2001 Grand Prix Double din questions!

[troy33busch]

Hey guys, my names Troy I’m 19 years old and I’m brand new to this site.... My mom just got a new car so that means i get her 2001 Grand Prix... I’m very excited because that puppy has 51,000 miles on it!!! Considering she works from home. With that said i have always been a guy who likes to replace air intakes in his friends cars or put new speakers/ subs... Looking back maybe i should have done a little more homework... I plan on doing a few things to my moms car off the bat. One of them is putting in a new stereo. Last night i went over to best buy just to look around at some head units, amps and dash kits for the car. I came across
JVC KW-AV60BT DVD receiver at Crutchfield.com
I talked with a rep named josh and as a matter of fact it was his last night there because he said he got a new job. He said that the dash kit for it is in the back but that this head unit will definitely fit.... little did i know after googling today that its not that easy.... So if anyone knows anything regarding my issue please tell me!!!! Oh and the main reason why I bought that head unit was he sold it to me for 179!!!!

[Jcinstalls]

Technicaly our grand prixs have a 1.5 din hole and the aftermarket dash kits are for only a 1 din stereo. That shouldnt stop you tho! I have a alpine w505 dbl din in my car and it involves cutting,fileing, and moving the heater controls down. Still up for it? Also if anybody could tell me how to post a pic on this thread with my iphone, id get some pics?

[Kilroy]

Technicaly our grand prixs have a 1.5 din hole and the aftermarket dash kits are for only a 1 din stereo. That shouldnt stop you tho! I have a alpine w505 dbl din in my car and it involves cutting,fileing, and moving the heater controls down. Still up for it? Also if anybody could tell me how to post a pic on this thread with my iphone, id get some pics?

http://www.grandprixforums.net/how-u...ies-73960.html Follow the simple instructions. It really is easy.

[troy33busch]

Technicaly our grand prixs have a 1.5 din hole and the aftermarket dash kits are for only a 1 din stereo. That shouldnt stop you tho! I have a alpine w505 dbl din in my car and it involves cutting,fileing, and moving the heater controls down. Still up for it? Also if anybody could tell me how to post a pic on this thread with my iphone, id get some pics?

that does not bother me at all!!!! and if you could throw up some pictures that would be great!!! thanks!

[Jcinstalls]

Aaaaannndddd bam! My first thread picture


congrats on your new car btw! My first GP was my mothers too.

if it didn't just snow were i live i would take my dash off. Well first you are going to need aftermarket radio harness 20$ and an GM antenna adaptor 20$. Also to make this look good you might consider a sheet of plastic to cut and fill in gaps around the radio or any other way you want, and paint? Cool now take off the dash. The plastic is brittle on our old cars so take it easy, your going to need those clips too. Unplug everything and remove the radio. Unbox the new radio and see how it sits. Now obviously you can see that the heater controls are in the way, its easy to unscrew grind off the plastic pins, drill new holes and install the new screws in a lower spot on the plastic it originally screwed into. Be careful here because it can be to low and the knobs will hit the dash cover (measure twice drill once) you want it as close as you can get so the knobs wont hit.

[Bluemagic]

I must ask, what are the buttons in the cubby hole?

[RAGEN]

It's possible to get one in without having to move the climate controls. Only thing I trimmed was the back of the radio were the factory stub was.

[Jcinstalls]

I needed a control center for all the " extras" i have. This car has a light show on the trunk lid. Lights, lasers, black lights, there is a fog machine back there to, cooling fans for amp ( i have 18 speakers), Source switching for the stereo, and just a lot of control over lights and things. I have a 95 shot of nitrous and theres a flame thrower back there all requiring switches/ buttons. In the pic also is a movable laptob stand for when i eventually save up for a hp tuner.

Anyways so now the radio should fit between the heater controls and the brittle plastic above the radio below the heater vents. The dash cover still wont fit because of the center dividing plastic bar. Cuuuuttt ittt offf! I left the center bar off but if you were trick you could use a combination of epoxys and sanding to just lower it. Now depending how big the face of the stereo is and if it tilts or not willdetermine if you will need more trimming. I had to trim the area on the dash cover under the heater vents to fit. now mounting andwiring the deck. Wiring is easy but i recommended grabbing and ignition wire ( its the heavy gauge pink wire on the back of your ingition switch) ( also dont quote me on that, wire colors can be diffrent than i remeber so just find a refrence somewere) from your ignition switch to attach to the red "acc" wire in the radios harness. This will keep the stereo on while you crank the car on startup. In my opinion its bad the stereo to turn off and back on like that.

[Bluemagic]

It's possible to get one in without having to move the climate controls. Only thing I trimmed was the back of the radio were the factory stub was.

U must tell me how yours looks so clean compared my hobo job. Smh. Tips? Tricks? Tools? Parts?

[Jcinstalls]

Nice! If you can keep it it definitely looks better, i like the trim on the sides too! You might run into some plastic in the back that will need to be hogged out but it obviously depends on the size of the stereo depth. i have the old style BT, sat radio, and gps modules that are huge and needed space to sit in. I used metal strap to mount my stereo to the plastic behind the dash cover, you might find something easier but after that its done! Not including extra wires like mic and ipod.

[Jcinstalls]

To bluemagic I think your install looks pro! Only step up from that would be a custom fiberglass ipad install!

[Bluemagic]

Thanks man! It's always room for improvement, that's why I love these forums. You learn something everyday!

[Jcinstalls]

Ya this forum helped me a lot, all thanks to people who are willing to share what they know! The original poster just wanted to see how its done i think, so now he has good examples and will probably get it done better because there is always room for improvement.

[troy33busch]

just got home from work and jumped back on here to see what was going on and holy crap!!!!! these look amazing! thanks everyone for the pictures, when i go for it myself ill be sure to post everything i can for future people who might be trying to do the same thing!

[Kilroy]

I think I am going to go with one of the following: Soundstream VR-738NB DVD receiver at Crutchfield.com or Soundstream VR-931NB DVD receiver at Crutchfield.com They fit our cars with no modification required, you can upgrade them to GPS if you want, AND...... you can get an adapter and use the faceplate in your house!!

[smitz327]

Looks like a nice stereo but I would spend the money and get a better unit. Its a no name made in China probably. If you do get it, make sure it comes with an external microphone for the phone because otherwise it is worthless because you will get to much road noise. I bought a Kenwood for my other Pontiac a few years back but it didn't come an external microphone jack and it was useless for Bluetooth calls, no one could understand me. Installed new faceplate for stereo, nice storage pocket and doesn't stick out as far. I love the stereo and it sounds great with the Bose speakers and amp. I use GPS through my cell phone with a free app with turn by turn directions and street names.

[TwiztdWun]

A JVC is a no name brand made in China? I specifically use JVC.

[smitz327]

JVC is a good brand name!. I am talking about Sound stream which I never heard of but who knows it may be good. You have good manufacturers then you have other cheap brands pushed on to the young kids like PYLE and BOSS among other no names. I have been to those car stereo/electronic shows where they sell nothing but junk. You get what you pay for! Last time I checked, JVC is made in Japan, not China

A JVC is a no name brand made in China? I specifically use JVC.

[killerspeed101]

My setup, all i had to do is cut a piece of plastic behind the radio and cut the trim.

[smitz327]

My setup, all i had to do is cut a piece of plastic behind the radio and cut the trim.

Very nice install, and a great stereo