Interior Hiding Place for New Amplifier

[cheetah85]

I just purchased a brand new Kenwood KAC-6404 Amplifier for my 1991 Festiva. I am very concerned about someone stealing it. A lot of Oxyheads in my area. Anyway, I am considering hiding it behind the back seat panel on the passenger side beside of the seatbelt motor, then putting the panel back on. I have already placed the amplifier there and it fits perfect.

Is there anything I should consider before placing the amplifier there. I question the heat issue but I think that it should be the same temperature as the interior of the car.

Anyone have any opinions?

By the way, THIS AMP ROCKS!!!

[25Horseplay]

Under a front seat maybe?

[SimonTuffGuy]

Hmmm... I had some good experience with systems back in the day before weight was a concern for me...

The biggest concern will be heat. You're putting it in an enclosed area and they get HOT... They've got fans on them, but they need to be out in the open to be able to circulate. If you've got the panels back on, there's no air circulating there to cool it down and it's going to overheat.

So you've got a few choices... Wire up some sort of fan assembly in the paneling. Cut a hole and mount a fan so that you can pull in fresh (cool) air from the interior and pump it in there.

The other thing is that if the amp becomes loose, it may hit the outside sheetmetal of the car and cause a paint crack... Ask me how I know? On my last car, the shaved door kit had a backup battery. We mounted it in that area and it came loose, hit and I got a paint crack on the quarter panel.

If you want a good suggestion? In all of my installs, it involved a nice piece of plywood that was custom cut to the dimensions of the space I was fitting it in... I bolted (a nut a bolt) the amp to that... And then I used some big sheet metal screws and secured the plywood to the body of the car. Now - that worked for me because I didn't keep a spare tire in the Festiva... If you do, that may cause a problem.

Or - As Brian said... You can mount it under the seat. Just remember that you don't have ventilation under there that you do other places. Raise it off the floor a bit so that the amp is not sitting directly on the carpet. That'll allow the fans inside of it to do their job.

And good luck. Remember - don't bump around your house. People will remember...