Stereo upgrade: pics of spare tire well mounted amps?

[Turboguy]

I've decided to upgrade the LS' base 4 speaker stereo. I just installed front 6x8 and rear deck 6x9 infinity speakers; the next step is installing a sony 5-channel amp, bazooka 10-inch, and double-din Pioneer deck while running RCAs and dedicated wiring to all speakers (still using factory wiring/deck now).

It looks like the sony amp will just fit height-wise in the spare tire well, and would fit laying flat too. Does anyone have pics of their amp mounted in this location? Is water or heat a major concern here? How did you mount it? Is it elevated and did you use rubber grommets on screws to quell vibration etc?
Or is back seat mounting better?

 

[wade0731]

I know RollinLS has mounted his in the tire well. I've heard from a couple of people that theirs has over heated and shut off in their tire well. Personally I would just mount on the top or side of your sub box. That's what I have always did.

 

[hite337]

Mounting an amp on a sub box is not a good idea. The amp will be subjected to direct, and constant vibration. This can decrease the life of your amp. Plus it doesnt look professional. The spare tire well in these cars have been known to get water in them. This is, of course, caused by bad trunk seals or disconnected sunroof drain hoses. If you do mount it in the spare tire well, you should elevate the amp so it is not resting on the floor and also make sure your spare tire well can drain if water does get in there. As far as heat goes, it doesnt take a brain surgeon to know there is no circulation of air in the spare tire well so you could run into overheating problems also.

 

[jinx8402]

When I had my LS, I built a crude box (with no top) that I placed above the spare tire. Avoids what hite is talking about with getting water in the well. I then mounted two pc fans on each end of the box. One pulling air into the box, one pushing air out. I had the direction of the airflow go opposite of the battery. I also made my own floor, as the original floor was too thick to sit flush with the box on top of the spare tire. With the floor down, it created a nice compact box with good airflow due to the fans. Even after long 3+ hour trips I could put my hand on the amp right after turning the car off without it feeling excessively hot.

 

[Turboguy]

Thanks for the tips. While jinx's idea is cool, I think I'll try the back seat mounting location. Time to track down some MDF and carpet...