Alrighty, after looking over alot of options for base i decided im probably going to get the infinity basslink. Don't go ranting on me now because ive experienced the "headache" bass already and it gave me a headache. Plus i never listened to rap so i figure the basslink would be a good choice. How hard would it be to intall this thing? It has a build in amp, auto turn on for high level inputs, ect... Mounting it will be easy, but you think i could do the wiring myself? Links to any DIY intall pages for this would be helpful. thanks.

 

That just has the power and signal inputs right? Have you ever removed a door panel or pulled up any carpeting in a car?

 

My components required me to take the door panels off so yeah i done that. How much carpeting do i need to pull up? I remember looking at a guys car that had the wires underneath the snap on uh bottom door strip thing. ya know, that thing you hit ur feet on getting into the car sometimes.

 

The basslink is soo easy to install... Power, Ground and 2 pairs of wires to the rear speakers, which as far as I know are included. The power wire can be run under the carpeting at the doors, by pulling those door sill plates off, like you were talking about. The power wire will need to be fused at the battery. The sub itself can be screwed to the "board" on the floor of the trunk... just be sure not to use screws that are too long so you dont puncture the spare tire (if its in there).

The amp is turned on by the audio signal when the High level inputs are used, so no remote turn on wire is needed. Which is very nice for newer Honda's and Acura's, which do not have a remote turn on out of the stock head unit.

 

two questions - what car, and what headunit? Answer those two, and we can tell you all the steps. It's a bit intimidating at first, but it's fairly easy to do.

 

Intimidating? a basslink is about as easy to install as a neon tube or those friggen "blue" bulbs.

 

To some one who is new to car audio, which I belive this guy is if he's asking for this type of help, connecting wires to batteries, adding fuses, and peeling back a few interior panels can be quite a daunting task....hence the use of the word intimidating.

That's probably the reason why most people go to shops....they are afraid to screw things up or don't have the knowledge to do the project.

 

That's what I did also, along the passenger side. Actually I ran the power, remote turn on, and signal all along that path. It was in an 89 Accord Lxi Hatchback. Usually this is not a good idea to run the power and signal parallel to each other like that, but my signal cable had special tripple shielding and had a center ground wire that all helped reduce interferance. I figured it was just going to my sub and crisp quality wasn't too much of an issue. I didn't hear any feedback from running the power and signal right next to each other.

Hardest part was getting the power cable (4gauge) through the firewall. We used an exsisting gromit that the A/C unit emptied through. We should have drilled, but I didn't feel like going to find the drill.

Another hard part was getting the power wire under one of the panels on the part where you knock your shoes, had 2 really big torqus(sp) screws that needed to come out. That only took 10mins.

That was on my old Accord, I plan on putting as much of it as I can back into my new(used) 96 Prelude.

 

Im doing this on a 94 accord lx sedan, with an alpine 3de-7886 head unit. The headunit doesn't have any subouts or anything like that. It has 1 preamp and thats about it. As for being new to this kind of stuff, i guess i am and im not. Ive already installed some catz msx lights myself which required running wire through the firewall to the battery. Wasn't hard, just took a while. I also just finished installing my components about a month ago which required me to take off panels and such. The only thing i really need advice on is how to the the wires from the firewall to the trunk. I can handle the rest easily.

So basically what you are saying is that really im going to only be running the power wire through the car (i can ground somewhere close), and i splice into the the rear speaker wires for sub input?

And if i ever did get a new head unit with rca subout, i would have to run those through to the trunk from the head unit right?

Is it worth changing from high level to low level inputs if i ever do replace my head unit?

 

clickwir- I really wouldnt worry about noise when running a SUB RCA next to a power lead... the noise that is usually heard is a higher frequency "whine". The shielding really wont make much of a difference, and none at all with subs.
My guess is that if you had your equipment in a 3rd gen accord, it'll fit in your prelude just fine.

smakdown- the most crucial parts of running a power wire are the fuse, and to make sure that nothing will chaff the wire, especially at the firewall... make sure to use a grommet there, instead of just drilling a hole. In my 94 accord, I found a place, just under the heater core where I was able to drill a hole and fit a grommet in... in the engine compartment, it came out just under an air canister attached to the firewall, which the canister just slid out of its bracket, so it was very easy to get it out of the way to make the job easier. Again, make sure to allow for a large enough hole so a grommet will fit, try to find a grommet that is relatively snug on the wire, so there will also not be any air or water leaking in. In the passenger compartment, its really easy... those sill plates just pop off, as well as the other trim pieces... running the wire in some split loom tubing is a good idea, and an extra level of protection against chaffing. (this is the black plastic sleeve found on most of the cars factory wirring, and can be purchased at lowes) Likewise, use it in the engine compartment... not only will it look a lot better, and more factory... you'll protect the wire from the elements, as some wire is not nessecarily gas and oil resistant... these can deteriorate the insulation on some wire over time.

For the ground, you will ground the amp in the trunk, as it is best to keep ground wires as short as possible... as well as using the same or larger gauge wire as the power wire. Try to find thick metal to ground to... and keep it close to the "frame" of the car, I like to ground directly to the frame. You'll find 2 frame rails in the trunk, to the sides of the spare tire well... prep the surface well by removing the paint... I use stainless steel screws or bolts, that can be found at hardware stores, so they do not rust... then coat the exposed steel and connection with some clear coat, to further prevent rust.

Haha, I take a lot of, some say "extreme", measures... but it makes a world of difference in how long the set-up holds up.

Run the wires right to the rear speakers, for the easiest instalation... doing this also eliminates the need for a remote turn on wire. The pre-amp output your deck has, can be used, if you like... but tapping into the rear speaker wires will probably be more convient for you, I would say you'll get the same sound output.