Car Stereos: 1998 Ford Expedition Amp power cord, side kick panel, speaker crossovers

Question
I have a 1998 Ford Expedition XLT 4.6L 4x4. I'm about to install a deck, amp and sub. I'm trying to find out where is the best place to run the power cord for the Amp through the Firewall? As well where would be the best place to put the amp so that i can run the cords unseen, and where would be the best place to run the all the cords?

Answer
Hi Jacob,

In these vehicles, I usually cheat: I don't run the amplifier power wire through the firewall.  Instead, I route the wire through the passenger-side kick panel, up under the front fender (following the factory AM/FM antenna cable) and into the engine compartment to the battery.  

The kick panel is the area to the right of the passenger's feet.  If you remove the plastic trim piece, you can see where the factory antenna cable enters the passenger compartment.  I usually drill a new hole for the power wire right next to the antenna grommet, and fish the wire up to the top of the fender and into the engine compartment.  You need to make sure you secure the wire with cables ties or cable clamps, and route it so that it won't get pinched under the hood.

As for the amplifier mounting, my favorite trick is to remove the factory subwoofer enclosure under the right side panel in the cargo area, and mount the amplifier in its place.  Of course, this only works if your Expedition is equipped with the factory sub, and you don't mind losing it.  With the factory enclosure removed, there's plenty of room under the panel; I once installed a dual amplifier system with separate speaker crossovers and a capacitor into this space.  The power wiring was routed under the carpet along the passenger side door sills; the RCA cables were routed up the passenger-side A-pillar and above the headliner to the amplifier location.  This is a lot of extra work, but it results in a very stealthy installation.

Hope this helps!

Brian