I have an mtx 304 (4 channel amp with 3 25amp fuse)

The thing is heavy as heck and i don't know if i can just screw it into the back seat with regular wood screws.

 

you could screw any thing down with wood screws. lol. I suggest mounting it to a board then mount it to the back of the seat. This way there won't be any ground loop. And it would be a soild mount.

 

like wrx-killer-Sti eater said
go get some mdf carpet it,vinal,ect
fasten it to the back of the seat then fasten the amp to that..This will make it harder to steal also
Good luck

 

That's even more weight added if i screw the MDF into the back seat and then the amp onto the MDF.


i'm just worried that it will not hold and falls off. Have this ever happened?

Just regular wood screws to screw the mdf to the back seat and then the amp onto the mdf right?

 

your amp won't fall trust me. just make sure that you screw into the wood on the seat

 

weight? less then a double-double cheese burger.

 

I dunno... my amps have ripped off the back of my seat countless times. They are fairly heavy (Alpines) but mount the wood first, then mount the amps to the wood like said above. You won't have any problems.

 

what i don't understand is, why would it make a difference regarding falling off or not when you're mounting the amp with/without the MDF???


what's stopping it from falling off with the MDF?

 

anyone have pictures for reference?


I currently have 2 crappy sony explod on the back of my seat. They're so light that i don't have to worry it falling off. But the quality of these amp sucks and i'm just going to replace it with the MTX.

 

actually, physics would tell you it would be more likely to fall off with the mdf, as you increased the distance of the cantilever.

rather than using woodscrews, use a screw/nut. Trick is coming up with a way to get the nut back there. It can be done

 

I had an amp on the back of my seat in 00 Prelude. I just screwed it straight into the metal on the back of the seat. It held fine. The amp was a PG Octane 75x4...wasn't too light. And I'm failing to see why MDF will help. It just adds weight. The back seat doesn't care what you attach to it...it's how much you attach.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Odessa &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I had an amp on the back of my seat in 00 Prelude. I just screwed it straight into the metal on the back of the seat. It held fine. The amp was a PG Octane 75x4...wasn't too light. And I'm failing to see why MDF will help. It just adds weight. The back seat doesn't care what you attach to it...it's how much you attach. </TD></TR></TABLE>
:werd:

that's exactly the point that i'm trying to understand by some people recommending putting an MDF in between.

 

did you use regular wood screws or something different?

did you use washer/locker?

 

I used self-tapping screws, the ones that you don't need to predrill holes for. But that's just 'cause it is hard to see where you drilled a hole through the back seat carpet, when you try to align your amp for the hole you drilled. I didn't use any washers, just screws. If the metal on the back seat is strong enough, then it should hold the weight fine. You can drive a screw in and see how firmly it goes. If it feels loose, then it won't hold and you'd be better finding a reinforcement for the back seat, which is why I think MDF was recommended here. But to use that, you would have to attach the MDF to a stronger piece of metal than the one you're trying to reinforce...or use some fiberglass or other type of adhesive.

 

yup...mounting a piece of wood would work...i also used special screws that require a special tip...here's mine...
i painted the wood black...

 

I have mounted many amps to the back of the read seat(s), without any problems, but then I don't use wood screws when screwing into sheet metal, I use a sheet metal screw, [stinger type]... http://www.scosche.com/scosche...1-100

If weight of amp is an issue, then the last thing you want to do is add more weight, the only reason to use wood would be if amp needs to be isolated from ground, and some amps under some conditions, need to be isolated to prevent a ground loop, [noise].

If the amp is a heavy one and you want it to stay there under any curcomstances, and it does not have to be isolated, use "studs", not hard to install.

If it has to be isolated use MDF "feet", not a whole board. 94

 

guys, this really is not rocket science...

The metal on the back of these seats is very thin - so I don't personally trust them to hold screws...so here's what I've done in the past (with the one amp I had mounted to the back seat for a total of a month - ahah - it always looks GHETTO mounted to a back seat).

Get a board, cut it the same size as the amp - if you are that worried about a half pound chunk of mdf, cut some holes in it - use a different type of wood - do whatever.

Then I use some hollow wall anchors to attach it to the seat - I use a toggle bolt - the one with the little wings. This gives you a ton of surface area - let me tell you - that MDF board will never come loose.

Because the carpet is pretty loose on these cars, you can actually mount the mdf behind the carpet. Then screw the amp through the carpet, into the board - it won't go anywhere.

Please don't use drywall screws for any installation - they look cheap and their head shape is generally inappropriate for the equipment. I can't tell you how much equipment I see that's been deformed because some monkey sent a drywall screw through a piece of wood/sheet metal with out predrilling and the countersunk head shape deformed the mounting feet - don't be that guy....

Instead use a pan head wood screw. A little tip for those who don't want their equipment to get marred - go and buy some nylon flat washers - they will protect the screw holes and keep your equipment looking new.

If you really want to make it strong - use t nuts on the back of the mdf, then use machine screws to hold the equipment on. A little stronger method.

Then just slit the carpet, run the wires and voila.

I can't stress this enough - using the right fasteners for the job (washer, bolt, nut, screw, etc) not only looks better but it protects your equipment and is safer and stronger. It takes minimal planning, costs a total of a few dollars and can be accomplished in a few minutes at your LOCAL hardware store - going to home depot for this kind of stuff is a waste of time imo - who needs 150 of them at a time

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fcm &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have mounted many amps to the back of the read seat(s), without any problems, but then I don't use wood screws when screwing into sheet metal, I use a sheet metal screw, [stinger type]... http://www.scosche.com/scosche...1-100

If weight of amp is an issue, then the last thing you want to do is add more weight, the only reason to use wood would be if amp needs to be isolated from ground, and some amps under some conditions, need to be isolated to prevent a ground loop, [noise].




If the amp is a heavy one and you want it to stay there under any curcomstances, and it does not have to be isolated, use "studs", not hard to install.

If it has to be isolated use MDF "feet", not a whole board. 94</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kroze &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">:werd:

that's exactly the point that i'm trying to understand by some people recommending putting an MDF in between.</TD></TR></TABLE>

MDF gives the screw more "meat" to attach to.

also, make sure when you predrill your hole - drill it the correct size - too large and the screw won't hold.

I know my methods seem to be overkill to some, but it's bulletproof. Doing it once the right way is faster then doing it 2+ times....

 

do you have pics of your amp mounted?

 

Heres how I had mine. BIG POS free amp,

Screwed to the back seat, no problems ever.

Pics to come

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kroze &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">do you have pics of your amp mounted?</TD></TR></TABLE>

probably not what you are looking for, but here's my current amp - the second one is waiting on the sub install. The false floor has been removed as I was working on it at the time:




I don't mount amps to back seats any longer

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rcurley55 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

MDF gives the screw more "meat" to attach to.

also, make sure when you predrill your hole - drill it the correct size - too large and the screw won't hold.

I know my methods seem to be overkill to some, but it's bulletproof. Doing it once the right way is faster then doing it 2+ times....</TD></TR></TABLE>

With a heavy amp the MDF will also allow you more screw locations to screw the board to the back of the seat. Then screw the amp to the securely fastened MDF.

 

I was searching for a way to mount my amp when I came across this post. I thought to myself "this seems like a solid sensible solution" so I went and bought the bits and froze my nuts off in the snow for 2 hours.

The first thing I should mention is that hollow wall anchors are made generally for fastening things onto drywall, at least all the ones Ive seen are, which means they do not tighten up enough to squeeze the thin sheet of metal that most of you will have on the rear side of your backseat (mine were still about 1cm loose when fully tightened). I found this out the hard way and had to rip one out thru the holl bending the metal slightly in the process.

I guess you could put a small 1 inch square of MDF ontop of the metal first and put a hole thru both to secure the wall anchor, but that would mean another half inch sticking out into the boot, I didnt like that idea so...

I just decided to use the wall anchor on the amp sized piece of MDF (roughly), so that the socket of the wall anchor is actually securing the MDF rather then the bolt that screws into it.
Its not an elegant solution and means I will not be able to freely take the amp board off by unscrewing the bolts but its what Ive had to resort to.

Just thought id share my experiece for anyone else wondering whether to go this route...
In hindsight I think I may have just gone with tapping screws and wood.

 

I installed my amp in my spare tire well. Completely stealth install. Not a small amp either. I use the spare tire to wedge it against the rear wall. There is a surprising amount of space in that cavity! Albeit, it isn't an amp I really care about at all.