Amplifier wiring question

[JohnCU 10+ year member]

I am planning on buying an amp next week, and I have read about the installation and how I'm supposed to set everything up. The only problem is I cannot find anywhere to run the power cable from the battery to the amp (amp is going in trunk). I have looked for factory openings in the firewall, but I don't see any that I could use. I also don't want to drill through it because I am worried I would drive through something important.

My uncle suggested that I run the cable under the car and just hook it up to the brake lines and run it to the trunk. Anyone else do this?

Car is 1997 Chevy Lumina.

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[MikeofTulsa Moderator]

definatly wouldnt do that unless you ran pvc pipe or some other kind of pipe for protection from the elements......

 

[jjoven1225 10+ year member]

everycar has a firewall... there just find to hard... you'll sell like a big black rubber and wires going into it...(it may not look like wires because it was taped all together) but as long as you see the rubber you got it!!! make a whole in that rubber with like a pen or something... or even better, tape the wire on a stick and poke a whole then grab the wire from the inside and just run in in the side of your car.. if that seems imposible, just drill a whole.. there's nothing wrong with it... where the foot pedals and the hood are, there's nothing usually there... you're safe to drill a whole there..

 

[JohnCU 10+ year member]

Well, I found a rubber, rectangular covering on the passenger side near the top that has a bunch of wires going into it. Problem is, you can't poke through it because it's solid inside. In the middle is a screw that looks to be holding the thing to the firewall, but I'm not too sure about unscrewing it...

 

[Savant 10+ year member]

Some of that stuff (like that rectangle maybe) might go INTO something, not just pass into the car.. something like the heater/AC/etc.. so be careful.. And I'd NOT recomend unscrewing anything...

But, you SHOULD be able to find a round rubber gromet somehwere .. might have wires in it, might not.. Most newer cars have one or more 'spots' you can use (older cars might require you to drill holes).. you just have to find it.. Normally they would be 1/2 way down the firewall or further, most stuff near the top goes into the dash..

 

[nswartley 5,000+ posts]

your best bet is looking in your car manual or on http://www.installdr.com/home.html . it might be on there. good luck

 

[jjoven1225 10+ year member]

ok.. about that hard spot.. you can squeeze the wire on the side of it... unless you're using 0 guage..... if you really cant do it, just drill a hole

 

[JohnCU 10+ year member]

Hey guys, thanks for the advice. I crawled under the car again this morning and removed the carpet from the front seat. Still didn't see anything. I then noticed the black rubber cover that covers the wires that go from the front door into the car. So, I got some thick gauge wire and tried something. I can run the wire from the battery, along the top of the fender under the hood, and then down into the area where the black tube is and connect it there. Thanks again!

Hope the RCA cables aren't this hard to route. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[soundgy45 10+ year member]

Hardest part with rcs is getting certain door sills off. Hondas