Aftermarket Deck W/Bose?????

[Mr Nice Guy]

My 96 Z28 has the factory Delco/Bose system in it which actually sounds pretty decent. Unfortunately the CD player dosen't work and I tire quickly of the radio. I was planning on redoing the whole system but I was thinking maybe I could keep the bose stuff and replace the deck and a sub since the mid's/highs seem decent enough. Is this possible? It seems to me that I read the Bose stuff isn't compatible with anything and if you want to put in a new deck you have to put in new speakers, amps and everything. I have all that stuff but I was thinking I could save the time in rewiring everything since it was a day and a half job in my Formula. Any help would be greatly apreciated. Thanks in advance....Later

[Jeff_in_Atl]

See if Rob's stuff will help because I have thought of the same sort of thing. http://csce.uark.edu/~jgbertr/rb/bose_wiring.jpg

Here is my question. Does anybody make a head mounting adapter for a 1.5 din chassis. I have a 1 din head unit and a .5 din crossover I would like to put in mine. It looks like the hole in the dash is big enough for both but I can't find an adapter.

[MN6WS6]

Couple of options. You can buy the GM universal kit (preferably from Metra, they are the strongest), and attempt to use the face plate that has the radio and eq mounting holes in it. If that won't work, you'd have to make a plate by hand out of a blank sheet of ABS, which is a little involved. Not to mention you're gonna have a heck of a time mounting it securely in the dash.

If I were you, I'd dump the EQ. If you want a bass control or something of that nature, get a remote bass controller, or a radio with it built in. I have the Pioneer DEH77 (GM 1.5 din) with built in sub control, plus I have a sub controller separate from that. You don't need an in dash EQ on a daily driver car. If you are trying to compete, you still don't need it, you need one of those with 1/4 octave gains, the kind that looks like an amp and goes in the hatch or trunk.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

Yea, I figured the only thing I could do is make something. I have acces to a machine shop. They made some custom center caps for me one.

The reason I asked is because I have everything already that I took out of my last car. At the time, they didn't build in the EQ's and crossovers into the head units. I know they do now but that cost money. I loved the way it sounded before but I don't want to put in a custom sub box.

I'm not interested in competition. What I have isn't an EQ. It's a crossover made by sony. I used to run sound for a band so I am kind a perfectionist as to how it sounds. You need that sub crossover to get the kick drum thump to sound right.

FYI I only have a 25 watt Kenwood 4 ch amp and a 100 watt 2 ch amp I used for 2 12" Pyle driver subs. It sounded real clean although I did get 112 db out of it. I have the Head unit and a 10 disc changer to go with it.

Since you have a 1.5 din radio in yours, it gives me hope that it can be done.

Thanks

[Mr Nice Guy]

Is there an adapter that will allow the use of an aftermarket deck with the bose system? I know you can get one for the normal stereo but I kinda doubt it for the bose but I'm hoping such an animal exists. I do know if there's anyplace to ask this is the place......Thanks in advance..... Later

[MN6WS6]

Jeff, I understand where you're coming from. I've built cars for sound Q and SPL, and right now my bird is set up for sound Q. However, I wouldn't go around announcing that 112db even with the smiley. I've seen 2 12's on 100 watts do 155 db I know all about crossovers, and yes you do need them, but you did say EQ and when you say "in dash" and "EQ" in the same sentence, most installers think "cheesy" My radio fits because it is a GM/Chrysler specific fit unit, so it comes with all the brackets to bolt directly into the factory head unit mounting holes. Making a kit isn't that big of a job to me, but can be quite difficult for a novice. I wouldn't make it out of metal, as that would be motor noise to happen.

Mr. Nice Guy, I also understand where you are coming from. They do make a Bose adapter, but I don't know if it works with GM. Most of the time they use it for Nissan, which is a completely different system. As I'm sure you've heard, you need to get rid of all that Bose crap in your car. GM Bose sucks, even the brand new 2004 Escalade sounds like butt cheek compared to my brother's "thrown together" system in a K5 blazer. "No highs, no lows, it must be Bose" is a favorite installer term. Eventually all that Bose stuff in your car is going to blow, as all Bose car audio stuff does, and you are looking at high dollar to get it repaired. So, although it is all working now and you just want to replace the head unit, I GUARANTEE you that speakers will start blowing, probably within the month of you putting in the aftermarket radio. So all that money you spend on an integrator for the Bose system could have been used towards some much better speakers. Get rid of it all now, or blow money over the long run. The cheapest Walmart sparkomatic speakers are exponentially better than that crap GM calls a high end system in your car. I've been installing for 13 years so take it from an expert. Attach all that Bose stuff to the end of a rope and use it as a boat anchor. It works much better that way

[Mr Nice Guy]

Thanks MN6WS6 you've convinced me to junk the bose stuff and put my Polk components from my formula in the doors. Heck I'll just do the whole system right. I'll run them with my MTX Blue thunder 1502. I have some Cerwin Vega 6.5 mids I'll put in the pillars and I'll run a single Elemental Designs E12k with a JBL 600.1. I had 2 older 12" Boston Acoustics in the formula but they took up too much space. This should look neater and sound better as well. I'll post some pics when I get it all done. Thanks for telling what I should have already known.....Later

[Jeff_in_Atl]

As I said before, I am not into competition. 112 db is way past what will cause hearing damage. It's way beyond a "daily driver" radio. As for the "but you did say EQ", no I said "a .5 din crossover" and I really don't care what any body else says (cheesy) about it. Just because I say "I have acces (misspelled) to a machine shop. " doesn't mean I am going to make it out of metal. You can machine plastic. We have sheets of plastic in stock at work. I once made a bird feeder out of cedar on a CNC programmed on EZ-CAM (Bridgeport).

Besides, I only listen to music in the morning anyway. It's only 12 miles. I listen to Sean on the way home. It's much more informative. I may get an XM radio. The place I work makes the HPOA's on the satellite. Fox news is on XM. So I was interested in hooking up to the Bose speakers too. It may eventually blow. All things do eventually. It is 8 years old now so that is pretty good. I will figure it out. Even being a novice.

Never mind. I'll get my panties out of a wad now.

[MN6WS6]

My bad, Jeff, I misread your post. In 13 years of installing, when somebody comes up and says "half din" you automatically think "hmm, sparkomatic 7 band slider style EQ". Just habit, sorry about that. Same thing with the machine shop, when somebody says that, you automatically think metal. Maybe I should stick to the old saying, "Assumption is the mother of all screw-ups."

I won't get into the hearing loss argument. I've had a beetle with 4-15's, a ghetto sled with 3-15's, a Caprice with 4-10's, built cars that did consistent 150+ "on the dash", and tuned everything from 1-8" to 12-15's with no ill effects. I think my car idles at 112db

[jhyman]

it can work

Mr. Nice Guy. I have a sony headunit in mine right now, and it works fine with all the factory stuff. However, those bose speakers do blow very easily. But if you dont want to spend the money and time right now, and you want to get all you can out of the bose speakers, all you have to do is get the wire harness for you car, and the dash kit, and plug it all in. But I think that you wil eventually want to replace the speakers also.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

jhyman, did you have to bypass that circuit card on the speakers?

[jhyman]

nope. just hook the wires up the same way that you would do most any aftermarket head unit. You dont have to bypass anything. If you have anymore questions let me know.

[KnightFire]

They have adaptor plates at Best Buy for what your looking for. As you can see in this photo...its all pretty easily done. You may have to attack the bezels with a emory board...other than that...have fun!





KnightFire

[Jeff_in_Atl]

Oh Cool. That is what I was looking for. I have a Best Buys about a mile from my house.

OK and I have to ask you another question. Did you have any problems installing your mega shifter? They don't have one to fit the Camaro. How did you deal with the console. Did you get the console shifter or the universal floor shifter. Yea a million questions.