how to ACTUALLY route wires from trunk to HU???

Ok, so to begin, YES i have searched these forums. and others for that matter........

i finally have my sub box built and everything is here including my amp and wiring kit.

Every time i find some thread about wiring RCA cables, the people are like, "oh just wire the RCAs on the drivers side.........."

well i took out my rear seats {I HVE A SEDAN} and i routed the wires through the places where the stock wires are and then i run into a problem........

how is it physically possible to wire these into this car???? one dude was like, yo use a coat hanger. bullshit, not a chance i can use a coathanger to wire RCAs under the door sills?>

first of all, you cant even pull the carpet back that far because of the center area being connected.....

secondly, even with the rear door plastic sill off, i still have to then magically route the wires from there under the side B pillar and then under the drivers door plastic sill AND THEN up behind the dash??!?!?!

has anyone actually done this and taken pictures because the people that say they have, have honestly given me pretty poor advice. Thats why i ask y'all.

Can anyone help me out?!

It can and has been done, this may help........
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthr...=805462&page=2

It's surprisingly easy. Glovebox out, and tuck wires under sill. No need to remove them or any carpet.

thanks friend. but wow, all his interior carpet it gone! this is gonna be pretty tough to do

EDIT: shouldnt you run the wires on the drivers side to avoid engine noise though?

Originally Posted by TR4G-

thanks friend. but wow, all his interior carpet it gone! this is gonna be pretty tough to do

EDIT: shouldnt you run the wires on the drivers side to avoid engine noise though?

Yes, you're right. I also will be routing cables to the front. Driver side or center. But dnt now how ... I guess i'll figure it out when i get to it.

I haven't dont this in my BMW, but when I had my Nissan Xterra, it was VERY easy. In the Xterra all I had to do was take out the driver side door panels and ALL the carpet came up. I just peeled back the carpet and it was super easy to run the wire to the HU. Since a BMW is a lot more complex than an Xterra, I would jsut have it done professionally. That way you have someone doing it who does it for a living and knows what they're doing

Originally Posted by dtrog325i

I haven't dont this in my BMW, but when I had my Nissan Xterra, it was VERY easy. In the Xterra all I had to do was take out the driver side door panels and ALL the carpet came up. I just peeled back the carpet and it was super easy to run the wire to the HU. Since a BMW is a lot more complex than an Xterra, I would jsut have it done professionally. That way you have someone doing it who does it for a living and knows what they're doing

thats probly a good idea, but i have this car for a living so i want to know EVERYTHING about it. I was looking around yesterday and im pretty sure i can route them. Ill let yall know how it goes!

Thats a good reason. I am getting a sub in my skipass in a month or two. I am going to do the instalation of the sub itself, but have a professional do the wire routing. I will probably just watch them as they do it so I can learn how they did it in my car

Ummm....if you don't know how to run wires, do you know how to properly build a sub box to spec? Just curious, would love to see photos

No hate, just question.

Originally Posted by codyfunk

Ummm....if you don't know how to run wires, do you know how to properly build a sub box to spec? Just curious, would love to see photos

Well I happened to take photos of the build. Here ya go: I used mdf, carpenters glue, caulk, and non hardening rope caulk to seal the speaker in:













Box is made, and sounds very impressive. It's a tad more than .75 cubic feet, which is the optimal size for my sub in a sealed enclosure.

I have the wires completely hidden save the drivers side door sill and the foot rest. Any one know how to pry these guys off/remove them?

Looks solid.

The sills slide off apparently.

I recently had to run a bunch of wires from front to back and there was no need to remove the sill at all. Just push up and under and tuck the wires in. There's a void underneath that they slot into nicely.

Originally Posted by thejames

Looks solid.

The sills slide off apparently.

I recently had to run a bunch of wires from front to back and there was no need to remove the sill at all. Just push up and under and tuck the wires in. There's a void underneath that they slot into nicely.

Ok cool. The drivers door sill is very smoothly on there and with the foot rest im going to try and remove them. Is this sort of thing covered in the service manual? I'm thinking of getting one but if it doesn't cover interior then that would be a shame

That's particle board, that will shatter with due time.

Originally Posted by codyfunk

That's particle board, that will shatter with due time.

It's a temporary box for the winter. I made it in a weekend. I'm going to spend a while making a custom rear deck box once the weather gets consistently warm (probs summer). It will sit flush in the rear deck!

What wood do you recommend I use for my final box this summer? And it will most likely be ported.

MDF is what most people use to build boxes.

Originally Posted by Bill W

MDF is what most people use to build boxes.

I went to home depot and asked for mdf and that's what they gave me. I though I had laminated mdf. Did they direct me to the wrong wood?

MDF is a lot denser than that, the ground up particles are very fine and it makes for a VERY sturdy material, cuts a lot cleaner too. The stuff you used is a lot lighter and less dense, made of course particles. BUT you constructed it very sturdy and all the glue will keep it solid. No worries, it will work fine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_board vs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium-density_fibreboard

I would just be concerned about the box blowing apart, not necessarily the joints.

Originally Posted by codyfunk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_board vs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium-density_fibreboard

I would just be concerned about the box blowing apart, not necessarily the joints.

Lol. Wow there certainly is a difference! Too bad the folks at homedepot have no Idea what they are talking about. Ill be sure to grab the right stuff next time around.

However, update to the actual thread:

I managed to remove the drivers side door sill. It was secured by 4 clips that go into the chassis. The only way to get the back on is to remove them from the chassis with plyers and slide them into the slot on the sill. There is actually just one long slot so that is why you can move the sill forward and backwards when it is in place.