DVD installs...whos done them?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,041
Likes: 555
From: Western NYS
2022 C7 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2018 C7 of Year Finalist
DVD installs...whos done them?
Well the vette is coming off the road in the very near future for the winter, so I'm gonna need something to fool with 
Looking into moniterized DVD/CD/MP3 players for the vette and wondering who has gone this route before. Found a couple nice ones, for decent prices, but does anyone know how hard it is to install these using the stock Bose speaker system. I'm not a huge Stereo guy, but my one gripe about my vette is the stock GM stereo, needs some updating. Soo, what works with our stock components (just removing the head unit). Thanks guys.
~J
p.s. anyone who has changed out their stock head unit, please post up. esp the DVD folks.
Looking into moniterized DVD/CD/MP3 players for the vette and wondering who has gone this route before. Found a couple nice ones, for decent prices, but does anyone know how hard it is to install these using the stock Bose speaker system. I'm not a huge Stereo guy, but my one gripe about my vette is the stock GM stereo, needs some updating. Soo, what works with our stock components (just removing the head unit). Thanks guys.~J
p.s. anyone who has changed out their stock head unit, please post up. esp the DVD folks.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 19,384
Likes: 87
From: Horncastle Lincolnshire, England
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
I fitted the AVIC N1 and I love it. 
Just added the CD VC1 mic yesterday to give it voice activated control. You need a harness to adapt the stock wiring and make the Bose speakers work. I used a Soundgate but apparently Metra make one too. You also need an adaptor for the antenna lead as the plug is non standard (Autozone). The instructions which come with it are good.
The fit is reasonably daunting but mine worked fine. I could give a few tips if you like. Need to run wires to the rear of the car. The hardest hook up is the VSS wire. You need to go into the PCM in the passenger wheel well. I couldn't find the wire anywhere else. The console needs to come out to fit the wiring but its straight forward.
Plus: Its a good accurate nav unit all in one with a DVD and a reaonable radio/CD. Minus: the screen covers the ac when extended. May be a problem in Vegas in summer.
The job took me a couple of days. It may be easier to pay a couple of hundred to have it done professionally. Depends how you feel.
Here's a thread with a lot of discussion.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=860067
Just added the CD VC1 mic yesterday to give it voice activated control. You need a harness to adapt the stock wiring and make the Bose speakers work. I used a Soundgate but apparently Metra make one too. You also need an adaptor for the antenna lead as the plug is non standard (Autozone). The instructions which come with it are good.The fit is reasonably daunting but mine worked fine. I could give a few tips if you like. Need to run wires to the rear of the car. The hardest hook up is the VSS wire. You need to go into the PCM in the passenger wheel well. I couldn't find the wire anywhere else. The console needs to come out to fit the wiring but its straight forward.
Plus: Its a good accurate nav unit all in one with a DVD and a reaonable radio/CD. Minus: the screen covers the ac when extended. May be a problem in Vegas in summer.
The job took me a couple of days. It may be easier to pay a couple of hundred to have it done professionally. Depends how you feel.
Here's a thread with a lot of discussion.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=860067
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
From: Carol Stream Il
I recently gutted the Bose and installed a Kenwood KVT815 in dash DVD, Alpine MRV F540 power amp and MB Quart RCE 216 speakers in the front, and RCE 213 in the rear. I did it all myself over Labor Day weekend and it took most of the weekend.
The MB Quarts have their own seperate crossovers, so each channel required 2 lengths of wire, and the fronts had to be mounted on a custom baffle. They won't just fit in where the Bose were mounted. This was pretty simple to make though.
The worst part was about Sunday night around 12:30 am, for the fisrt showing of a DVD. The interior all put together at this point. We have audio, but no video!!!
There is a wire that comes off the head unit, that the instructions tell you to hook up to the E brake so you can't watch a DVD while you drive, for safety reasons. So I figured if I don't hook it up, I'll get video even with the brake off. WRONG. Thanks to the internet, I did a search and found the answer.
That wire has to be grounded for it to work even with the brake off..so...I had to take the interior apart to get to that wire!! I've also read not all the head units are the same fix when it comes to this issue, so if you do it yourself make sure about this fix.
Sounds great and my 9 year old son loves the DVD.
The MB Quarts have their own seperate crossovers, so each channel required 2 lengths of wire, and the fronts had to be mounted on a custom baffle. They won't just fit in where the Bose were mounted. This was pretty simple to make though.
The worst part was about Sunday night around 12:30 am, for the fisrt showing of a DVD. The interior all put together at this point. We have audio, but no video!!!
There is a wire that comes off the head unit, that the instructions tell you to hook up to the E brake so you can't watch a DVD while you drive, for safety reasons. So I figured if I don't hook it up, I'll get video even with the brake off. WRONG. Thanks to the internet, I did a search and found the answer.
That wire has to be grounded for it to work even with the brake off..so...I had to take the interior apart to get to that wire!! I've also read not all the head units are the same fix when it comes to this issue, so if you do it yourself make sure about this fix.
Sounds great and my 9 year old son loves the DVD.
Last edited by grsz06; Oct 24, 2004 at 07:56 AM.
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,651
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From: HOW FAST WAS I GOING OFFICER? Los Angeles Hating GM Dealership Service Dept.'s Since Sept. 2004
St. Jude Donor '04-'05-'06-'07
Alpine AVI-D900 ... best resolution on the market (1.5 million pixels) ... DVD/NAV/MP3 ... No cutting ... 7" screen fit perfectly. I had mine installed by an authorized dealer to avoid warranty problems. And someone else said it already "ditch the Bose speakers" <---allegedly. They suck. Biggest rip off if you ask me. A new system will cost you a bit, but well worth it IMHO.
