. We had to drive 20mins to Circuit City to get the "keys" to take out his head unit, after trying for almost and hour to get it out without the keys. But now I cannot figure out where to connect the remote power wire. With my install, there was a blue lead coming out of the head unit that wasn't connected to anything. With this, the blue lead goes somewhere. So I don't know if I'm supposed to spliceinto it or what.

But the box was a bitch to get in. After pretty much disassembling the whole back seat, we gave up on trying to fit it in through the rear seats. So we had to take off the trunk latch, take out the spare tire, and jam the box into the tiny whole that is called the trunk. So that box is never coming outta there...

So all thats left to do is wire up the subs and ground the amp. Hopefully we can do that someplace warm...

 

the plastic molding along the seat just pulls up, the carpet is not screwed down at all. Pull, tuck, and then put it back on.

missin yer hatch back for that box install huh?

 

Yeah we have the RCAs and power running under the molding/carpet along the doors, but after that it comes back up out of the carpet and along side the rear seats into the trunk. He didn't want to take off many of the plastic pieces because he was afraid we wouldn't get them back on correctly. He cracked the piece that is next to the passenger's foot up front in front of the door trying to get it back on. But its not too noticeable.

And hell yes I miss the hatchback, much easier to install. Plus, I miss it because its put away for the winter... I pretty much just dropped my box in place. It fits so snug, I love it. And I still have the ability to put my T-tops back there .

http://home.rochester.rr.com/earnhar...Subs%20002.jpg- Kind of a big picture, but it was so much easier to install.

 

Well we finished it today, since the weather was a nice 35 degrees out. Grounded the amp to a hole that we found above the amp somewhere in the trunk. Sanded off any paint, and it seems to work. Wired up the subs, stuck the remote wire into the connection between the head unit wires and the install kit wires, seems to be working. So we half ghetto-rigged the system, but everthing seems to be working. I set the gain a little more than halfway since I don't have a DMM handy. But I couldn't hear any distortion. He seems to be happy, even though the subs don't have massive bass. He has a rattle somewhere above the box, sounds like something near the headrest behind the backseat under the rear window. I hope nothing goes wrong in the next few days, its supposed to get cold again.

 

Get us some pics.....

Is the remote wire secured or tapped any way?

 

Yeah the remote wire is pretty secure, I put it in between the wiring harnesses that plug into each other in the slot that was blue/white. Circuit City installed it, and took off all the labels that were put on by Pioneer. But I'm pretty sure the blue/white is for remote power. And I'll get some pics next time he comes over, which is probably going to be in the next few days since he just called to say they stopped working... I'm going to guess it was the ground if the amp went into protection mode. Oh well, we'll see...

 

sound like a nicely dangerous install, if you seen a car burn to the ground for "rigging" up a stereo there probably wouldnt be any waiting to do it right.