Cooler Radio Jan 26, 2006 Supplies needed - Cooler, 2 speakers (2- or 3-way 6x9's work good), 12V Battery, Amp, Speaker Wire, and Battery Charger. Optional: alligator clips or 2-way toggle switch, RCA to 1/8" miniplug cable, 1/8" miniplug extension cable Trace the cooler pattern on the outside of the cooler. Cut the holes - a Rotozip does the job pretty well, you can have this knocked out in a couple minutes. The holes should look a-something-like-this... Drop the speaker into the hole. Install speaker covers and screw into place - you may also use a bolt for a sturdier installation, though the screws have never been a problem for me. Speakers installed Wire up the amp. One wire from amp ground to battery ground. One wire from amp positive to battery positive - the amp usually has an accessory pole too, take a short run of wire (1") and jump it from the accessory to the positive pole. There's a couple steps you can take here that make the end product much more user friendly: 1) install alligator clips on the end of the wires that connect to the battery or 2) buy a toggle switch to put in the middle of the positive wire in order to turn the amp on and off. Install the amp into the side of the cooler Drop the battery in, secure it, and that's it. You can make this as easy or as complex as you'd like. Get a RCA to 1/8" miniplug adapter to hook a MP3 player to the amp input. An extension cable can come in handy too - a lot of electronics stores have 25' extensions. I don't think you'll see a huge difference in speakers - $75 or $100 will sound very good. Amp - 220 Watts will push them pretty hard, but I've got a 900 Watt amp that will give these speakers as much as they want. Battery - the bigger the battery, the longer it lasts. Get a sealed lead acid battery (like what you find in kid's rechargeable cars - $30 to $50) or, if you're serious, a deep-cycle marine battery ($60 - $80). A toggle switch is more important to have with the marine battery due to the sparking that you'll get when connecting the wires to the battery. Don't forget an appropriate charger ($20 - $40). A medium-sized cooler works pretty well, but you might choose it depending on what amp/battery/speaker combination you pick up. A latch on the lid and some stick-on foam padding under the lid will help to reduce rattling due to vibration. Here's a pic of mine - it's a couple yrs old and I use it ALL the time. Parts: Pioneer 6x9s ($80), Polk Audio 900W 2CH Amp ($90), Deep Cycle Marine Battery ($65 @ O'Reilly Auto), Fully Automatic 10-Amp Charger ($35 @ O'Reilly). I'd stress the automatic charger - the battery takes several days before it needs another charge, but when it does, it takes a few hrs. So when it gets close, let it charge overnight. Notice there's a toggle switch for disconnecting the power. I'd also like to add a voltmeter - push a spring-loaded button that makes the connection - read the meter. When it no longer goes to 12V, it's time for a charge. Right now, it's guesswork. Another upgrade (and I plan on this soon) is a cooler with wheels. This sumbitch is about 70 lbs. Questions? Hit the Contact Us link or post a question in the forum.