Greetings all:
I'm going to be installing a new system in my 2001 S-10 real soon. 4 new speakers, new CD/MP3 player, and amplifier. Just curious to other S-10 owners as to where you installed your amplifier - I'd like it out of the way, and if possible out of sight also. Is it possible to get it behind the dash somewhere securely? On my older full size Chevy trucks, I had no problem mounting an amp behind the dash, but this one looks quite a bit tighter. Under the seat does not appear to offer very much room either. I thought about putting it behind the seat in the extended-cab area, however I do use that area quite a bit (a large golf bag and clubs live back there all summer long) and don't want to risk possible damage to the amp/wiring, etc. Any past experiences you can share would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Bert
Hey Bert,
I think your best option here would be behind the seat. That seems to be the preferred place that most of the S-10 owners have that I speak with. Depending on the size of the amp you need, sometimes you can get one to fit under the seat, but you are pretty limited there. I know you may have some issues with your clubs in behind the seat, but if you securely mount the amp and keep your wiring nice and neat, then you may not have the trouble you think. My best tip in that case is to use good connectors and make sure you have it all tightly installed.
Hope this helps and maybe some S-10 guys will chime in here.
For those that have S-10's in that era. I ended up mounting the amp in the back "jump seat" cubby hole. The back seat folds down - I removed the back rest from the jump seat, removed the upholstery from the back rest (it comes off quite easily), and mounted the amp to the metal back rest frame, then re-installed the backrest frame in its original position. The amp comes down when you pull the seat down. I should note that this seat is never used, that's why I put it there. I did some searching on the net and found others who have removed the jump seat and fabricated sub boxes that will fit in that space also. The amp install worked like a charm, the amp is out of the way from everything, and is very easy to get to for wiring purposes, or to make small changes in gain etc. Maybe this will help other S-10 owners who are installing an amplifier.