Hey guys, I recently made an attempt to fix the noise the stock Bose stereo was making in my 1987. Sometimes, after going over bumps or just randomly the music would cut out and be replaced with a solid tone that was always the same volume no matter what I did to fiddle with the volume control short of turning it off. I swapped both speakers in the kick panels to see if a speaker was the culprit but the noise persisted. I took one of the speakers out completely and the noise stopped. My audiophile friend tells me the speakers are fine and it is the amp that is bad. I tend to believe him because now I have to turn the volume almost to max to get something I can hear over the engine.

My question is: how hard of a job (and about how much $ for parts) is it to replace the amp, deck and 4 speakers with something new? I'm not looking for mind-shattering audio, just decent, better-than-stock sound. How hard would it be to wire up? The car is going to sleep for the winter so I have tons of time to work on it.

Thanks!

 

I just finished doing an upgrade on mine. First of all, if you decide to go with anything aftermarket, you have to go all the way. The Bose setup is so non-standard it won't work with anything you buy.
Replacing the head unit is real easy if you buy an adapter kit. You can also buy a wire harness adapter, but beware, the kits they sell are usually for stock stereos, and not the Bose so you will have to check your wire diagrams in the service manual. I used all the existing wires except the power and ground, because I needed larger gauge wires for the high power head.
Replacing the front speakers will take the most time. You have to remove the door panels to access the Bose speaker/amp box and remove it. Then cut yourself an adapter plate out of MDF and mount your speaker. I used 5 1/4".
The back is easy if you want to put in a 6X9". Just take off the grill and remove the Bose. The adapter plate has already been made for you. If you are not going to add a sub, then definately go with a 6X9". I put in a 6 1/2", and there is not enough bass with that alone.
If you want to go all out, then you can remove the storage compartments behind the seat and cut an MDF board to match the storage cover. In there I mounted a 10" sub in the right side, and an amp in the left. You can cut another piece to match and cover it with fabric to give it a finished look.
I used relatively high end components, but I think anything half decent will blow away what you were getting out of the old Bose. :cool: