Question: Replacing the factory Bose radio

[tedsone1]

I received such good advise on my last post from this site I thought I would come back for more.

The factory Bose radio in my 1986 has died. It will work but it is very rare. I have not taken it out yet to check for loose connections but I believe I would like to replace it with a newer model anyway. Finding the radio and mounting kit is no problem. What I am wondering (have not looked very hard yet) is if anyone has been able to find a wiring harness adapter that works so I don't have to cut the factory plugs off the harness in the dash. I really don't want to go there if I don't have to.

Thanks for all the help. You guys have been great.

 

[RacerAlex]

Check eBay out. There are quite a few guys offering later Delco Bose head units with the adapters so its basically plug and play.

A popular choice is this one: Delco AM/FM CD Bose Part # 16175961

It's very close to matching the factory look if you're replacing a 1984-89 Delco Bose unit.

 

[So Bay Vetter]

I'm not sure if it's the same setup as later model C4's but it's very common for the radio receiver unit, mounted to the outboard side of the storage well behind the passenger seat, (next to the jack) to get wet from water filling the well. My rebuilt replacement was $230.00. Works like new!

 

[BOB SWEETING]

Bose radio

A company, Custom Autosound has finally developed a Pioneer replacement unit for those cars. Their phone is 800-888-8637

 

[aklim]

Wouldn't it be easier to run wires to replace the entire thing? Probably cheaper in the long run

 

[RacerAlex]

Speaking of Pioneer, the following model is available for early C4's with the Bose speakers. http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb...~S2WU0ZRJY571702021250g~Z5Z5Z5~Z5Z5Z50000050F

 

[CorvetteArchives]

A company, Custom Autosound has finally developed a Pioneer replacement unit for those cars. Their phone is 800-888-8637

Finally? Its been around for at least 15 years and their adaptor is a PIECE OF JUNK!

It picks up tons of interference. I bought a setup from them and ended up having to replace their adaptor and spend more $ for a properly shielded unit. I found the exact same head unit elsewhere and could have saved $200 over the "kit" from Custom Autosound!!:bash

http://corvette1984.freewebtools.com/DIRECTORIES/CUSTOMISED/RadioRelated/BoseReplace.html

 

[sstearns2]

I replaced the stereo and speakers in my 1990 which had the Bose. The easiest thing to do is just have the original stereo rebuilt. The speaker can be rebuilt and the head can be rebuilt to accept current CD formats like MP3. But you'll spend nearly twice the money having the old stuff rebuilt over buying new aftermarket stuff, but it will only take a couple hours of install time to have a new stereo. Corvette Radio

Or you can do what I did and replace the whole thing. I ordered through crutchfield and the stereo came with an adaptor that pluged into the harness in the car. The thing that sucks about the bose is that the amps are in the speakers instead of the stereo head like everyone else on earth does.

This means the speaker wire and the power wire to the stereo head are tiny gage since the signal is amplified at the speaker. The speaker wire is easy, just run new speaker wire. The power wire is harder since it buried deep in the chassis wire bundles and there's not much you can do about it aside from curse Bose. My stereo is 25W per channel, but there's no way it's pulling that much power through that tiny power lead. It still sounds good, but it cuts out at higher volumes since it can't pull the power it needs through that tiny gage power wire. If you want really good sound you'll need an amp.

The speakers are a challenge too. The rears aren't too bad. I just used 3/4 particle board to make a plate to mount the speakers in. I put woofers in the rear and tweeters up in the corners of the windshield. I ran out of motivation trying to deal with the front floor speakers and just put some double sided tape on the back of the magnet and stuck them to the frame and put the cover over them. Cheesy, but it's sounds fine, to me anyhow.

Basically putting a new stereo in a Bose C4 is not a simple project. I have a fair amount of experience with these kind of things and it took me about 40 hours and I didn't do anything good with the front floor speaker mounting. I didn't touch any of the bose harnesses and just left it in the car. Also look at the double DIN recievers, they fill the hole perfectly.

Cheers,
Scott

 

[88C4]

My radio hardly worked when I got the car. I went to Best Buy and the tech replaced the unit and all 4 speakers(ran new wiring to the speakers). I am very pleased with the outcome. I really did not care about keeping the factory look as I drive my car just about every day.

 

[1991-C4]

So what did you end up buying at Best Buy and what did it cost for the radio plus installation? (If you don't want to answer publicly, you can PM me.)

 

[88C4]

Pioneer DEH-P3000IB, front=Infinity 3022CF, rear=Kenwood KFC-6982IE. Installed was around $550.00. There were other units I was drooling over, but had a tight budget. I do plan on putting an amp under the rear passenger speaker and adding 2 speakers in the dash for the complete surround sound.

 

[87z52vette]

i just replaced my cassette player three days ago with a new style cd player i think it was from 98 jimmy or 02 suburban, anyway this is what i did i bought a OM style factory harness for a stock radio the one with the newer plug plus an after market wiring harness matched the wires colors. you have to cut the pink wire behind your stock radio thats the one that controls your power antenna and connect it to the blue wires on the harness. and thats all maybe one more thing u have to buy a newer style antenna adapter as the stock one is to thick and will not fit. total cost cd player $15 , OM style harness $20 , after market wiring harness for 89-93 gm cars $8.50 at waltmart , antenna ?? dont have it yet. but for everything around $60 maybe less. caddy uses the same Bose speakers so am about to go to the junk yard and pull some of one a caddy.