Building my amp rack...

[OhFourChevy]

So, first off, I've never done this before, always had a professional install, but I'm diving into this full throttle, I want to take more ownership in my ride. Ive always done most of my own mechanical work, but never my own audio work.

So here's the deal, I've already ordered the q-logic factory fit box, so under the seat install is kinda out of the question, unfortunately. Only the 40 side of the 60/40 will be available, which isn't much room (wanting to mount both 4ch and mono in a similar place with availability to tune on the fly)

I'm thinking of mounting them both to the back of the 60 side of the second row. Side by side.
Or
On the 40 side over and under.

So my question to the amps dissipate heat well on mounted like this? I know it's not ideal for heatsinks, but it's all I've got.

Next question, mounting carpet/vinyl covered mdf/plywood to the back of the seat, is the whole seat back sheet metal or are there spots that work better?

Will vinyl or carpet cover be cheaper/easier? I think peal and stick vinyl would be easiest, but would it melt with the amp heat?

Do I even need to mount it to the wood?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm curious what y'all think, I've found mixed answers using the almighty Google. So I come to y'all.
Thanks!

 

[OhFourChevy]

Or what about mounting to 1x2s for added circulation of air?

 

[AppocAlexx]

Unless your going to running the amps at full throttle all the time they shouldn't be getting hot enough to make a big different regardless where you mount them. Most people mount the amps underneath seats and don't have issues. You can add feet between the amp and board for added circulation no more than 1 inch would be suffice, but like I said unless your running them full power which you never should even if you're amp is underpowered for your sub. Most amps now will also have a safety switch that will shut the amp off until it cools down.

Carpet or vinyl will work great for the mounting boards. I would go with vinyl, it looks better but ur most likely going to have the vinyl over the carpet on the backs of the seats, just they way they are unless its all leather then the vinyl will look good. If you look up some of the big audio shows and see the set ups that those guys have, they will have their entire amp encased in board and vinyl, granted they most likely have fans and stuff to help circulated the hot air but still you shouldn't have a problem with melting the vinyl. Post some pics, always like to see what people can come up with for stuff like this.

 

[YukonXL04]

What amps? May be able to stack them under the 40 side. You could mount them to the back of the seat, there isn't much structure there, so most likely undo the seat cover hook at the bottom of the back rest and peel it up some to see what's there you can attach to. Also there is that folding board behind the seats you could attach to. I have done that several times and always turns out good. You shouldn't need any tuning on the fly, should tune it and forget it. You may make a small tweak a couple times after your initial tune, but after that you shouldn't need to access them again

 

[OhFourChevy]

So I switched up my plan I'm going to try and run my pioneer gmd8601 under the 40 side, Should I just bolt Mdf straight to the seat brackets?

The second Amp I may be able to find a micro amp that will fit in the rear cargo glove box thingy like a clarion, kenwood, jl marine amp. I only need 50-75w RMS @ 2ohm, so it shouldn't be difficult to find.

 

[AppocAlexx]

you can screw it strait to the ground if you want or do some feet like stated above for extra air movement. Not sure about the micro amp thing tho. Don't know what kind of space you are dealing with.

 

[OhFourChevy]

So, right now, I'm looking at the 40 side seat for my amp mount. My amp is. W x H x D.
10-3/8" x 2-3/8" x 7-7/8"
The seat hardware (black bars that hold the seat and allow it to flip) are about .5-.75" off the carpet, as well they are only about the width of my amp apart. I don't think mounting an amp right next to/touching metal is a good thing, it can cause distortion, right?
So, I would need to mount a 1" block then mount a (11" - 12") X (8.5" - 9")
Mdf panel, I'm going to go by an audio shop tomorrow near my house, and see If they have any scrap mdf that I might be able to grab off they're hands

 

[AppocAlexx]

last time I check you could get a pretty big sheet of MDF wood 1/4" thick for like 20$ at the hardware stores.

 

[OhFourChevy]

I got a piece for it, I'll post pics later today of the amp install, although subwoofer box won't be here till monday.