DIY / Info regarding replacing your Boston Stereo

[SnowyCamaro]

I've gotten a few pms about this lately so I figured I would do a small DIY but more of an information page for those who are interested. If you have a boston acoustic system, like I do and aren't very satisfied with the system you have. Then this DIY is if you want or plan to replace your stereo.

Here is the deal with my car and then I'll explain what to do for the install...
I have 2 x 500W alpine amps and 2 x 10inch subwoofers with stock speakers in the cabin (the boston speakers are actually decent with the right amount of power behind them, you can replace your stock speakers later if you like aswell). One amp powers the stereo and one for the subwoofers. I still have the stock head unit and all my functions are intact. Personally, I think my setup is a good balance of power. It is loud enough with a good amount of clarity. Honestly with more power than about 1500W I have found that you will start to rattle your car apart. Mine has plenty of bass, I actually had to turn down my sub amp down since the subs were kindof over powering. Space wise, the trunk in the Camaro sucks from the start. The reason for it is the small opening. However my box is only 8 inches thick, I could've pushed 6" to be honest. It is pushed all the way to the front of the trunk since space was a big deal for me. I still fit in a full hockey bag (I gotta really stuff it through the small opening, but it's a soft bag) I've fit 2 medium sized golf bags (with the drivers removed), and those fold up chairs that fit into the sleeves fit easily. I am happy with the amount of space I still have.


Hooking up your stereo...


Hopefully you have the boston acoustics option. This is why, the boston acoustics system has a separate amp in the trunk. For which you can replace with your own using this kit

http://********.com/product_info.php...roducts_id=338

This is what I used. It allows you to replace the factory amp without splicing any wires and allows you to keep all of your stock head unit functions. I actually only had to take apart the trunk to do my complete install, since the battery is in the trunk, it makes this very easy. This kit gives you rca outputs for your amp. To add a secondary amp like I did just buy a RCA Y adapter from your local radio shack. Plug in your rca's to your amp and you know the rest. The kit comes with a plug and play harness for you speakers out as well. So that's the basic amount you need to know for the install.

Now about the sub box, you can build your own like I did, or you can buy a prebuilt box from a supplier like this one

http://********.com/product_info.php...roducts_id=410

both mine and this one you have to slide into the trunk through the pass through and then rotate in and weasel into place. They are a tight fit. Also my amp for the front speakers fit into the same place as the stock one did. It was a tight fit but it works. My second amp is mounted on the side of my box hidden away.


As you can see in the pictures below


Amp mounting for the front speakers (The amp on the left is for the cabin speakers, this is also where the stock amp was located)



A little rundown of my sub box



So here are a few tips that I have for anyone doing this install that I have learned....

• · The battery is in the trunk, power is easy and the ******** kit will give you a trigger wire as well

• · I would strongly recommend buying some sound deadener and doing the whole trunk including the boot lid (the lid liner comes apart pretty easily just remove all the push pins, pull the cover for the trunk latch straight out and unhook the trunk release)

• · My trunk and rear deck speakers rattled. I posted in this thread about how to remove said rattle scroll to post #41 .... http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...=184723&page=2

• · If you decide to build your own sub box, if you do it thin enough, you can actually cut 2 inches off your panel that covers the battery and spare tire with a skil saw so that you have access to the spare tire and battery without the need to remove the sub box. Sorry I don't have any pictures of this right now.

• · Lastly, if you have a spoiler, I would recommend getting some rubber washers to raise it slightly off your boot lid, unless you want it to chip the paint from the sub box rattling it (ask me how I know). There are multiple DIY's on how to remove the spoiler on the site. It's very easy, and you can do it in 10 minutes if you are sound deadening and already have the boot liner out. Remove the nuts and release the pin on the spoiler, remove it, add the rubber washers and reinstall. You can get the washers at any hardware store, mine I got at Lowes.

If anyone has any questions feel free to PM me. I can also give you details of how I built my box (just as an FYI the box took me about a month of fiddling after work, honestly I would recommend just buying one unless you are really dedicated about it lol).



Also here is a picture of my final product.



Hopefully some people find this writeup helpful !

Derek