Breezie

Hey Gang,
I just purchased a '94 red/red hatchback which has the original am/fm cassette player. I really don't want to go through the trouble of upgrading, but would like to add an additional stereo w/ CD player, ipod hookup, etc. Can I install a new one with it's own speakers and it not interfere with the Bose?
Thanks,
Breezie

AirForceOne!

As long as you wire it seperatley I suppose you could, but where would you put it?

Breezie

I'm not sure; got any suggestions? I was thinking about putting the head and the 2 speakers in the cargo area. That shouldn't be a problem since there will be a remote. Has anyone done this before?


Breezie

richauto

It's not hard to upgrade. It takes a little time. Crutchfields was very helpful.

GKK

By the time you fabricate, mount and wire the new audio components, you could've already upgraded the existing audio components.

AirForceOne!

So much easier to upgrade to a double din with new speakers! You could just keep all the original equipment in a box incase you sell it to an origilalist!
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Breezie

GKK & AirForceOne, isn't it a problem with the SYS light coming on? I'm not the tool time electrical person, so I will get a local audio company to install it (either one.) How much of a hassle is it to change out the speakers? What's the price for double din setup like you have, if you don't mind me asking.
Thanks,
Breezie

GKK

If you're mechanically inclined, the Audio upgrade is very straight forward.

The "SYS" blinking light issue only applied to the 90-93 C4 Vettes but, here is the TSB describing the problem just in case. http://www.corvetteforum.net/c4/dave8476/index4.shtml

ricasso

Id second what Airforceone has said, I have the same headunit as him and run a Kenwood amp and Alpine speakers, not difficult to do and you can get the EXACT sound your looking for by building your own system

AirForceOne!

I paid $800 for the Stereo, speakers and install. On mine, I had them leave the old enclosures in and just replaced the speakers front and back. I think mine were 6 inch round in back and 4 1/2 round in front. I also replaced the carpeted speaker covers with real speaker fabric as a weekend project! What a sound difference!
Don't know if your 94 has them?

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Breezie

Thanks for posting those pics; that's a cool looking system. So, let me get this straight, I can install any namebrand head and it doesn't have to be a Bose like the original? Plus I don't have to be concerned with the SYS light coming on because it's a '94? Can I use the 4 existing original Bose speakers or are they trash? I'm not looking to rock out the person in the car beside me at a stop light, I just want a decent sound for me to enjoy. Do I have to buy a 2 din head to fit the hole? I'm sorry I sound like the person who needs 'Corvette Stereos for Dummies,' but my 95 Corvette Pace Car had a decent CD player/speakers, so I didn't have to be concerned with it. Thanks again, Breezie

ricasso

You can fit any double din head (or single din if you blank of the space left after fitting a single din bracket) if its a '94 (like mine) you will NOT get a "sys" light, you WONT be able to use your existing Bose speaker system, because each has its own little amp, but this is all good because there are way way better speakers out there! plus you can allways listen to different speakers, headunits, amps etc at the store before you buy, so you put together a more personal system

GKK

Here is the C4 Audio FAQ sticky:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/audi...audio-faq.html

Breezie

Ricasso, thanks for your reply. So with the '94 Vettes, no resistors are needed in the speaker wire. That will make it much easier. Is it hard to remove the door panels? I'm somewhat concerned the audio people will screw up the leather panels.

GKK, thanks for posting the sticky. I'm doing some copy/pasting to take the info to the audio people

Breezie

Breezie

You've talked me into getting a double din replacement. Now, do I need an Antenna Adapter or can I use the existing one? If I need one, is this one okay? Metra 40-GM10 GM Antenna Adapter.

Thanks,
Breezie

ricasso

Not entirely sure about the antenna lead, Im in the process of fitting an aftermarket antenna (well, soon!) because apparently the American lead plugs are not compatible with the Alpine H/U, well, here in the UK anyway, to be honest my antenna was getting a bit hit and miss anyway so I thought "if Im replacing the whole system then might as well go all the way" at least I'll know theres not gonna be any weak links in the system now, its not really an issue for me at the moment cos I tend to use the ipod function and play my own music, so theres no rush to fit it

FWIW Ive heard that Metra is a good make so if you find something to do the job it should be fine..

csthews

I just replaced the bose stereo in my '95 with a Pioneer FH-X700BT. Crutchfield is an excellent source. The unit isn't top of the line (only cost $140), but it has bluetooth connectivity and a wireless remote. Crutchfield threw in a wiring harness that bypasses the receiver in the back. A really simple connection. They also threw in the mounting brackets. You can use the existing bose speakers, but everytime you turn the system on, or press any button on the head unit, you will hear a very annoying "pop" from the bose speakers. A week of this was all I could take. I replaced the rear speakers with 6.5 inch Polk Dxi speakers and disconnected the fronts. I'm thinking about installing two 6-inch subwoofers in the back and moving the Polk speakers to the front. Right now, I have no amp, but the system sounds much better than the bose. In the future, I do plan to install an amp, but I'm enjoying what I have now.

csthews

One more thing, getting to the front speakers is really easy. The speaker cover is attached to the door sill cover. There are two screws that hold the door sill in and two screws that hold the piece of plastic trim on the edge of the door sill. Remove the screws and lift off the door sill.

Breezie

Thanks for the info on how to remove those. The STICKY link has some great info, but the link on how to remove the head unit from '94 is a dead link. Anyone have a link on how to remove it?

My JVC double din arrived today as well as my speakers. I'll post pics when completed.

Breezie