For those interested, I am posting a Double Din stereo install that I finished this past Spring. While I had everything apart, I also did a few additional upgrades.

Disassembly of the interior:









I purchased the new double din console from VetteNuts and the Axxess XSVI-2004 wiring interface for the install. The console from VetteNuts is top notch, and required only a tiny bit of filing in a few places for perfect fit.

Here’s a quick look at the stock bezel and stereo compared to the new:





In order to fit the new double din stereo and bezel, the stock center bar needs to be removed. I just used a cordless drill with an oversized bit and drilled each of the 4 rivet heads. Surprisingly, this only took a few minutes.






Once the bracket was removed, I used a small drum sander on a Dremel tool, to remove any burs or sharp edges.



Then it was a matter of connecting the wiring, Sirius XM Antenna, navigation antenna, microphone and back-up camera.

Here is a picture after I soldered all of the connections and taped everything up to make a neat and tidy harness. This all now simply plugs into the factory harness, and allows the retention of the factory Bose speakers and amps.






I mounted the Sirius XM antenna on the back bumper and then drilled a hole into the rear tub to run the antenna as well as the other wires that would need to go all the way to the head unit in the dash.







Here it is with the other wires bundled and zip tied and then ran along the drivers side next to some of the other factory wiring.











I decided to replace the stock outlet in the console, with a 3.0 double usb. These run under the console an into the back of the receiver. This allows easy charging as well as full Apple Play from the iPhone.









Running the wire for the microphone for the phone.









Completing the back-up camera






I ran the navigation antenna on the left side, under the defroster vent. The antenna has a straight up view to the sky.





While everything was a part, it was the perfect time to replace some burned out lights in the HVAC control, as well as resolder the board to fix the dim display.















I also noticed the gear indicator bulb was burned out. Looks like it had been pretty hot at one time. I replaced the bulb with an led bulb. Much better.






Repaired the broken knee bolster mount with a repair kit.








And finally the dash and console all back together.





And lastly, some high power led back up lights. They were simple plug and play bulbs that I ordered off of Amazon. Super bright. Look at the light output. They are like headlights almost and really light things up at night for the backup camera.










It was a lot of work, but worth it in the end as it feels like a brand new car.

I hope you all enjoy. Let me know if anyone has any questions.

 

Thanks for the excellent write-up, Ron. Going double din is probably in my car's future, as well.

Those back-up lights are really bright. Might make me re-think installing them, in my TS bumper.

 

Very nice results!

Could you please post a link to those backup bulbs?

 

Thanks guys. The backup bulbs are

ENDPAGE 1156 1141 1003 7506 BA15S LED Bulb 2-pack, Xenon White 6000K, Extremely Bright, 54-SMD with Projector Lens

 

So where do you get a wiring harness adapter for a radio if you are ditching the bose system? All I find are expensive kits for keeping the bose.

 

Got my "ready harness" at Crutchfield to keep OEM Bose amp and subs $25, changed twiddler door speakers and rears with Infinity from Crutchfield as well as antenna adaptor. Outstanding improvement.

 

I agree with the post above. I retained the Bose and bought the harness from Crutchfield. If not using any of the factory components, one might want to run all new speaker and power wires.

 

I love the led backup bulbs. They seem to be good quality in aluminum housings and were less then $20 for the pair.👍🏻

 

Here are a few more pics. While I had the carpet out to run the wires, it was a good opportunity to clean it. All cleaned and back to looking factory.

 

Thanks for all the pics!

I've been really wanting a double din setup but hesitating because of all the costs involved. I was fine buying the center console and head unit, but the wiring harness (to make head unit work with factory speakers) was expensive too, and that was the last straw for me.

Is there a cheap/easy solution to make an aftermarket head unit work with the factory harness/speakers?

 

To my knowledge no. I bought the harness for $70 from Crutchfield. You will also need an antenna adapter which is under $10 I believe.

 

The wiring harness to retain the Bose am is only $30

 

Excellent write-up! Double Din is in my future too. Did you add any sound deadener before reinstalling the carpet? and if so what did you use?

 

Thank you. I did not install any other sound deadener. There is a lot on the market to choose from though.

 

If you ever have occasion to pull the center console and bezel again I suggest you put some "good" heat insulation on the tunnel before putting the bezel/console back on. Also pull the carpet away a little and put some along the sides of the tunnel.

 

Thanks for the very good write-up. Very good mods done to your car.

 

Thanks- I did see that one in the past but some of the reviews scare me:

"Will not work the subs in the door properly. They remain full range and the mids in the door do not work. Sounds like crap on a crap cracker."
"Purchased this a while ago, got around to installing this weekend, it sounds like absolute Donkey donk. no amount of adjusting can make it sound decent. just took a quick headunit replacement and turned it into a 2k install. No bueno."

But it sounds like this may the solution to making it work properly?:

"Works fairly well, but as many Corvette blogs have noted, you must adjust the potentiometers on the PAC ROEMVET-1 to get more high frequencies from the front door speakers. The instructions that come with the unit could use more diagrams and instead rely on written explanations. After removing the stock head unit (HU), you will have 3 cables - a large 20-pin connector (C1 & C2), a 4-pin connector (C3) and a 9-pin connector (C4). C1+C2 connects to a wiring harness that comes with the ROEMVET-1; this harness connects to your new HU and also to the ROEMVET-1. C3 is not used. C4 is connected to the ROEMVET-1 via another wiring harness. I had mistakenly left the C4 -> ROEMVET-1 connection off and had no bass."

 

There's no way around having to use an interface to properly replace the OEM headunit, keeping the rest of the system intact. This interface is not a simple wiring harness, and it is needed because the C5 Bose system doesn't use standard signals.

This system is based on a modified Delco head-unit, a Bose DSP box and subwoofer amps that use pseudo-differential low level signals along with fully differential speaker level signals. The common signals are not standard and have a DC offset, so they cannot be grounded.
​​​​​
The 2 most commonly used interfaces are:

• AXXESS XSVI-2004
• PAC AUDIO ROEM-VET1

Either one will perform well when correctly installed, although the Axxess offers better system integration as a result of interfacing with the Serial Data Bus. That's why the difference in price.

Since the interfaces with the Serial Data Bus, in addition to preserving the Retained Accessory Power (RAP) feature, it does not need an external "Accessory" switched power connection.

Because the

Pac Audio ROEM-VET1

Pac Audio ROEM-VET1

doesn't interface with the Serial Data Bus, it doesn't preserve RAP and requires the extra switched connection mentioned above. The headunit's OEM harness lacks this connection, but it can be easily brought from an unused harness (except '04) in the passenger's footwell that has 3 wires (yellow: switched via Fuse 11, orange: always hot via Fuse 7 and black: ground).

The Retained Accessory Power (RAP) Feature allows the radio to continue playing for approximately 10 min or until a door is opened, whichever happens first, after the ignition switch is turned off.

These adapters take care of all necessary interfacing and make the process plug-and-play, while preserving the OEM wiring.

Here is a diagram showing a replaced headunit while keeping the rest of the system intact (the diagram is the same for AXXESS or PAC adapters). ​​​​​​

 

Very nice write up and total project... my only concern is the back up lights.... and any potential for drawing the attention of a blinded cop at night.
I'm not trying to be a Boo Bird here. Just a thought that popped into my head.. we all want the best visibility possible. But the potential to **** off the wrong person is something to always consider.
Bill

 

Thanks Bill.
i agree that it might upset the wrong person, but I do not think the are blinding as they are more centered in the middle of the vehicle. In my opinion these work really well with back-up camera. The stock bulbs have very weak output and did not provide a good view at night.