deejbee

Our Vette has an aftermarket deck in it and I can't stand it. Sounds bad and doesn't look much better. It looks out of place in the dash.

I have found some head units from a few GMC trucks I can get for dirt cheap. But these truck stereo's don't have those mounting tabs on the side of them. Pictures below.

Does anyone know how to make this work? I have my factory stereo from our C5 but it is the one with the cassette player in it, lol.

TRUCK STEREO:




VETTE STEREO WITH TABS ON THE SIDE:



Thanks for any info!

Pounder

Seems to me most of the trucks are Double Din ??? (won't fit) (I'm thinking late model trucks) ????

deejbee

Guys, thanks for the input.
Those head units are identical. Except for the tabs on the side.

I have the factory stereo that came with my car, and it is the one with the cassette instead of the CD player in it. And it is identical to the ones above.

I took the faceplate off and it looks like those side tabs, which is what I want for the truck stereo, are part of the case. I could dig deeper and take the whole thing apart but it almost looks like the sides are pressed on somehow, not screwed on.

To clarify, the first picture is the stereo I want to buy. It is from a GMC Sierra. The second picture is a head unit from a C5 Corvette. Only difference are the tabs on the side, which I need in order to mount in my car.

I could rig something up but would rather not if there is some way to get those tabs on the truck stereo. Can't find a Vette stereo where I live but the truck ones are dime-a-dozen. And cheap.

3sACROWD

Have you checked the for sale section. Factory stereos show up from time to time and are cheap. Then there is no issue on how to mount it. Put a WTB (want to buy) ad and see what comes up.

deejbee

I might do that. But the prices I noticed are too high.
That one in the picture is $15. And all the lights/cd player work.
Worth a shot though as I haven't seen to many corvettes with the factory stereo in them so they are sitting in a shop or closet somewhere.
Problem is I live in Canada so by the time I pay shipping/exchange it can get pricey.

any4xx

Can you not just swap the case from one to the other?

deejbee

any4xx, I have a feeling that is what I am going to have to try to do.
It looks like the sides/front are pressed together. Not screwed together. There are some small tabs that look bent over to hold it all together.

It almost looks to me that the sides of the case are the culprit. I was hoping those tabs on the side with the screw holes were just something GM added on with a few small screws but no dice from what I can see.

I think I will buy the $15 deck and take it apart. Worst that can happen is I lose 15 bucks.

Was hoping there as an easier solution, though.

pentavolvo

While they may look identical the guts inside are not. This swap will not work

Rob 02

I got a truck one with tabs that I'm going to use. At least I think It's a truck one. I got it off eBay when good Vette ones were scarce. They are out there!

mstromquist

The Vette has the bose speakers and the truck does not. Are you sure the back side has the same connections? If I recall they don't but I am not at home to look at mine. I'm thinking like pentavolvo and the guts are different too.

Rob 02

Mine says Bose and has the same plugs. It may be out of a passenger car.
The OP's Vette one doesn't say Bose.

deejbee

My stereo doesn't say BOSE on it. I believe the connectors on the back of the truck stereo and my head unit are the same.

Here is my head unit. Good 'ole cassette.
I will report back tomorrow. I think the main connector on the back is the same but there are some smaller ones that are different but I think those were for a CD changer, which I don't have nor want.

Our car came with a new battery (the stereo possibly locked when he changed the battery) and I have a feeling the PO didn't have an unlock code so just put in a new stereo. Which totally sucks. I don't even use it, would rather listen to the car.

deejbee

Ok, I looked into this further after reading Rob 02's post.
Seems they put this stereo in many different models including Caprice, Impala, Monte Carlo, Blazers etc. and they have the front tabs.
I noticed with people selling them if it came out of a Corvette the price was jacked up over the price of one coming out of a Blazer. Sometimes by several $100 dollars. SMH

So it is off to pick and pull next week. Thanks for the replies and making me think! I was going to change cases with my factory cassette deck which has the tabs but don't want a Frankenstereo in my car. Turns out the front tab stereos are dime a dozen, and cheap.

jackthelad

It's the Corvette tax at work. Trucks=cheap, Vettes=pricey. never mind that a new loaded truck is about the same prices as a new C7.

o2bnkc

I thought all the head units are AC/Delco. Bose only makes the speakers.

Pounder

The head units are the same, the Bose option has a amp and the Bose speakers !!!!!

Rob 02

They give them different part numbers to screw with you.

SG Lou

Non-Bose head units have built in amps...Bose head units do not have a built in amp as each speaker has it's own amp. One cannot work with the other.

Rob 02

I was more referring to head units with the exact same features having different part numbers. A corvette head unit in mint condition can cost $200 used while one from another car would be $30. They can look and function identical but have 10 different part numbers.

I agree some more insight would be nice.

deejbee

Will definitely heed SG Lou's advice and check our car more closely but judging by the deck it had, it isn't a BOSE.

Here are some part numbers of stereos that are the same:
09380141
10300770
10306067
12370251
12370918
12371122
12371137
12496127
15071244
15071662
15766822
16194491
16210141
16228471
16232131
16232141
16255321
16255495
16259801
16259811
16265881
16265895
09354195
09367615
09380141
09381281
09383821
09383851



** I just pulled these off a web site that sells head units and it said they were all cross compatible. I did not put this list together.