2005 Outback Custom Amp/Sub Install

[Guest blondy]

Right, after many attempts to do my sub/amp install, I finally got around to finishing it after a very busy couple of months.

 

Thought i would document it, just encase someone else down the track finds at least one of my steps handy...

 

Here's the custom amp install, i've made it out of some MDF and cut it to fit inside of my tyre under the lid in the boot.

 

The U-Bolts serve two purposes;

1)To act as handles to left the amp/board out of the tyre when i need.

2)They sit just below the lid when it is closed, and when you add extra weight to the top of the lid, i've measured it to just touch the U-Bolt.

This helps to make sure that the amp/board stays where it is meant to when driving with life's everyday bumps and such.

 

Notice the notch cut out of the edge, this lines up with the weight attached to the rim of the tyre for wheel balancing.

This also helps to keep the amp/board from spinning around in the tyre rim, just need to take not of where it is when you remove and replace the tyre.

 

 

Underneath shot, you'll notice i attached some good wood little blocks.

These line up with where the screws go when the amp is attached, which provides somewhere secure for the screws to grip into and hide any excess thread. Otherwise you'll have screws showing out the bottom and you'll find they don't like to grip into such thin MDF.

 

 

Now the amp is attached.

 

 

 

 

This one shows the Wiring harness all made up and labelled, ready to get installed. Harness courtesy of SVXdc from another forum i'm part of, along with many wiring questions he successfully answered...

 

 

 

 

Time for the install now

 

This image shows the amp power cable run from the battery and then into the car via a grommet in the firewall.

I've found this is the easiest one to get to and use, but you'll want to use a chaser wire.

It comes out in about the middle of the passenger foot-well.

It's hard to find somewhere good and safe to mount the fuse, so i ended up zip tying it to a metal frame to allow easy access to it, just encase i need to do fuse work.

 

 

 

 

Next i used the instructions found for a 2006 outback to remove the Dash, this was straight from the factory sub-woofer install guide.

I think i still have the instructions if anyone is interested/needs them, otherwise a you can find them via a google search like i originally did.

 

This got me to the stage where i could have the Stock Head Unit out of the dash as shown below.

In the picture you can see that i have the wiring harness in spot ready to disconnect the factory one, this also allowed me to chase the remote and speaker wires through the respected locations out of the way of things.

Remote/Power i directed down the Passenger side of the car, and speaker wires down the drivers side.

 

 

This next image shows the head unit back in place, and then you can see a blue cable, which is the remote wire i ran down the left side of the gear stick. It then goes around the outside of the cup-holder which i have in my centre console.

 

 

The remote blue wire after it goes around the cup holder, is attached to a switch as shown below.

I had to cut a hole in the centre console, since today's cars don't come with many removable ones.

I chose to go across the spot moulded in the console, since i plan to put another switch next to it down the track for spotties.

This in return will make a cleaner look/install, where if i did it the other way, it would only allow room for one switch.

 

 

 

 

Back seat removal, thanks to bagodonuts who is also from another forum i'm part of, who gave me the following info on the removal;

 

"What we did was put the front seats all the way forward so he could sort of squat in the back seat area. He used his knees against the front of the back seat cushion to get the leverage needed to push back on it enough to release the clips. Once you can get enough force going towards the back of the car it is pretty straight forward."

 

Here's the image provided as well, it at least gives you an idea of where to look for the hooks if nothing else...

 

 

 

 

Front part of the install is done, now time to do the back end.

 

This first image shows the drivers side foot well, i have chased the speaker wires around the front of the foot-well behind the carpet.

Then behind the carpet of the side kick panel.

 

 

Then along the gap between the carpet and where the rubber door seal and plastic door trim clips in.

 

 

Then around the bottom of the middle pillar.

 

 

And through the same gap of the back door as i did at the front, and into the section under the back bench seat.

 

 

 

Same process was done for the power and remote cable down the passenger side of the car as shown below;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To get the wires from the back seat to the cargo area, i chased the wire around the back-seat hinge out of the way of any moving parts.

Then up into the section where the cargo floor meets the rear tyre wall, to make this easier, i removed the carpet covered wood inserts that clip in and out of the floor. This also reveals channels in the foam found under the inserts, which i used to chase the cables in as well. It's probably not hugely clear in the picture below, but it's fairly easy to wing without the use of a fully detailed step by step.

 

 

Once the wires were in there, the next step was to install the amp/board component and then wire it all up.

 

 

There is probably a better way i could clean up the part in the tyre well, but it aint there to look pretty, and i need to be able to easily remove the amp when i need access to the spare tyre with enough wire to allow me to move it to the side.

 

Also, a lot of people are probably thinking it's a bad idea to have the amp there because of air flow and over heating, but this shouldn't be too much of a factor for me. The amp isn't getting pumped very hard and should operate at cabin temperature...or close enough too, and if it does overheat, there are safety features in amps these days to prevent major damages...

 

 

 

The speaker cable to go to the sub, i chased out the same way the other speaker cables came in. But then i ran the cable under the loose carpet

behind the back seats, and then out the gap in material where the back rests split and fold down.

 

Below is the finished install of the sub, it's not anchored down...yet...still trying to think of a clean yet easy to remove way to do it...

It holds pretty tight though without any anchoring, but i want to do something...just encase one day something happens.

 

Also have a speaker grill i want to eventually put on it to stop cargo from damaging the sub cone.

 

 

That's it, all booming along great...once i tuned it that was...

 

 

The only question i have is the correct wiring for my sub, as shown in the image below, there is 2 x 4ohm points to wire in a sub.

Or 1 x 2ohm min point, it is a one channel amp and my sub is a 4ohm. Should i be joining the very outside two points, or should i be using just one of the 2 4ohm points?

 

The book that came with the amp only shows the one sub configuration running in the 2ohm mode and 2 subs in the 4ohm mode...but mines a 4ohm

as i mentioned already, and i don't know if i'm meant to have it plugged in the way i do? Below is an image of the points i'm talking about.

Sorry, it's a little fuzzie, but you can make it out still.

 

[Scoobywagon]

That's nice work!

 

As far as your sub wiring goes, it won't matter. Your amp is a monoblock amp and, as such, the 2 sets of speaker connectors are internally bridged. You'll get the same performance weather you wire on a single set of terminals or across both sets. It just WON'T matter.

 

For anchoring your sub box, consider some high-quality velcro. The hook side will do a fine job grabbing the factory carpet. That and the weight of the sub/box combo will make it a bit of a wrestling match to get it out of the car. You might also think about cutting a terminal cup into one of your interior panels. That way, if you should need to remove the box, there are no dangling wires. Otherwise, you might consider using SpeaCon connectors.

 

If you want to clean up the amp install, you can do so quite easily through the profligate use of zip-ties, wire loom and electrical tape. The way I might do it is to use some standoffs under the amp to lift it 1/4" (7mm) off the board. Route all of your wires under the amp and zip tie them so as to create a "T" in the wiring. Put the collected bundle of wiring into some appropriately sized wire loom and wrap in electrical tape for a nice, clean OEM look.

[Guest blondy]

Thanks.

 

Not fussed about the wiring in the hole...it can stay like that unless i get the urge one day to change, or it bugs me. Plus since no one is going 2 see it on a regular basis, it wont come down to looks either...

 

As for Anchoring, my first thought was going to be Velcro...but velcro doesn't stick to the factory carpet in the back...it appears to be too short and doesn't have a normal loop that most carpets come with, which the hook part of the velcro uses to stick too...

 

Wiring wise to the sub...don't want to hack up the interior for when i eventually sell the car down the track...It's a good idea what you've suggested about putting a terminal cup in, had me thinking...

 

The sub actually comes with spring terminals on it for easy removal, and doesn't take much to tuck the wiring away after that when the subs not in.

 

Thanks again for the info.