Aftermarket stereos

smokinjoe · Post by **smokinjoe** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 7:48 am

For everyone that has installed aftermarket stereos, where do you get the mounting kits for the s-10/sonoma?ive done some looking but havent found and any

kwalsh · Post by **kwalsh** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 8:15 am

If you order through CRUTCHFIELD, they will include the mounting kit and
wiring harness for free...if they have it. i've ordered from them for my '88 S-10 Blazer & they had everything I needed.

AZS10Crew · Post by **AZS10Crew** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 8:56 am

Yep...Crutchfield is the best. I ordered the install kit for mine for $15 when I took the Kenwood out of my wife's car when we traded it. If you order the CD player from them you get it for free though.

Scott03 · Post by **Scott03** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 11:15 am

A couple of questions along the same lines. I am also looking to add some bass (and clarity) to the Crew, but don't want to really get into the amps and subs. Would putting in a aftermarket deck and replace all the factory speakers a worthwhile option?? Anyone have success with just doing that?

Also Crutchfield states that the front door 6 1/2's require some modification, but the rear door 6 1/2's do not?? Can anyone provide some sense to this??

kwalsh · Post by **kwalsh** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 11:31 am

the front speakers require a speaker bracket, which are included when you purchase through Crutchfield & you have to drill out the rivets
that hold the factory speaker bracket in

NTXCrew · Post by **NTXCrew** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 11:42 am

kwalsh wrote:the front speakers require a speaker bracket, which are included when you purchase through Crutchfield & you have to drill out the rivets
that hold the factory speaker bracket in

Yep. I have four Infinity 6 1/2's. Not like the 10" sub in my car was, but definitely a step in the right direction.

Scott03 · Post by **Scott03** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 12:34 pm

Thanks for the info, shouldn't be too difficult.

NXTCrew - what infiniti's are you using, the only reason I am asking is I had the new kappas in my cavalier (6x9's) powered by a Sony deck (23 rms) and the were too underpowered and the bass was mushy. I ended up going with RF and was fairly pleased. I know 6 1/2's do require less power though.

Any suggestions on a deck / speaker combos???

Thanks again

NTXCrew · Post by **NTXCrew** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 12:53 pm

Scott03 wrote:Thanks for the info, shouldn't be too difficult.

NXTCrew - what infiniti's are you using, the only reason I am asking is I had the new kappas in my cavalier (6x9's) powered by a Sony deck (23 rms) and the were too underpowered and the bass was mushy. I ended up going with RF and was fairly pleased. I know 6 1/2's do require less power though.

I have the Reference series- coaxials. Not this year's model, but the one before it (Clearance, Baby!!!). Still has the whitish Plus One woofer and the aimable tweeter. I used to have some Pioneer 3 ways in my car and these blow them away. My Kenwood eXcelon deck has very linear output, so it is not mushy at all- very punchy. But I can also adjust the bass target frequency and Q (how wide the band width boost is). Sure wish I had a sub again, though...

Any suggestions on a deck / speaker combos???

Thanks again

smokinjoe · Post by **smokinjoe** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 7:03 pm

AZS10Crew wrote:Yep...Crutchfield is the best. I ordered the install kit for mine for $15 when I took the Kenwood out of my wife's car when we traded it. If you order the CD player from them you get it for free though.

and this fit in your crew,ive done plenty of installs but i cant seem to locate a kit that works without buying first,and then figure out that it doesnt fit or something,i know a guy that has an ex cab bought his kit from best buy and it just wont fit in the dash,it sticks out to far, but you say crutchfield kits will defeniatly fit a crew?

Matt · Post by **Matt** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 7:39 pm

wow, you guys really have to look in other places for stuff. Walmart, K mart, ect have filler kits. the usually come in a "universal" kit, not that hard to install, and its the same as you get from the other places. Or if you feel daring you can get a black piece of plastic from www.mcmaster.com. You can get almost everything from them. As far as the adapter wire connector, its usually in the same area as the filler kits. If there is a walmart, k mart near you, I suggest that you go check them out and see what they have. Stay away from the "road gear" speakers and head units, but the rest is just like everything else. Just thought this would help some people.

smokinjoe · Post by **smokinjoe** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 1:49 pm

its really hard to find stuff that fits such a narrow opening that is also very tall,and is the right depth, i have a JVC Kameleon deck from my old blazer that is to wide to fit in my crew thats why im asking alot before i buy i really dont want to have to notch an opening for my stereo to fit in the front panel, i may just go to a junkyard and find a spare panel that i can notch for a wider deck and keep the factory radio in case i want to set it back to stock

adrenalnjunky · Post by **adrenalnjunky** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 3:23 pm

smokinjoe wrote:its really hard to find stuff that fits such a narrow opening that is also very tall,and is the right depth, i have a JVC Kameleon deck from my old blazer that is to wide to fit in my crew thats why im asking alot before i buy i really dont want to have to notch an opening for my stereo to fit in the front panel, i may just go to a junkyard and find a spare panel that i can notch for a wider deck and keep the factory radio in case i want to set it back to stock

Not sure what you are referring to there. I worked in car stereo sales and installation for several years, and the JVC ElKameleon Line were all standard sized DIN Headunits. The opening in most GM vehicles is called a DINand a half -- which means it's the same width, but half again as tall.

Here's a picture of my standard DIN sized Kenwood Excelon PS-709, with a half-din coustic EQ. Most standard GM Universal dash kits allow for this type of instlalation in a large variety of GM vehicles.

this particular kit I have owned for over 10 years, as I installed it in a 89 Jimmy in about 1993, then again in 1997 in my Z24, and now it sits in my Blazer. I made mine flush mount behind the trim bezel by cutting out the back of the stero pocket, and heat forming an AC duct for clearance, but not everyone has to do that to make a radio fit - just something custom I did cause that's how I wanted it.

smokinjoe · Post by **smokinjoe** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 2:27 am

from the looks of yours your stereo is the same width as your climate controls, i just measured mine and the stereo opening is 1/2 in more narrow than the climate controls, the opening for the stereo is 7 and a 1/4 in wide whereas the climate controls opening is 7 and 3/4 in wide, the only thing i can think of is mine has RDS, if anyone else with an 03 crew with RDS would check theirs id appreciate it,or i could have just got the cheap model...

adrenalnjunky · Post by **adrenalnjunky** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 7:08 am

ahh didnt realize they changed stuff that drastically for 03 -- my bad.

Dragonmaster · Post by **Dragonmaster** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 8:24 am

I made my own out of 1/2" lexan and just painted it with a semi-gloss black rattle can, best fit I found so far, the scratches on the corner are from when some jackass tried to steal it and my friends and I caught him in the act at a party. We took a few rounds out of him and then called the cops. Justice was served

AZS10Crew · Post by **AZS10Crew** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 8:39 am

smokinjoe wrote:
AZS10Crew wrote:Yep...Crutchfield is the best. I ordered the install kit for mine for $15 when I took the Kenwood out of my wife's car when we traded it. If you order the CD player from them you get it for free though.

and this fit in your crew,ive done plenty of installs but i cant seem to locate a kit that works without buying first,and then figure out that it doesnt fit or something,i know a guy that has an ex cab bought his kit from best buy and it just wont fit in the dash,it sticks out to far, but you say crutchfield kits will defeniatly fit a crew?

Yeah...mine fits flush. You can see most of it here...

The kit I got from Crutchfield was not only the mounting kit, but also all the wiring harnesses, so everything just plugged right in to the factory harness.

smokinjoe · Post by **smokinjoe** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 4:00 pm

AZs openings look like mine, what size stereo is that you have, or if you could tell me the model number i can figure out the rest

2bunik · Post by **2bunik** » Tue Nov 25, 2003 12:11 am

hey azs10 are those cup holders under you stereo? just thought Id ask cause Im looking for some of the push out kind. .

ok back to truck audio...
I aint had a casette deck in years. so I wont be swapping out the stock head unit any time soon..

unless its an MP3 player. oh check this out ..I got into my buddies freaking SATURN. 2003 or 2004 anyways. his came stock with an MP3 player... man I wish GM would get that kind of setup to come stock..

AZS10Crew · Post by **AZS10Crew** » Tue Nov 25, 2003 8:39 am

Nope...not cupholders...just a blank panel for an EQ or something. I'm halfway thinking of finding a small CB that will fit in there...but I haven't really looked too hard yet.

smokinjoe...not sure of the size. It's a Kenwood something-or-other. I think it's the basic model Kenwood from about 4 years ago. I know we got it for my wife's car originally for about $110.

adrenalnjunky · Post by **adrenalnjunky** » Tue Nov 25, 2003 8:53 am

Looks like a JVC to me

Either way -- it is a standard DIN sized radio.

AZS10Crew · Post by **AZS10Crew** » Tue Nov 25, 2003 8:55 am

adrenalnjunky wrote:Looks like a JVC to me

Either way -- it is a standard DIN sized radio.

Oops!

My home stereo is a Kenwood. I can't keep all my electronics straight.

I think the model number is a CDW-130 or something like that.

Scott03 · Post by **Scott03** » Tue Nov 25, 2003 11:03 am

I got into my buddies freaking SATURN. 2003 or 2004 anyways. his came stock with an MP3 player... man I wish GM would get that kind of setup to come stock

The new 2004 cavs come with an optional MP3 player too, it won't be too long before most cars have them....or at least an option

AZS10Crew · Post by **AZS10Crew** » Tue Nov 25, 2003 11:59 am

Checked the model number on the way home...it's a JVC KD-S580.

smokinjoe · Post by **smokinjoe** » Wed Nov 26, 2003 9:12 pm

2bunik wrote:SATURN. man I wish GM would get that kind of setup to come stock..

saturn is made by GM