Audio System Install (cont.)
Now I couldn't just put the carpet back down on top of the amps and subwoofer - the heat they generate would have no place to go, plus the sound from the subwoofer would be trapped. I didn't just want to have cavity-sized gaping holes in the carpet, so I got a little creative. I cut a rectangular hole in the carpet above the amps that I estimated was big enough to release the generated heat. They are Class-T amps which run very efficiently (translation: less heat). Then I cut a circular hole above the speaker location in the subwoofer that I figured would let both sound and heat escape.
I wanted to make the holes look nice (even though they're hidden under the seats - call me anal). The carpet has a thick layer of foam on the underside varying from an inch to several inches thick. I discovered that the carpet is easily separated from the foam layer:
I separated the layers from the edges
of the holes back 2 inches, all the way around.
Then I went to Home Depot and got a perforated aluminum sheet that is typically used to build decorative ventilated boxes that cover steam radiators in old houses. I cut pieces from it that were about an inch bigger than the holes on all sides, and slipped the pieces in between the carpet and foam layers. The foam layer keeps the aluminum sheet from touching the amps and subwoofer that are under it.
I know, I know - no one will ever see them, but ~I~ know they're there...
Finally we come to the head unit. I'm not going to go into detail here, as there are many threads and how-to's on taking the downtubes out and swapping in a new head unit. I will say that I bought the adapter kit from MikeytheMini who can be found on the MINI2.com site, and it had everything needed to install an American head unit: adapter bracket for the dash, aerial adapter, and wiring harness. I also got a SWI-X unit from Mikey (so I could still use my steering wheel controls), but you can get that from many places. Here's a few pictures of the faceplate sliding out upon power-up:
And here's the mp3 changer and XM Radio tuner in the glovebox. I didn't really use the glovebox in my previous car for anything except my registration, so I won't miss the space they take up..
Well, that's about it. Oh yeah, it sounds GREAT. Absolutely no noise. I put a CD in, cranked it up, and hit Pause. There's no noise at all in the speakers, even with the engine revving.
I hope this is of some help to someone, or at least of some interest. If there's anything that isn't clear or anything wrong with these pages, let me know!