Thinking of installing an amp under the passenger seat? Follow along in this HOW-TO.

The gear we'll be installing	Seat removed, power cable run
Routing the custom harness	Routing the power cable
Remove two screws behind ashtray	Remove four screws around head unit
Closeup of stock harness	Push in tabs to remove
Custom harness installed	Amp and converter wired up
Side, under-seat view	Showing a little leg...

Installing an amplifier HOW-TO

The whole run-down is coming soon! In the meantime, enjoy this sneak peek.

Design Considerations

The particular design involved in this install was a little different than what you might normally expect. Instead of installing an aftermarket head unit, the stock one was left in place, and just an amplifier installed. Why? The steering wheel mounted controls, in-dash, 6-disc changer, wanting to maintain full cargo capacity and utility of the X and finally, as a theft deterrent.

The custom harness was designed to be fully plug-and-play and 100% reversible in the event that this all would be removed for whatever reason (failure, sale, upgrade, off-roading). With two five foot sections of nine conductor cable and both male and female wiring harnesses, the custom harness was born. The remote power lead for the amp was tapped into the 12+/ACC lead that is part of the stock wiring harness. This turns the amp on with the ignition key in the "ACC" ("accessory") position, just as the radio. A necessary evil, since the stock head unit does not feature a remote turn on, or power antenna lead.