I am about to install a amplifier in my 97 dodge intrepid to power some subwoofers and I was wondering if anyone knew where a good spot is to ground it in the trunk? Thanks!

 

Hey,

As far as grounding, all I can say is find a spot less than two feet away from your amp that something already grounds to. Make sure you have a hole big enough you can thread your bolt that will ground the amp. The bigger the gauge grounding wire, the bigger the bolt. Sand the area to remove any paint asnd rust. Bolt your amp's ground wire (assuming you've crimped a terminal onto it) and make sure wwhatever was also grounded there is secured by the bolt and making good contact with the terminal of your amps ground wire or the gounding surface.

For easy amp mounting, I recomend industrial strength velcro, available at your local fabrics store. Apply the hook-type half of the hook-loop pair to the bottom of the amp (the heatsink should face up, or if need be, the amp can be mounted on the side of your trunk, but never mount your amp upside down, ie, the heatsink facin down), and the hooks will stick to your trunks carpeting. This is what I've done in my '95 Trep.

You have a 1st gen Intrepid
So actually, the best things you can can do are as follows

Running the amp wire
I ran mine from the engine compartment thru the firewall to the interior by pulling out the rubber grommet the hood release cable went through and trimming away some of it. I ran 4 gauge wire through that and under all the capet and stuff.

RCA Cables
I dropped the knee bolster of the dash and ran RCA cables behind it. It was time consuming. Then you can run the RCAs underneath the door (foot) plates and to the rear.

The rear seat
Unbolt the two bolts holding the cushion you sit on. Then have a partner and you lift of on the seat back, one dude on each end. You may thread power wire and RCAs through the trunk lining on opposing sides. Remember, keep RCAs separated from power wires! There are handy bendable clamps/tabs to hold your RCAs and wires in place behind the seat, after you run them under the door foot plates and carpet.

Finally
I put the ground wire on the left-hand side (driver's side) where some thing else was already grounded. I think I bored out the hole to make the bolt fit to hold the 4 gauge ground wire terminal fit.

I used washers to help attach my power wire terminal to the battery. The freakin' pos clamp is an odd design. If any body has a better way, please post it in this thread.

Also, if you upgrade your rear speakers, I recommend cutting holes to fit the tweeter parts (I have 4-way Pioneers) in the rear "shelf" and then fitting some speaker grills from a Concorde or LHS into the holes. Very nice looking.

Sorry for the long post, I hope this helps you do the install faster and better than I did.

 

PS: mountinf the amp with velcro means that the amp could come loose in an accident and strike something in the vehicle. Since the trunk is separated from the cabin by a steel partition (at least in my Intrepid) there is less risk, but there still is risk of injury from a flying amp. :-)