Long story: I've made the move to a double din in my Z06. I've been researching which double din bezel to use for over a year. I ultimately chose the Metra, and I just want to toss my 2 cents into the mix for other researchers. One of the choices for a bezel is to modify the OEM to allow DD to fit. I considered this, but it is labor intensive, and my time is valuable to me. If you pay someone to build you one, you are probably going to pay a chunk of green for it, and have to worry about quality unless they have examples you can see and touch. Ultimately, I eliminated the custom route as too time consuming. The other option is the Vettenuts bezel, which retains the factory look with the drink holder and ash tray covers. Ultimately, I decided the covers were not a primary need for me. Some of you will undoubtedly choose Vettenuts just to keep the covers, and that's your choice. There are two documented issues with the Vettenuts bezel, one being the brackets are inferior. This can be remedied by just making your own radio brackets, which several people have documented as having done with good results, so this is not a deal breaker. The other issue is that some have complained about the plastic divider between the head unit and the HVAC controller warping. Now I can't say whether this is a problem with the Vettenuts bezel or a problem with the install. I will say that if you are looking for perfect alignment of the head unit and the HVAC controller, you are in for some serious tweaking. The Metra kit (which I chose) comes with an alignment tool to help you relocate the HVAC controller, but it did not work perfectly in my case. If you don't get the Head unit and the HVAC unit perfectly aligned, I feel pretty confident that bezel warpage could result. GM did not perfectly align this stuff when they built the car, so be prepared that you may not be looking at a straight bolt-in no matter what bezel you choose. And of course, there is price. Vettenuts is about twice as expensive as the Metra. The Metra is structurally good, feels sturdy, and fits the dash well, but it is NOT a straight bolt-in if you are looking for perfection. I must have pulled either the head unit or HVAC controller at least 30 times making small tweaks, shimming, un-shimming, even re-drilling a couple holes and adjusting slots in brackets with a Dremel. Ultimately, I have the fit that I wanted and am very happy with the result. However, the color and texture of the Metra IS different that OEM. As pointed out by another poster somewhere, GM made these cars with several textures and colors in the interior, so..... The Metra is a smoother finish that OEM, and in certain lighting it appears to be a bit "gray" as opposed to straight black. Personally, this is not a deal breaker for me, but it may be a factor for you, so consider this before you choose. The Metra COULD be painted, but in my case, I feel that is not going to be necessary. It has been said that the Vettenuts bezel is close to OEM finish and color, so this may be a factor in your decision. I'm happy with MY choices, and just wanted to give some food for thought for any who are researching to make their own choice.

Since my Alpine head unit has "CarPlay," I added a USB port in the back of the "ash tray" compartment for convenience. And MGW shifter on order...... This pic is pretty good at showing the different color and texture under LED shop lights, doesn't look quite as gray in sunlight. However, there is no "texture" on the Metra, and the finish feels a bit like rubber. Hopefully this is good information for someone trying to decide.

 

Pretty spot on review. This should sum it up for those that are still in the fence. Good job!

 

Good write up. I've not heard about the Vettenuts unit warping.

 

Looks like a nice job on the install. Congrats on a job well done.

 

Nice write up. I too, installed the Metra DD in my 01 convertible. Instal was seamless with everything fitting on the first try. No complaints so far. Only issue was with the wiring of the back-up camera. With the help of the good people on this forum, I worked it out. Hope to install different speakers next. Have a nice Memorial Day everyone.
Dave

 

I am still in the research mode concerning the route I am going to take. Thanks for the information and great write-up.

 

Thanks for taking the time to complete this the great post.

Now I know which to purchase. Plus I need to repair the A/C head,,, again..

Michael.

 

One more thing I forgot to mention: Whichever bezel you choose - Several people have mentioned the problem of a gap at the top right corner of the bezel, regardless of which bezel they chose. On the top of the bezel are two plastic "hooks" that grab the dash that have "teeth" on them. When you install your bezel, make sure you are pushing it forward with a little bit of tension as you tighten the two 10mm nuts in the front of the storage compartment. This will put tension on those two "hooks" and keep the bezel tight against the dash. Also, the storage compartment slides under the rear of the bezel where they bolt to the car. Otherwise, the bezel may be tilted back slightly at the top where it meets the dash, increasing your risk of a gap (and possibly warpage). You may find if you are seeking perfection that you may still need to use some small shims under the rear of the bezel/compartment mount before you bolt the bezel/storage compartment combo to the car. With this said, when you are trial fitting the bezel to check your radio/HVAC alignment, make sure your bezel is pushed forward against the dash to eliminate any gaps at the top. You can start the screws in the bezel first, but tighten the 2 nuts at the rear before you tighten the screws. This is how I did it, your mileage may vary. Have a great day!

 

I’ve seen some others use washers to shim the bezel from the ‘rear’ with the bolts on the driveshaft tunnel.

 

Love my Metra fit, look, and quality. Hardest part of the install was making the decision to take a sawzall to the dash of my previously unmolested car.
After getting past that everything went great. Love the install and the look. Really brings the car up to spec tech wise. Best mod yet.

 

Ok.

I need the latest details.

I've decided to get the metra. I will be having someone (local radio guy) install this for me as I just dont have the time.

i need to put together a list of items I will all need for this. I want a decent radio. Back-up camera. I will be adding a sub also hopefully to the trunk sump. .Anyone willing to help me put a list together i would appreciate it.

 

I got mine when DDMods was still servicing Vettes. He recommended the Kenwood 9903 and it’s associated camera. I’m very happy with everything.

 

Try this YouTube video. It is a world of knowledge, with step by step instructions. I can't tell you how much help this was to me.
Dave

 

This is my install.

 

whats the story on those lights? that's pretty cool!

 

That is a strip (about 18" long) on each side hooked up to the footwell lights. Color is purple. Gets a lot of comments.
Thanks for noticing.

Dave

 

are they on all the time?
link please

 

You can easily wire them to the existing footwell light.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1599475131

 

True story

 

Thanks, but that had me searching about 1000 posts in the what did ya do thread.