Mounting amp and PC under seats?

**omehegan** · 07-04-2005, 03:21 PM

My car PC project has been on hold for a few months, and I'm starting work on it again now. I'm almost ready to install, but I have some questions about where I should mount my stuff. For those who are familiar with them, my car is a 98 Integra hatch.

My original plan for mounting, suggested by a friend, was to lay a piece of plywood (MDF/fiberboard actually) across the inside of the trunk, under the carpet. Then I'll screw the amp down into the carpet as you would normally do, and use two strips of thin sheet metal to make a harness to hold the PC in place, with those screwed into the carpet as well. Actually both will screw down into the wood, THROUGH the carpet.

I'm starting to think though that having these pieces exposed in the trunk is not such a great idea. There's a rear deck behind the back seats that will keep the components out of view of thieves, but my concern is just that having this stuff out where other cargo in the trunk can bang into it would not be ideal.

So I'm wondering, does anyone have advice for mounting these pieces under the driver and passenger seats? I'm thinking that doing this would allow for shorter cable runs, and would have the components out of harm's way more. I also think it would look a lot nicer to have them hidden, instead of on display in the trunk. But would I still need to put some wood under the carpet to give the mounting screws something to screw into?

Bonus points for anyone who has pictures of under-seat installs, especially of the PC itself. Thanks in advance!

**xdjxklusivex** · 07-04-2005, 10:07 PM

do a lil search a few people have it under the seat... check out www.mobile-effects.com's picture gallery we have a few people with under the seat installs but the only tip i can give u is to check for clearence and make sure that if you move the seats back and forth it wont pinch n e wires or hit the pc housing and cooling may be a factor aswell but its something you can deal with fairly easly good luck

**omehegan** · 07-18-2005, 08:37 PM

I don't really want to register at another site just to look at install pictures... what I'm really looking for is some specific tips about how to secure the amp and PC under the seats. Anyone?

**KyleYankan** · 07-18-2005, 08:50 PM

Well, it depends on the PC Case. Only a SFF will fit under a seat. In that case what you can do it open it up and look for a clear spot of the bottom of the sheet metal. Then just drill a screw into that into the MDF board. Another idea is to use 2 - 4 L-brackets o nthe outside edges to clamp the pc in place.

**TruckinMP3** · 07-18-2005, 09:11 PM

Years ago I had an amp installed by a shop, they used self tapping screws and zapped them right into the floorpan under the passenger seat... worked good. I even moved the set up when the truck was totaled. Same install, under the seat.

**fonseca** · 07-19-2005, 01:39 AM

Yes, no need for plywood, especially if you have limited clearance under your seat to begin with. There's no harm in grounding the amp or pc cases.

I just installed my new amp under the passenger seat. Much harder to steal than in the trunk. I don't think a thief could get it out without first removing the seat.

I drilled pilot holes and then used sheet metal screws that screw into the floorpan about 1/2".

**Zerach** · 07-20-2005, 04:53 PM

Word of caution on the self tapping screws...they suck!

Make sure if you're going to be using something like that, they are galvanized so that if they do happen to go through the floor, the screws don't get rusty and work their way out.

self tapping screws=cheap installation IMHO. I always like a nice predrill and use proper screws, even seal it with silicon and use thread lock (I'm extremely anal about such things)

I hate nothing more than going through completely good undercoating with a screw thats going to rust.

**TruckinMP3** · 07-20-2005, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by Zerach

Word of caution on the self tapping screws...they suck!

Make sure if you're going to be using something like that, they are galvanized so that if they do happen to go through the floor, the screws don't get rusty and work their way out.

self tapping screws=cheap installation IMHO. I always like a nice predrill and use proper screws, even seal it with silicon and use thread lock (I'm extremely anal about such things)

I hate nothing more than going through completely good undercoating with a screw thats going to rust.

Nice to be anal (or ***). No leaks or movement on my amp... but you do not have to like the install.

**omehegan** · 07-20-2005, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by KyleYankan

Well, it depends on the PC Case. Only a SFF will fit under a seat. In that case what you can do it open it up and look for a clear spot of the bottom of the sheet metal. Then just drill a screw into that into the MDF board. Another idea is to use 2 - 4 L-brackets o nthe outside edges to clamp the pc in place.

What's an SFF? I have a Morex 2966 case.

http://www.logicsupply.com/product_i...products_id/33