Howto: C6 Convertible XM to Sirius Conversion
06-17-2007, 12:52 AM
#1
Burning Brakes
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Howto: C6 Convertible XM to Sirius Conversion
I recently upgraded the XM satellite system in my Corvette Convertible to Sirius. I found a few hints online, but not a comprehensive step-by-step guide. I have documented the process here. The GM-SIR1 Sirius receiver will work in 2005 through 2007 Corvettes. The documentation for the receiver lists only 2005 and 2006 Corvettes, but it also works in the 2007’s (I have a 2007.) I don’t know about 2008. I only show how to replace your XM with Sirius in a Convertible. If your car doesn’t have XM you may have to install some other wiring which I don’t cover here but I have heard that the XM harness is installed even if you don’t have XM factory installed. On Coupes the XM receiver is located in the trunk above the left rear tire well, and I do not cover Coupe installations either.
You will need only a few tools and the whole process takes less than 20 minutes. If you’ve ever changed the oil on a car, you should have no problems replacing your satellite radio receiver.
Tools you will need:
Torx T-15 driver
8mm socket driver
10mm socket driver
1/8” flat tip screwdriver
Small jeweler’s screwdriver
Panel fastener pliers OR tile nippers OR pair of needle nose pliers (angled preferred)
Parts you will need:
Sirius GM-SIR1 satellite receiver
Double-sided sticky tape (Scotch Heavy Duty 1” squares available at Wal-Mart, Target, etc.)
The XM unit is located behind the waterfall (behind the center console.) The first step is to raise the tonneau cover so that you can remove the waterfall. If you have a power top, raise it until the tonneau cover is fully open and then stop. See the picture below.
CAUTION! POWER TOP OWNERS! If you have a power top, the bottom of the convertible top will drop down after about 10 minutes. As you can see in the above photo, the bottom of the top (the part that rests on the tonneau cover) is currently in the raised position. After about 10 minutes the bottom will fall down. I’m not sure why it does this, but I believe that there is an automatic pressure relief system that removes pressure from the system and when this happens the bottom falls. If you are under it when this happens it could cause serious injury! BE VERY CAREFUL.
At this point make sure the car is OFF, accessory power is OFF, and the radio is OFF.
There are five (5) attachments that hold the waterfall in place. There are two plastic push rivets on the back of the waterfall, two Torx T-15 screws in the top on either side of the latch, and a plastic “fir tree button” on the passenger side. As you remove each one, put all them in the cup holder so the don't get lost.
Remove the push rivets from the back of the waterfall first. They can be removed by using a small 1/8” screwdriver to pry out the center pin and then remove.
Next remove the two Torx screws from the top of the waterfall using a Torx T-15 driver.
Lastly remove the “fir tree button” from the passenger side of the waterfall. With the waterfall loose, you can lift the driver’s side of the waterfall and rotate it towards the passenger side to loosen the button. Don’t be too rough with waterfall, you could break it or damage it. You can push and pull on it pretty hard, but don’t try to rip it out. Once the “fir tree button” is loose you can try to pull it out with your fingers, but the best tools to remove it with is a pair of panel fastener pliers or tile nippers. Go to the passenger side of the car, attach the tool to the button and pull straight out. If using tile nippers, just grip the button with the nippers and pull out, don’t squeeze the nippers as you pull or you will cut the button off!
Alternatively you can user a pair of needle nose pliers to pry it out; an angled pair will work best. Use a towel to protect the waterfall when prying so as to not scratch the waterfall. The “fir tree button” is an area that can’t be seen so if you do scratch the waterfall it won’t be seen.
Once all of the fasteners are removed, lift the waterfall straight up and store in a safe location where it won’t be scratched or otherwise damaged.
Now with the waterfall removed, you will need to remove the bracket that the XM radio is attached to. There are three 10mm nuts that hold the receiver bracket to the latch bracket. Only the top nut needs to be removed; just loosen the bottom nuts and leave them on the bolts. Remove the cables attached to the XM receiver. The wiring harness has a clip on the front that you depress, and then pull straight out and the two antenna connections below the wiring harness just pull off. With the cables removed, pull the bracket towards you until the bolt at the top is clear of the bracket and then lift the bracket straight up and out.
With the bracket removed, turn it over and you will see three 8mm nuts that hold the XM receiver to the bracket. Remove the nuts and then the XM receiver.
Unpack your Sirius receiver and write down the serial number which is located on the back of the receiver. You will still be able to see the serial number once it is attached to the bracket. (Once installed, you can get the serial number by tuning to station 255 and pressing the info button, the serial number will then scroll across.)
There are two cables that are included in the kit. You will only need the short cable with just two connectors on it. The other cable has three connectors and is for cars that did not originally come with an XM receiver.
Attach the cable to the receiver.
The Sirius receiver will be attached to the bracket using double-sided sticky tape. First we’ll attach a piece of sticky tape to the Sirius receiver. This will act as a buffer between the bottom edge of the bracket and the receiver to keep them from squeaking against each other. Cut a piece of tape that is approximately 1” square and attach it to the Sirius receiver as in the photograph below. Note the orientation of the receiver!!
Next we are going to attach sticky tape to the bracket. Orient the bracket as shown, (how the bracket will fit when installed back in the car). It is best to arrange all the pieces of double-sided sticky tape before attaching them to the bracket. This is pretty sticky stuff and very hard to remove if you make a mistake.
Once you have the sticky tape cut and arranged properly, attach them one at a time by removing the back side of the sticky tape and attach to the bracket. DO NOT REMOVE THE TOP COVERING OF THE STICKY TAPE YET!
Next you will attach the receiver to the bracket. Do a dry-fit before removing the covering on the double-sided tape to see how it place on the bracket and to see how it fits. The metal tab on the receiver by the sticky tape will fit snuggly into a recess on the bracket. Set the bracket on the floor as shown, orient the receiver and tilt the top of the receiver toward you and place the back corner of the receiver (the edge farthest away from you) into the bottom of the bracket and slide it to the left until the metal tab contacts the bracket. Remember that once you remove the double sided sticky tape and it contacts the receiver it will be stuck and you won’t be able to move it! Practice placing the receiver into the bracket a few times to practice getting it in the correct position. Once you are comfortable placing the receiver into the bracket, remove the covering from the double-sided sticky tape from both the bracket and receiver and stick!
You are now ready to re-install the bracket. Before installing the bracket, take the receiver cable and push the one end through the middle of the tonneau cover latch bracket as shown and loop it around towards the back and then to the right.
Re-attach the bracket. Align the slots on the bottom of the bracket with the bottom bolts and slide it down until the top bolt goes through the hole in the bracket.
Attach the top bolt and tighten and then tighten the bottom bolts.
Next you will have to remove the plastic connector from the satellite antenna cable. The antenna cable is the one with the YELLOW connector.
To remove, use a jeweler’s screw driver and pry the clips up. Don’t worry about breaking off the clips unless you plan on re-installing the XM receiver. As you pull the yellow connector off, it will reveal two plastic inserts. If your not careful, the inserts will fall down behind the driver’s seat when you fully remove the yellow connector. The green connector is the XM terrestrial antenna but this is not required on the Sirius receiver. The Sirius receiver uses the satellite antenna to receive the terrestrial broadcast.
Connect the car’s XM wiring harness to the Sirius receiver’s wiring harness. They will snap together. Tuck the cable in so it doesn’t stick out. Attach the satellite antenna cable to the Sirius receiver. It may seem like the antenna connection isn’t very sturdy, but it will stay connected. If you’re nervous that it might fall off, use some electrical tape and loop it around the connector and then stick both ends of the tape to the receiver. Tuck the unused green connector under the carpet.
Before re-installing the waterfall, now is a good time to make sure everything works. Turn the car on and park it somewhere that has a clear view of the sky. The buttons on your system will still say XM (there is no way to change this) and the system will work exactly like your XM system did. If everything is connected and working properly you will be able to receive channel 184, the weather/emergency channel. If you tune to channel 255 and press the info button your serial number will scroll across. If the display says “Antenna”, check to make sure that the antenna connection is firmly in place. If you see “NoSignal” make sure your car has a clear view of the sky. You will not be able to receive any other channels until you activate your Sirius receiver.
With everything working, you can now reinstall the waterfall. Carefully place the waterfall over the bracket. Re-install the Torx screws on the top but do not tighten; leave them just a little loose. Open the convertible top, and close the tonneau cover. Check that the waterfall is aligned properly with the tonneau cover, adjust as necessary. Close the convertible top and re-open as it was when you first started. Tighten the Torx screws then re-install the plastic rivets in the back of the waterfall. There is a plastic pin in the rivet, make sure it is out all the way (about a ½”). (Sometimes when you pull the rivets, they pull out with the pin still inside the connector.) Align the hole in the trunk separator with the hole in the back of the waterfall, insert the rivet, and push in the pin. Do this for both rivets. Lastly reinstall the “fir tree button” on the passenger side of the waterfall. Just push it all the way in with your fingers.
You’re all done!!! Enjoy!!!
You will need only a few tools and the whole process takes less than 20 minutes. If you’ve ever changed the oil on a car, you should have no problems replacing your satellite radio receiver.
Tools you will need:
Torx T-15 driver
8mm socket driver
10mm socket driver
1/8” flat tip screwdriver
Small jeweler’s screwdriver
Panel fastener pliers OR tile nippers OR pair of needle nose pliers (angled preferred)
Parts you will need:
Sirius GM-SIR1 satellite receiver
Double-sided sticky tape (Scotch Heavy Duty 1” squares available at Wal-Mart, Target, etc.)
The XM unit is located behind the waterfall (behind the center console.) The first step is to raise the tonneau cover so that you can remove the waterfall. If you have a power top, raise it until the tonneau cover is fully open and then stop. See the picture below.
CAUTION! POWER TOP OWNERS! If you have a power top, the bottom of the convertible top will drop down after about 10 minutes. As you can see in the above photo, the bottom of the top (the part that rests on the tonneau cover) is currently in the raised position. After about 10 minutes the bottom will fall down. I’m not sure why it does this, but I believe that there is an automatic pressure relief system that removes pressure from the system and when this happens the bottom falls. If you are under it when this happens it could cause serious injury! BE VERY CAREFUL.
At this point make sure the car is OFF, accessory power is OFF, and the radio is OFF.
There are five (5) attachments that hold the waterfall in place. There are two plastic push rivets on the back of the waterfall, two Torx T-15 screws in the top on either side of the latch, and a plastic “fir tree button” on the passenger side. As you remove each one, put all them in the cup holder so the don't get lost.
Remove the push rivets from the back of the waterfall first. They can be removed by using a small 1/8” screwdriver to pry out the center pin and then remove.
Next remove the two Torx screws from the top of the waterfall using a Torx T-15 driver.
Lastly remove the “fir tree button” from the passenger side of the waterfall. With the waterfall loose, you can lift the driver’s side of the waterfall and rotate it towards the passenger side to loosen the button. Don’t be too rough with waterfall, you could break it or damage it. You can push and pull on it pretty hard, but don’t try to rip it out. Once the “fir tree button” is loose you can try to pull it out with your fingers, but the best tools to remove it with is a pair of panel fastener pliers or tile nippers. Go to the passenger side of the car, attach the tool to the button and pull straight out. If using tile nippers, just grip the button with the nippers and pull out, don’t squeeze the nippers as you pull or you will cut the button off!
Alternatively you can user a pair of needle nose pliers to pry it out; an angled pair will work best. Use a towel to protect the waterfall when prying so as to not scratch the waterfall. The “fir tree button” is an area that can’t be seen so if you do scratch the waterfall it won’t be seen.
Once all of the fasteners are removed, lift the waterfall straight up and store in a safe location where it won’t be scratched or otherwise damaged.
Now with the waterfall removed, you will need to remove the bracket that the XM radio is attached to. There are three 10mm nuts that hold the receiver bracket to the latch bracket. Only the top nut needs to be removed; just loosen the bottom nuts and leave them on the bolts. Remove the cables attached to the XM receiver. The wiring harness has a clip on the front that you depress, and then pull straight out and the two antenna connections below the wiring harness just pull off. With the cables removed, pull the bracket towards you until the bolt at the top is clear of the bracket and then lift the bracket straight up and out.
With the bracket removed, turn it over and you will see three 8mm nuts that hold the XM receiver to the bracket. Remove the nuts and then the XM receiver.
Unpack your Sirius receiver and write down the serial number which is located on the back of the receiver. You will still be able to see the serial number once it is attached to the bracket. (Once installed, you can get the serial number by tuning to station 255 and pressing the info button, the serial number will then scroll across.)
There are two cables that are included in the kit. You will only need the short cable with just two connectors on it. The other cable has three connectors and is for cars that did not originally come with an XM receiver.
Attach the cable to the receiver.
The Sirius receiver will be attached to the bracket using double-sided sticky tape. First we’ll attach a piece of sticky tape to the Sirius receiver. This will act as a buffer between the bottom edge of the bracket and the receiver to keep them from squeaking against each other. Cut a piece of tape that is approximately 1” square and attach it to the Sirius receiver as in the photograph below. Note the orientation of the receiver!!
Next we are going to attach sticky tape to the bracket. Orient the bracket as shown, (how the bracket will fit when installed back in the car). It is best to arrange all the pieces of double-sided sticky tape before attaching them to the bracket. This is pretty sticky stuff and very hard to remove if you make a mistake.
Once you have the sticky tape cut and arranged properly, attach them one at a time by removing the back side of the sticky tape and attach to the bracket. DO NOT REMOVE THE TOP COVERING OF THE STICKY TAPE YET!
Next you will attach the receiver to the bracket. Do a dry-fit before removing the covering on the double-sided tape to see how it place on the bracket and to see how it fits. The metal tab on the receiver by the sticky tape will fit snuggly into a recess on the bracket. Set the bracket on the floor as shown, orient the receiver and tilt the top of the receiver toward you and place the back corner of the receiver (the edge farthest away from you) into the bottom of the bracket and slide it to the left until the metal tab contacts the bracket. Remember that once you remove the double sided sticky tape and it contacts the receiver it will be stuck and you won’t be able to move it! Practice placing the receiver into the bracket a few times to practice getting it in the correct position. Once you are comfortable placing the receiver into the bracket, remove the covering from the double-sided sticky tape from both the bracket and receiver and stick!
You are now ready to re-install the bracket. Before installing the bracket, take the receiver cable and push the one end through the middle of the tonneau cover latch bracket as shown and loop it around towards the back and then to the right.
Re-attach the bracket. Align the slots on the bottom of the bracket with the bottom bolts and slide it down until the top bolt goes through the hole in the bracket.
Attach the top bolt and tighten and then tighten the bottom bolts.
Next you will have to remove the plastic connector from the satellite antenna cable. The antenna cable is the one with the YELLOW connector.
To remove, use a jeweler’s screw driver and pry the clips up. Don’t worry about breaking off the clips unless you plan on re-installing the XM receiver. As you pull the yellow connector off, it will reveal two plastic inserts. If your not careful, the inserts will fall down behind the driver’s seat when you fully remove the yellow connector. The green connector is the XM terrestrial antenna but this is not required on the Sirius receiver. The Sirius receiver uses the satellite antenna to receive the terrestrial broadcast.
Connect the car’s XM wiring harness to the Sirius receiver’s wiring harness. They will snap together. Tuck the cable in so it doesn’t stick out. Attach the satellite antenna cable to the Sirius receiver. It may seem like the antenna connection isn’t very sturdy, but it will stay connected. If you’re nervous that it might fall off, use some electrical tape and loop it around the connector and then stick both ends of the tape to the receiver. Tuck the unused green connector under the carpet.
Before re-installing the waterfall, now is a good time to make sure everything works. Turn the car on and park it somewhere that has a clear view of the sky. The buttons on your system will still say XM (there is no way to change this) and the system will work exactly like your XM system did. If everything is connected and working properly you will be able to receive channel 184, the weather/emergency channel. If you tune to channel 255 and press the info button your serial number will scroll across. If the display says “Antenna”, check to make sure that the antenna connection is firmly in place. If you see “NoSignal” make sure your car has a clear view of the sky. You will not be able to receive any other channels until you activate your Sirius receiver.
With everything working, you can now reinstall the waterfall. Carefully place the waterfall over the bracket. Re-install the Torx screws on the top but do not tighten; leave them just a little loose. Open the convertible top, and close the tonneau cover. Check that the waterfall is aligned properly with the tonneau cover, adjust as necessary. Close the convertible top and re-open as it was when you first started. Tighten the Torx screws then re-install the plastic rivets in the back of the waterfall. There is a plastic pin in the rivet, make sure it is out all the way (about a ½”). (Sometimes when you pull the rivets, they pull out with the pin still inside the connector.) Align the hole in the trunk separator with the hole in the back of the waterfall, insert the rivet, and push in the pin. Do this for both rivets. Lastly reinstall the “fir tree button” on the passenger side of the waterfall. Just push it all the way in with your fingers.
You’re all done!!! Enjoy!!!
06-17-2007, 11:27 AM
#3
Melting Slicks
Member Since: May 2005
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Another great write up. Dan suggests that it go in the C6 FAQ so congrads - preserved forever.
Could you fix the links to your pics? They seem to of gotten lost.
Steve
Could you fix the links to your pics? They seem to of gotten lost.
Steve
06-17-2007, 11:49 AM
#4
Le Mans Master
09-15-2007, 01:32 PM
#5
Racer
I plan to make this modification next week when, barring a strike, my 08 convertible should arrive. I really appreciate the time and effort that went into this write up.
09-28-2007, 10:26 PM
#7
Racer
I just completed the install on my 2LT convertible. The instructions still work flawlessly on 08's, and I encourage anyone interested in Sirius to give this a try. It's very easy to do, and IMHO the sound quality and programming on Sirius is superior to XM. For the past few days, I've tried to give XM a chance it sounded like I was listening to an old cassette tape. 
The Sirius reception using the XM antenna is no worse than the Sirius reception that I was getting with the factory Sirius system on my Audi.
Thanks again for the writeup.
The Sirius reception using the XM antenna is no worse than the Sirius reception that I was getting with the factory Sirius system on my Audi.
Thanks again for the writeup.
04-16-2008, 08:41 AM
#8
4th Gear
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XM to Sirius
Followed the instructions on my 2005 coupe. Worked out very well. The only difference was the two antenna wires on my car were not the same as the green and yellow harness ones in the picture. On my car, both were put together in the same harness that was blue in color.
If you stumble on this in your conversion, one wire is black and the other is white. There is a small white retainer clip on each side of the blue harness, if you remove this, the antenna wire will pull out from the harness. Use the antenna with the WHITE wire and you will be fine.
Thanks for the great post
-RS-
If you stumble on this in your conversion, one wire is black and the other is white. There is a small white retainer clip on each side of the blue harness, if you remove this, the antenna wire will pull out from the harness. Use the antenna with the WHITE wire and you will be fine.
Thanks for the great post
-RS-
05-29-2008, 11:17 PM
#9
Intermediate
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What is the cost of the Sirius receiver? Where can I pick one up? I tried to do a GM part search...no luck!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Last edited by TWIN-GN; 05-29-2008 at 11:38 PM.
05-30-2008, 07:49 AM
#10
Le Mans Master
It's not a GM part, it's an aftermarket unit, the SIR-GM1. You can usually find it anywhere you'd find Sirius radios, including Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.
05-30-2008, 04:13 PM
#12
Le Mans Master
You can use this one though:
http://www.myradiostore.com/xm-radio...-xmdgm100.html
05-30-2008, 07:26 PM
#15
Le Mans Master
05-30-2008, 10:21 PM
#17
Le Mans Master
06-22-2008, 11:50 PM
#19
Racer
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St. Jude Donor '09
I just completed the install of the Sirius SIR-GM1 tuner on my 2008 C6 3LT convertible. 
Bye bye to XM .... I just did not like their stations and playlist choices
I have Sirius on my other car and I like it so much better. 
The instructions provided at the beginning of this thread were very easy to follow as well as very easy to do. It really only takes about 20 minutes. The only "hard" part was getting the waterfall off -- I was being a bit too "tender" with it at first to be sure not to break it.
Note: The SIR-GM1 is designed to be compatible with select headunits from 2003-2008 GM vehicles that operate on the Class-2 bus. Some sites may not indicate the 2008 compatibility, even the packaging itself only lists compatibility years up to 2006.
Thanks again for the writeup. You saved me some cash by being able to do it myself -- now what is the next mod I want to get with that money I saved?
Bye bye to XM .... I just did not like their stations and playlist choices
I have Sirius on my other car and I like it so much better. The instructions provided at the beginning of this thread were very easy to follow as well as very easy to do. It really only takes about 20 minutes. The only "hard" part was getting the waterfall off -- I was being a bit too "tender" with it at first to be sure not to break it.
Note: The SIR-GM1 is designed to be compatible with select headunits from 2003-2008 GM vehicles that operate on the Class-2 bus. Some sites may not indicate the 2008 compatibility, even the packaging itself only lists compatibility years up to 2006.
Thanks again for the writeup. You saved me some cash by being able to do it myself -- now what is the next mod I want to get with that money I saved?
06-29-2008, 08:28 PM
#20
Le Mans Master
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I am thinking about adding Lockpick to my 2008 Vert with Nav radio. The first post of this thread seems to have a good description of how to get to the XM receiver. However, I cannot see the photos. Are the photos still part of this thread or have they been removed?
Alternatively, I am considering burning an MP3 CD. I have seen some good threads about that, but I have not found one that addresses my issues. I just found out that the songs I have purchased from iTunes are MP4 and I have to convert them before I can make an MP3 disc the radio can read (unless I want a whole bunch of audio CDs). Does anyone have information on getting iTunes songs to an MP3 disc? It looks like it is going to be a multi step process of making an audio CD, then ripping these songs and converting them to MP3 and then burning ye another CD.
Alternatively, I am considering burning an MP3 CD. I have seen some good threads about that, but I have not found one that addresses my issues. I just found out that the songs I have purchased from iTunes are MP4 and I have to convert them before I can make an MP3 disc the radio can read (unless I want a whole bunch of audio CDs). Does anyone have information on getting iTunes songs to an MP3 disc? It looks like it is going to be a multi step process of making an audio CD, then ripping these songs and converting them to MP3 and then burning ye another CD.