Stock Radio Replacement

[bos3kd]

I have the stock radio in my '98 Lumina LTZ, and my questions are:

 

1) is there any way to hook an amp and subs up to the exsiting system without replacing the stock headunit?

 

2) is there any way to replace the stock headunit and keep the Speed controlled volume, dimming radio lights, or the steering wheel controls?

 

Thanks in advance, Fellow W-bodiers.

[sl3196]

You should be able to get a connector from a stereo shop. My friend did this to his alero and the subs work. Have to splice into the factory wires though.

[SigEpCutlass]

just get an aftermarket system it'll soundd so much better!

[bluegp]

1) is there any way to hook an amp and subs up to the exsiting system without replacing the stock headunit?

 

2) is there any way to replace the stock headunit and keep the Speed controlled volume, dimming radio lights, or the steering wheel controls?

1) I believe there is a device that will take the amplified level from the original radio and convert it to line level for the amp. Somebody else here may know more about it as I've never used one. You wouldn't have to cut the original harness if you got the appropriate connectors.

 

2) I would imagine that the SCV is part of the radio and would not be there if the radio was removed. The radio lights get their power from the same circuit as the dash lights, so the lights would dim on the replacement radio. There is a device that allows the steering wheel controls to work with an aftermarket radio. Once again, no experience with it, but do a search on this board -- there's been posts about it.

[93CutlassSupreme]

my Clarion radio doesn't dim with the interior lights, and the steering wheel controls don't work for the radio

 

it doesn't bother me that much though

 

i never used the steering wheel controls with the stock radio, the blue screen is a nice contrast with the green interior lights, and it sounds better and is much louder than the stock radio

[jeremy]

my Clarion radio doesn't dim with the interior lights, and the steering wheel controls don't work for the radio

 

it doesn't bother me that much though

 

 

neither does my aftermarket deck, which is fine because I have a remote, but however I am pissed that my climate controls won't work with the aftermarket unit

[LukeZ34]

Some aftermarket units will work with the factory dimming circuit, but they usually don't fully dim like your dash lights do. My Pioneer has dimming capability, which has 2 brightness settings. (Bright and dim)

 

I've also got the aftermarket unit that interfaces the steering wheel controls with an aftermarket headunits. Picked it up from the ClubGP store for 50some bucks. Didn't take too long to install and program, and it works great. http://www.clubgpstore.com/itemview.asp?itemid=16

 

To hook up amps to your stock headunit, you'll need to buy LLC's, or, Line Level Converters. These convert the amplified signal of your speaker outputs down to a preamp level that the new amplifiers need. Some amps may have what's called High Level inputs, which allow you to splice your speaker feeds directly to tha amp. This can make for an easier install, but I've never personally gotten the best sound quality from using these inputs. So my recommendation would be to use the LLC, and feed the signal that way.

[93 Cutlass]

Some aftermarket units will work with the factory dimming circuit, but they usually don't fully dim like your dash lights do. My Pioneer has dimming capability, which has 2 brightness settings. (Bright and dim)

 

I've also got the aftermarket unit that interfaces the steering wheel controls with an aftermarket headunits. Picked it up from the ClubGP store for 50some bucks. Didn't take too long to install and program, and it works great. http://www.clubgpstore.com/itemview.asp?itemid=16

 

To hook up amps to your stock headunit, you'll need to buy LLC's, or, Line Level Converters. These convert the amplified signal of your speaker outputs down to a preamp level that the new amplifiers need. Some amps may have what's called High Level inputs, which allow you to splice your speaker feeds directly to tha amp. This can make for an easier install, but I've never personally gotten the best sound quality from using these inputs. So my recommendation would be to use the LLC, and feed the signal that way.

 

 

^^^^^^^^^What he said^^^^^^^^^