I finally got around to sorting out how I am going to fit and mount the Kicker amp which will power some new Kicker speakers. This stuff is the "final" part of a sound system upgrade that has dragged on way too long.
My plan is to mount it in the left rear cubby and use the existing speaker wires to power two-ways in the rear door OE locations and components in the front door and pillar/side view mirror locations. I can delete the line output converter that is between the OE amp and the Kenwood head unit as I've previously run RCA cables across the roof when the head liner was out. One set is already in use for a powered sub in the left rear cubby.
Initially I was going to fit the new amp into the OE location but decided that mounting and wiring could be a pain with it stuffed down in that hole. I ended up with a vertical installation and drilled holes for temp sheet metal screws on the top (eventually will use bolts) and made a simple offset bracket for the bottom right corner which will be bolted into the sheet metal lip at that location. I'm hopeful three anchor points will be plenty as the bottom left corner could be a pain. If not, I'll fab another small bracket and install it when I pull the trunk apart to yank out the old amp. That hole should make a nice oil, ATF and other fluid storage spot with the OE amp out.
I've got the speakers installed (glued) into ebay enclosures and ready to install in the doors, with their leads soldered to the OE tabs so I can use the OE plugs hopefully. I am going to fix an airbag light while the door panels are off which may just mean figuring out how to better secure the plug to the front pax airbag. The shorting bar is OK I think, but the plug is so worn it backs off the airbag over time. I can't find this plug anywhere unfortunately. I also need to fix the "bracket" that secures the driver's side door card to the door, under the "SRS/Airbag" cover at shoulder level. The plastic bracket that the screw goes through exploded the last time I had the door off. I am going to try to come up with a block of plastic of the same dimensions which I can glue to the inside of the door and screw through.
I expect some drama with all the above, so I will wait until I've got several days off in a row before finishing it all.