Hey ALL,

I just completed a complete Bose tearout and aftermarket install from scratch. The system turned out great and rocks. It's going to take a little bit for me to make this thread so it will be an ongoing post.
I started this install for the reason that I wanted to be able to hard wire the Ipod to the car. The FM modulator idea is terrible. It's not very clear and gets alot of interference because our receiver is in the back.

My goal was to keep the interior looking as stock as possible.

1995 C4 Convertible originally with Bose system.

System Components:

H/U - Alpine CDA-9856 - Ipod Cable is perfect
H/U Install Kit - Special Thanks to "VRUMVRUM" Incredible fit and finish - Tried Metra kit JUNK!!!
Front Speakers - Polk Audio - MMC 5250 100RMS
Rear - Rockford Fos. P18S4 8" Subs 150RMS
Front Amp - Rockford Fos. P450.2 2 Channel 100x2 RMS
Rear Amp - Rockford Fos. P550.2 2 Channel 150x2 RMS
4 guage power and ground cables
12 gauge speaker cables

I recommend 2 Amps with this setup. The fronts are 100 RMS and the Rears are 150 RMS. The Amps are the same output RMS.

I began by removing the entire interior. (seats, carpet, everything down to bare metal and fiberglass.) This is the only way to really do it right and hide all the wiring.

I made templates out of the Bose speaker boxes so I could cut the new mounts. I used 3/4 MDF for the rear. I DECIDED TO FIND THE NON-BOSE FRONT MOUNTS. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS. IT MAKES THE INSTALL MUCH EASIER. I FOUND THEM AT A CORVETTE SALVAGE YARD.



Here are the rear speaker mounts mounted so I could seal the boxes. You MUST seal these enclosures. I used silicone the entire way around the "box". Lined the interior of them with Dynamat and filled them with poly-fill until the fill was "tight". If you look at the enclosure it is a fiberglass piece that is riveted to the body. This is the "box" that holds the 2 rear speakers.


When re-mounting the rear speaker covers they will make contact with the speakers. I cut spacers out of 1.5 inch tubing and wrapped in carpet to keep the covers off the speakers.



AMP MOUNTING:
I recommend NOT installing the AMPs behind your seats. You will lose valuable space and the install will end up a bit with alot of exposed wiring, not a big deal but your seat travel will end up very limited. I removed the storage compartment cover and made a template from it then cut an amp mount out of 1/4" MDF to mount the AMPs and crossovers.


Here is one photo of some Amp mounting and wiring. Any excess wiring is within the storage compartments beneath the Amp rack. One crossover is in view there.


Here's another.


REAR SPEAKERS:
The 8" speakers fit perfectly. Once you make the mount the install is a breeze. I made the cutouts for the speakers in the MDF and then wrapped the MDF in dynamat to help with the seal and vibration. I used foam weatherstrip to seal the mount to box on the mounts. Compresses nice and seals perfectly.



I recommend drilling holes in the "box" to bring the speaker wires out and then seal the hole with silicone. I used 12 gauge wire for all the speakers. The yellow arrows point to the "box" that needs to be sealed. 2 silicone beads worked well. Be sure to push the silicone into the gaps. If you can push on the speaker cones and no air is heard then you should be all set. Also, the cones will contract slower if sealed.


FRONT SPEAKERS:
Like noted above. Get some NON BOSE speaker mounts. Mount some 1/4 inch MDF to it and then make your cutouts. Jigsaw for the woofer and hole saw for the tweeters. I also used dynamat to seal everything. I recommend using bolts, washers and nuts to mount the MDF to the plastic mounts. Use large washers as not to crack the old plastic.




To bring the wiring from the front to back I drilled a 1.5" hole on right side behind the passenger seat for all the H/U wiring and the interconnects. The ground wire is set just to the left of the hole on the passenger side. There is already an array of grounds there and it worked out well. Tough to find good grounds in this car.


Used Dynamat to cover up the wiring and prevent vibration.



Passenger side wiring



Under this Dynamat is the power wire from the battery and the LH speaker wires. This is behind the drivers seat. A 1" hole was drilled for it. BE SURE YOU INSULATE THE POWER WIRE HERE. The hole is drilled into metal.
Here you see the power wire coming back along the console and the 1" hole it will go through.




Because the Ipod was going to be the main source of tunes I installed a switch in the "power antenna wire" from the H/U to keep the antenna down except for radio use.



Like I said above the VRUMVRUM H/U install kit is the only way to go. It's a beautiful piece custom milled out of aluminum. THE METRA KIT IS A WASTE OF TIME. That is of course if you want the install to look nice. If not, metra is the key.



Spend time to find the correct length inteconnects so you do not have excess cable laying around. I have ALL the H/U wiring wound within the stock wiring on the passenger side of the console. I then wrapped it all in electrical tape. You see no wiring anywhere after install.



Power wire routing:

There are 2 options that I found. you can go through the rubber grommet in the door hinge area or I found another place that really hides the cable. Just to the left of the brake pedal there is a kind of indent in the fiberglass. It almost looks like an extension of fiberglass molded into the firewall. I used a special sealing gromment to run the wire there. It was an easy solution if you are comfortable with a drill.

I mounted the fuse holder to the battery box with SS nuts and bolts.



I had to continue below on another post :-)

 

more pics???

you have some of the front speaker install?

 

The install looks GREAT!!!!

A couple of thoughts, tho... the weatherstrip won't seal under that kinda pressure, I would have sealed the lid to the "box" with RTV. Also, a great way to solidify MDF is to coat it with fibreglass resin. MDF has nice acoustical properties, tho... The resin will also make it waterproof (or near enough). I will be curious to hear how the front stage works out... I am not fan of the tweeter placement down there. I would move it up to the door myself...

Jeff - his front speaker install is just like this one: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1525046

 

THANKS for more pictures!!

 

Sweet install so far! I have the P850.4 in my C6. Those amps are seriously underrated. It puts out crazy power!
You will like the P450.2 and P550.2.

 

Nice install!!

 

Here are completed photos.







I ran the Alpine Ipod cable under the console and into the armrest. The Alpine unit controls the Ipod. It's nice to just plug it in and control everything from the H/U.
Just a note. The difference in sound quality from FM modulator to this setup is night and day.





Thanks for all the help on the forum and a special thanks to VRUMVRUM for his help!!!!

Take Care ALL

 

great write up, and clean install!

 

I agree!!

The advertised output of the 450.2 is 100x2 the test sheet shows 188x2 and the 550.2 advertises 150x2 and the test sheet shows 238x2. All at 14.4 volts. I guess we get our $$$$ worth!!!

Later

 

I thought about using RTV but I didn't really want to glue the mounts in the car just in case they needed to be removed but your right, that may seal a little better. The weatherstrip is pretty well compressed so it seems to work well.

See ya,

MC

 

If anyone needs any extra carpet for an install I have a ton of it left. PM me and let me know. The place I bought it from usually doesn't sell to the public and they require 1 yard minimum. I bought 2 to keep things cool for next time. The thing is it's 80" wide. I have enough to carpet my entire garage floor!!!!

Later,

MC

 

My 96 C4 rear speakers are located on the sides in the back near the wheel wells. How come yours are located in the back like that? Is this the mount position for the convertible for some reason?

Do you think I can put two eights in the back like you did....even though I have the side mounted speakers?

Thanks in advance.

 

Yes his in the convertible and it is set up different..

Also for the Couple, yes 8s fit in the back:
I have 8s in the back on my coupe as seen in this pic:

 

Very . Is there a C4 adapter for a double din head unit?

 

sweet install man

 

Just a little update.

I have been spending some time with the setup.

I highly recommend getting an amp that has the same RMS as the RMS of the speakers.

I never thought that 8" speakers would go so low as these do. I've messed around with 12's before and these are close. They sound great anywhere from Billy Joel to Dr.Dre. They give good bass when wanted and the impact in a nice clear song when wanted. I do give alot of credit of the clarity to the direct wiring of an Ipod. I believe it makes a huge difference. I cannot even compare the FM modulator to it.

The key to good sound in a C4 is to seal the boxes.

Have fun!!!!!!

Later