Autochangeer

[Skint]

Where should I be thinking of mounting an autochanger in my 97 Chimp? I''m not too sure if it should go in the boot or perhaps under the dash on the passenger side. Where (and how) should I route the cables if I''m gonna put it in the boot. Any tips appreciated, Bruce

[RobM]

Mines in the boot, ontop of the tank. The wiring goes through the rear bulkhead, sort of on the right underneath ish, ah, where's me camera <rummage>

[Don]

This is where mine is too....probably the way to go I'd have thought...

[steveab]

Snap, Mines factory fitted and in the same place as Rob's. Again, probably the best place for it, in terms of shock and vibration. Mount it here and run the cables thu the bulkhead and thu the center console (easy to remove, just 2 screws at the front (each side) and a third hiding under the coin / mobile phone / fag / beer glass holder [delete as appropriate], thingymajig. The base of this tray just levers out, it has its own lip thingy that you can grab.) Not sure how you could mount it under the passengers side dash since theres buggerall space for any passengers knees as it is. Also, not sure how much clearance you have under the seats, but I would advise against this because the heated seats kick out a loads heat (at times they'll burn your arse not just warm it gently!!!, great for demisting the car!!) Alternatively you could take it to one of those ICE places and let their chimps destroy your car, oops, I mean 'carefully install' your kit. Steve

[Jason F]

Mine is in the Passenger Cubbyhole thingy behind the seat. You can only get a 6 Disc, and only a couple of makes fit the gap, but it is well worth it.

[philshort]

I have one in the same place, with an amp either side - one for the upgraded front Alpine DD's, the other for the Kenwood 10x6 rears. I had to re-enforce the glass bulkhead trim with thin MDF behind because of the weight. Haven't really sorted the mounting 100%, the whole thing is kept in place by a couple of cable ties in true TVR fashion. Looks like a rubber flap over the CD box in the pic - I use a piece of non-slip matting on mine. You need something to stop the roof chafing on the autochanger, otherwise both get marked very quickly. Minor scratching on the inside of the roof should T-cut out, or you can overspray a little polyurethane varnish and cut back if its really bad. All my cables are routed across the floor in the passenger side. There are two channels in the floor which are ideal, one for data signals and one for the extra power supply for my amps. Cable are laid in, then gaffer tape over to keep them in place. Cannot be detected once carpet is back down. They pop out under the seat, then from behind the seat I drilled a couple of small holes near the floor to pass the cables up into the body. The access panel for the door mechanism (velcro) will let you feed the cable up over the rear wheel arches and into the boot space. Nasty job, you will probably get fibreglass rash at some point! My ICE was originally fitted by a professional, who kindly ripped practically every carpet panel in the car, and didn't route the cables nearly as neatly as they are now either. Take my advice, don't get your ICE fitted by someone who needs to make a profit on the job. Do it yourself, you will respect your cars interior more. Edited by philshort on Monday 16th July 08:44

[Skint]

Thanks guys! I think I'll pop it in the boot. I wasn't too bothered about passenger 'kneespace' - the girlfriend is a midget. And if she didn't like it, I'm sure I could find another! :-) or put her in the boot! I didn't realise it was so easy to remove the center console. Anyone got any rear mounted speakers? I might as well thread the cables to the back at the same time. Wheres the best place to put them? Where those vents are? Bruce

[philshort]

Most people fit rear speakers into the vent holes. You will need to enlarge the holes a little to fit, or a lot of you put some 9x5's in. Your question will probably open up the "old air vents there for a purpose" debate again. Some fools think their car is airtight and by blocking the vents with speakers you will prevent the doors from opening (or cause your eardrums to explode). Don't beleive it! Its been done, there are no problems. See my earlier post for cable routing.