Radio Swaps

[Randys88Vette]

Looking around at all the posts about radios and aftermarkets and such and was just wondering..is there another year that will swap into an 88, like a 90,91,92,93? I found a few that are in good shape that someone is trying to get rid of fairly cheaply and thought that would be a good alternative for now. I am not looking to redo the ar or the wiring...just abasic simple swap. MADVET has a nice radio that is AM/FM/CD and looks stock like the 88's but its $$$$....$549 worth!! Not quite ready for that...want to do a few other things first, but if I can get one from another year cheaper (like around $80-100) thats more reasonable. Anyone know if it will work??


Thanks for the help everyone......the more i drive it, the more I want to know about it and the more I LOVE IT!!!

 

[Jeff Henning]

Randy,

You should let everybody know if it is the Bose system or the standard radio.

It can make quite a difference because the Bose system speakers each have their own amp. These fry or puke often and it's best to replace the speakers.

Jeff

 

[Randys88Vette]

The car has the Bose setup in it....and the available radios are all Bose with the the CD/CASS in them. Does it make a difference between the "Gold" "premium" or whatevers as long as they are Bose? Dont know much about stereo systems, thats why I am asking.

 

[c4cruiser]

I think the radio you found in the MAD catalog is from a late model Camaro. I had read about this swap here and on other forums about a year ago and some poeple posted pics of Camaro radios and compared them to the catalog pics. It works fine for a non-Bose car and if your car had a Bose system, there is a wire harness you can get that will correctly tie in the wiring.

Bose systems have individual amps at each speaker and there is a separate relay that powers the amps. In addition, the Bose systems are really a head unit and the radio receiver is a separate component. The early 90's C4 radio receiver is under the passenger side knee bolster and the later cars have them in the storage box behind the passenger seat.

Aftermarket Din-and-a-half units will fit the space, but removing a Bose system and going with a pure aftermarket system does take a bit of work. Read thru the Audio and electronics for information about the proper way to do a audio swap with aftermarket stuff.