Dave's 1st Corvette

Hi everyone,

Hello everyone and thank you for taking the time to read my forum post. I am the happy second owner of this fine example of a 2003 Corvette, which I purchased three months ago. It is an automatic, currently has about 12,000 miles, and has no modifications whatsoever.

During the past three months I compiled a list of its problems, for which I hope to get some advice. None seem serious, thank goodness. I also have a few general questions. I will ask about each one separately on this forum, so that I can sort through the responses better. There's 11 !

Once again I am grateful for CorvetteForum.com and all of its members. Thank you, my friends. Here we go . . .

1) Once all my Corvette's other issues are resolved, then I will begin planning its first modification, which will be the audio system. My plan is to install a AM/FM/SiriusXM/GPS Navigator/Bluetooth/DVDplayer/Backup Camera Monitor. Initially I will use the stock speakers. This installation will necessitate an aftermarket double-DIN bezel and a rear-pointing camera, both available on-line. Does anyone have experience with this type of undertaking: what systems were used and how did everything turn out. How long did it take to install everything?

I am looking for a shop in Dade, Broward or Palm Beach County, Florida. Any recommendations?

jdvann

Pretty sure you start your research on a Double Din audio with the expert in Corvettes...http://www.doubledmods.com/

All your audio answers will be realized....good luck!

Vetteman Jack

If you want a shop to install your system, see if they will install something you buy from a vendor other than them. Then get in touch with Dennis at Double D Mods and discuss your audio needs with him. He can set you up with a killer system, including a double din bezel, at a good price.

73Corvette

Dennis @ Double D Mods... he is the man!

Rico7142

Z06ster

Dennis a Double D Mods is the best. He will take care of you.

However, I will give you some general guidance...

The C5 is made to accept a single DIN headunit. So, if you are going the double din route, it is more than a mere install but a conversion...single din to double din. This is because the structure that supports the radio and HVAC controls needs to be modified. The radio bezel also needs to be modified (this is a by hand process which involves custom cutting into the factory bezel and "plastic welding" with fiberglass) to create the new bezel. No need to fear, double din mod sells the modified bezels!

Maybe you are already aware of this but if you weren't, be advised that any installer you take this too has to have customization experience. If all they do are install radios into factory DIN sockets, run!! You need an installer that is proficient with customized head unit installations.

On the subject of head units, I've had Pioneer and Kenwood. In my opinion, Kenwoods are far better than Pioneers (Okay, I am sure there will be out people there that disagree with me on this but this is from my personal experience). I currently have a Kenwood DNN991HD and its the nicest head unit I've ever had. The current Kenwood model is the DNN992HD. Dennis sells these and if you go with this one, you won't be disappointed.

topdown01

First, Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the forum!

I just ordered from Dennis about 2 and 1/2 weeks ago so I don't have any install experience to share yet...that said, Dennis has my bezel for modifications. One thing to consider is if you plan to do any sort of forced air induction then you might consider Dennis' bezel option where you get three gages on top of the stereo head unit. Since I have a super charger, I went with this option so I can monitor boost, fuel/air mix and I have another one to throw in there yet but still deciding. I should get my bezel back first week in November along with all the other goodies...and that is when the fun begins! I ordered everything from Dennis including the Kenwood DDX9902 Head unit, Arc Audio XDi 1200.6 Amp, Morel Virtus 602 for the front, Morel Tempo for the rear, and the JL 10W3 Stealth Sub Box. He will do right by you...no question about that. He will talk to you as long as you need to figure out what is best for you and your budget.

Another side note, if you can replace the speakers now, its a good time since you'll have the whole thing torn apart anyhow. Just my 2 cents

0Double D Mods

Just give me a call sometime and as noted MANY times above(thanks everyone) I can go everything with you and what you will need and need to know to make the switch to double din..


608 854 2033

Dennis

CruisePlanner

Yep, Dennis at Double D Mods is the way to go! LOVE MY SYSTEM he installed!

LoneStarLizzard

First, congrats on your 2003 A4. I bought a 2002 A4 with 2,800 miles on the clock in July 2010...today it turned over 30,000 miles. I love it.

It is no longer stock.

I did every one of the interior mods you listed, plus changing the carpet (didn't like the stock gray color), putting in custom leather interior seat covers (in my personal favorite color, baseball glove brown) and leather wrapped bits (thanks to Sandy at Vette Essentials for sourcing all the leather and building the seat covers, and to Dennis at Double D Mods who did all the leather wrapped bits), did all of the sound and vibration dampening stuff while the carpet was out, installed a 5-channel 900 watt amp, new coax speakers in the cabin, new woofers in the doors and tweeters in the A pillar, sub-woofers behind the seats, back-up camera, Satellite radio, and a navigation head unit, etc. Other than those things, my car's interior is pretty much stock.

Nothing I did, or that you plan to do, is new...someone has done it before and contributed a show-n-tell thread on the C5 forum. And their details are so good you would kick yourself if you paid an installer the $500 to $750 (or more) to do what you could do, without help, over a weekend. Pay particular attention to posts by Patches, Mike Mercury and Thrash (on the C5) and to Markcz (for stereo stuff). Our Forum members recognize these guys as gurus, and they are very willing to talk you through any "issues" you may have.

Like others, I strongly encourage you to talk to Dennis, owner of Double D Mods. Rather than sell you "stuff," he'll listen to you, ask you what you want, and then recommend solutions to meet your needs, including head units, installation materials, etc. And he'll answer your phone calls should you have difficulty installing anything. Last but not least, he has about the best prices around for electronic technology. Other than that, he's about average.

With that as an intro, I am enclosing a number of threads to help you reduce your research time. Here goes:

1. Taking apart your center console, radio surround, etc.: http://www.vetteessentials.com/instr...zel_howto.html

And another one: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...you-think.html

You'll probably want to remove the auto shift ****. If so, here's a how-to-do-it from Vette Essentials: http://www.vetteessentials.com/instr...t_install.html

And another one: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...ment-pics.html

2. Upgrading your C5's audio system:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/audi...-overhaul.html

Another C5 stereo install: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/audi...ress-pics.html

Here's another one. While it is for a C6, most everything in here is applicable to our C5's: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/audi...p-by-step.html

In the above thread, Thrash discloses the name of a key vendor: Sound Deadener Showdown. That vendor’s website is: http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/ Even if you don't use any of this vendor's products, their write-up on things acoustical in our C5's is very instructive.

Here's a thread on removal of your carpet and installation of sound deadening materials: http://www.tim-yvonne.com/mikemercury/sound.htm

Hope those help.

While I had mine apart I did a couple of other things. I am attaching websites for this info should you decide to tackle these projects while your interior is torn apart:

1. Replacing your stock gauge faces with custom ones. My car is Millennium Yellow (MY), and I wanted gauge faces that matched the MY paint. Here is a site for a vendor who can help. I suggest you call him rather than just order on his website. http://www.c5racer.com/catalog/c5-c6...-face-kit.html

2. Eliminating the annoying "rocking seat" problem. Even though your C5 doesn't have many miles, it may exhibit the dreaded "rocking seat" syndrome. If so, here's a link to a show-n-tell on how to repair this problem. It's not difficult, and if you have the seats out anyway, you may as well do this one:

http://www.lieblweb.com/c5seatfix.html

Here's another one: http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb....Z5Z5Z50000050C

If you decide, for whatever reason, to take the instrument cluster out of your dash, let me know...there's a "trick" with A4 Corvettes - the tranny has to be in 2nd gear, and the steering column all the way out, and all the way down, in order to get enough clearance to get the instrument cluster out of the dash.


Hope the above are helpful. contact me if you have other questions. I'm retired and have plenty of time to discuss issues with you.

The Lizzard

CactusCat

Sorry to sound monotonous, but really good advice from the previous posters. Double D is the place to do your shopping. Also, they have a shop in Alabama, so you might consider a nice weekend cruise after making some arrangements. That'll allow you to really get to know your new car plus coming home, you'll have amazing sound!!!

bajapointe

These speaker adapters......





This is as far as i have gotten...I've only had my car 1 week now...

topdown01

Lizzard...Man, this is awesome! Not my thread but I will benefit from it too! Thanks for taking the time to post this consolidated information.

LoneStarLizzard

Looks like you might replace the door speakers. If you do, please understand the stock Bose door speakers have amplifiers built into them. If you replace door speakers, you will need to install an aftermarket amp because your head unit won't have sufficient power to drive those replacement speakers.

Again, talk with Dennis at Double D...he can tell you the consequences of the mods you think you want to make.

Putting in an aftermarket amp isn't too bad...I followed the forum members' instructions (particularly Patches') and got 'er done, but it added a day's time to the install, mainly to allow the mastic (glue) to set on the wood/particle board upon which you will mount the amp. And it requires a bit of planning...where will I mount the amp (I put mine behind the passenger's seat), how will I route the power cord to that amp, how will I mount the "line in" and speaker wires so that they aren't close together, or to the power cord (or else the close proximity of any two these sets of wires will induce current that will distort the sound going to the speakers), where will I mount the cross-overs that split the signal in the door speakers between the tweeters and the woofers (aka mid-range speakers), etc., etc. Again, call me if you want and I can tell you what I did, why I did it, what I wish I'd done differently, what options other Forum members chose, etc. and then give you web links to their write-ups.

FYI, I am a retired CPA and hadn't futzed with electronics since my days in the Air Force (as a seismic analyst/equipment operator) 40+ years ago. But with all the Forum help that I readily found, doing this was pure fun, was rewarding, and gave me the knowledge of my vehicle's interior that allowed me to tear back into things quickly when the need arose (e.g. I installed the back-up camera a year after the stereo install; I replaced the crappy stock LEDs in the instrument cluster with bright white ones this summer, etc.).

The Lizzard

strand rider

I cut a dash for a radio once, and don't think I would do it again.

I know the pleasure of a good sound system, and that C5's are not going to be collectors items in this century , but , for me, electronics are advancing so quickly, the original radio now has a retro advantage , making a statement about the age of the car, in a car with a contemporary body style, in an age where cars must be as modern as possible.

Of course, when my CD player goes south, I might switch religions. Those back up cameras.........are calling. I need to record plate numbers of all those who touch my rear when parked.

TXGS507

I did mine...... Ask John aka Lonestar Lizard how it turned out....

joe's98

I don't think Dennis has a shop in Alabama any longer. He does have a shop in a beautiful part of southwestern Wisconsin though.

Dave's 1st Corvette

Thank you for the extremely good advice and references.

Since the only work I can perform myself would be lifting up a pen and writing a check, I wish a fellow south Floridian would recommend a fantastic audio shop within 100 miles of Miami.

Once I get all the other issues resolved (A/C mold, new tires, window molding leak, etc), I will contact Dennis and formulate an upgrade plan.

Thank you again.

0Double D Mods

here for you when your ready

CactusCat

My bad, I wasn't aware they'd closed that one.