Aftermarket/Factory Stereo, 93-96?

[Bismarck318]

Greetings,

Was thinking on replacing the factory head unit, however not to open a can of worms, if any can answer, much appreciated.

What is the wattage on the Base Factory stereo/cassette rated at?
Been at a drive-in sounds like it has a decent amp.

Would the Factory speakers be able to handle, 22w RMS & 50 Peak?
Can't find a low powered head unit, all seem to be rated around this.

Also the dash on the RH side of the head unit is curved on the '93-96, this present mounting problems & need a propriotary kit?

[Bismarck318]

No one has put in an aftermarket in this generation??

Was looking at this earlier this evening, the dash assemblies look rather flimsy. Does the whole lower dash on the drivers side need be removed to remove the trim plate for the strero.

Was told the AI or Metra kit is very detailed on dash disassembly 9for other models at least), any recomendations on which kit to use?

[Bulldogwinters]

I have the same car as you, mine had an aftermarket stereo in when i bought it. i can't tell you much. i would assume you're fine though

[darrnfool]

One thing I found when I added a sub to mine was that the rear speakers are 10 ohm. I can only assume the fronts are as well to match with the head unit.

[fbodyrs96]

my fronts are 4 ohm and 10 in the rear but it's a vert, IDK if that matters or not.

[Bismarck318]

Originally Posted by darrnfool

One thing I found when I added a sub to mine was that the rear speakers are 10 ohm. I can only assume the fronts are as well to match with the head unit.

This is interesting, (they do this in all 4th gen years?).. I am NOT planning on replacing the factory speakers, but this sheds a whole new light on this.

The dash comes apart very easily, & yes the bottom bolster under the steering wheel has to be removed, but don't worry, no flimsy clips to snap off & break!

I have both the Metra & the Scoche (GM1516) Kits,.... do NOT use the Scoche GM1504 Kit on a '93 to '96... it will not work even though the package lists it.

Scoches GM1516 kit is fine but 2 things, it will recess the sleeve of the new head unit back about 1/2 inch back from the face of the original factory radio, so accomadate for that extra depth. If you have a flip down front panel you will not be able to use the supplied bezel frame which really locks the radio in place... you will need to use the trim that was supplied with your head unit.

On a pleminary fit it looks like there will not be a gap on the passengers side, I'll update after I'm finished.

The Metra Kit has a bit extra plastic on the right side to accomodate the curvature of the dash which definately should eliminate any gaps, & this one appears to be a bit heavier.

[Bismarck318]

Scoche GM1516 Kit works fine, however allow for a bit more depth on this one & if you have a flip down face, likely you will have to use the radios trim ring, instead of the one provided (that frimly locks the unit in place).

[SOMSS]

The base speakers aren't worth the paper they're made out of. Just get yourself some descent 6.5" speakers for the front and use a good head unit with them. I have two high end head units (Pioneer and Eclipse) I can let you have cheap if your interested? The original cost of the two units was $650 each. They are in perfect working order and come with XM/Serious receivers.

[shevyman]

Originally Posted by Bismarck318

Scoche GM1516 Kit works fine, however allow for a bit more depth on this one & if you have a flip down face, likely you will have to use the radios trim ring, instead of the one provided (that frimly locks the unit in place).

ok well yeah you should spend the little extra money and put some new speakers in the front if you want clear sound. i could sell you a nice set of hertz components or coax that wont need an amp and will sound good.

now as for the head unit what features are you looking for?

i have a kenwood head unit brand new that has the ipod ready all you need is the cable, and it can be controlled off the unit. plus it has the aux in the front 4volt pre amp outputs if you ever decide to do an amp you will get the best of the amp. it also has other features i forget. but let me know its the last one and its going for 200 and thats not including shipping maybe i can do something about that if you want.

[Bismarck318]

I was toying with this idea when the cassette started becoming fickle in one channel, I happened to come across a a clearance table at a local big box retailer a few months back & found a DEH-P4900IB for $50, I think this listed for somewhere in the $200-$250 range before it was discontinued (too good to pass up).... still kinda pricy as to tempt someone from knocking out your window & destroying your dash to make a few bucks on it, but again with the way the economy has been here since 2000 go figure!

As far as features this has MP3/WMA, is Sat radio ready though another extra cost when would I need that with so much on broadcast radio, has something for linking to a mobile phone but as far as that goes, I don't have & never will have one. Also has some hookup for something called an IPOD (think thats some kind of MP3 player), though I have another mp3 player that just uses a 3.5mm stereo jack hookup.

Its drawbacks, is the aux jack is behind the unit, so I had to run a 3.5mm aux cord down through the cassette storage bin for an MP3 player if I choose to use it. (would be nice to dash mount this someday). In the off position it goes into a distracting demo mode, but I'm pretty sure this may be eliminated, I'll have to read up. HD & RDS would have been nice but for under $61 (out the door) installed I can't complain.

I'm pretty satisfied with how the factory speakers sound, the installer I used to work with told me they should suffice since the car has been garaged, & the placement of the speakers is pretty much out of direct sunlight. Years ago I upgraded with amps on another vehicle, just seemed to be come a money pit of filters & accessories just to make the amp work properly with the amount of electrical intereference within the vehicle... then the amp destroyed an expensive pair of aftermarket speakers that were supposevely capable of handling this power.

[unkbd]

Quick question .... is there an amplifier associated with the 3 speaker bose system and where is it located ....

[Bismarck318]

Believe there was, to it's location I haven't a clue.

I'm somewhat dissillusioned with the shiny finish on all these aftermarket radios now... scratches from just normal operation.

[camaro1]

Originally Posted by unkbd

Quick question .... is there an amplifier associated with the 3 speaker bose system and where is it located ....

the bose system has 3 amps, 1 at each door speaker and one in the box in the hatch,

i replaced the factory bose head unit when i had my 94,, the amps in the doors can be easily disconnected and wires ran straight to the speakers(all inside the door)