Hello! I have a stock radio in my '87 C4. I wish to upgrade to a standard model Pioneer. My question is: On Crutchfield, when I select my model of radio and model of car, it comes up with a warning that "modification or cutting to car may be necessary". A little more research tells me that the actual radio in a C4 is not mounted horrizontally like most cars, it is a verticle unit. Has anyone successfully installed a "regular" radio in an early C4 and what exactly needs to be cut?

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer!
Mike

 

I changed out units in my '87 and no cutting was necessary. I replaced the factory Bose unit with a standard style Kenwood and purchase a dash insert/panel kit available from any good stereo shop. the kit was like $15.00 and the whole job took about 20 min. If your car has the Bose stereo you will have to hook the pink speaker amp power wore to a power source like the power antenna lead. Good luck with it, It's not that difficult. Cheers

 

I think it has the standard system, and not the Bose. Though, I wouldn't imagine GM creating two different style dashboards just because of a radio. Thanks for the response!
-Mike

 

The dash conversion kit comes with a bunch of different face plates so you can use it on many different dash systems. Good luck with the change. Cheers

 

That's pretty slick. But weren't you worried aobut blowin' the speaker's internal amp with a different power source? Those speakers are NOT cheap, nor is repairing them!!!

 

Well, I was concerned with the out put of the particular wire I used, but I don't blast the stereo any way. I just use it to listen to instead of driveing the guy next to me nuts, LOL. But if perhaps they were to blow for some unknown reason... they are really not my Idea of good speakers anyway. even with the original Bose head unit they distort and are real tinny regardless of EQ. In '87 they may have been somewhat state of the art but with todays standards and materials, they are sorely lacking. I have tons of much better marine speakers so if they do blow I'l just pull them out and replace them.

 

Your tuner pack is under the dash on the passenger side behind where your glove box would be if you had one. you can tell wich box it is because it has the antenna plugged into it. at that tuner pack it is a regular metra part number 70-1858 wiring harness wich has the blue wire ( remote turn on wire )where the pink wire is in your carstuner pack harness. this controls the amplifiers that are located at each speaker and the antenna. I have never seen one that was built differently until they came out with the C5.