Dadillac Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 I am replacing my head unit, and purchased a Metra dash kit. It came in black, but the climate control panel, and the panel above the head unit, is some sort of a gray color. Can anyone point me in the right direction in finding a paint to match the stock components? I have a 2002 Seville. If not, can anyone tell me, does the climate control units front panel come off? If it does, then I can get any color paint that I wish. Thanks in advance. Don "Modern warriors saddle iron horses of chrome." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I998SevilleSTS Posted May 27, 2005 Report Share Posted May 27, 2005 hey where did you get ur dash kit ... i have a 1998 seville and i looked every where for one .. i had to make a custom fit one.. ... Please let me know ..Jesse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadillac Posted May 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2005 Got it on Ebay. It is a Metra 99-2005. Apparently the Ebay sellers got them first, as local retailers, cannot get them yet. Don "Modern warriors saddle iron horses of chrome." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill K Posted May 28, 2005 Report Share Posted May 28, 2005 On my 99 the half moon shaped piece at the top of the console just pops out. Pry a little with a flat blade & it'll be in your hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadillac Posted May 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2005 Well, I removed the climate control panel today, to see if the front cover comes off. And to my surprise, it does. The only parts that do not remove easily, is the "power" labels above each control knob, and the red and blue ring that is surrounding the control knobs. Now, I need to decide if I want to paint it a flat gray, flat black, or Galaxy silver (body color). Decisions, decisions. Don "Modern warriors saddle iron horses of chrome." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDWRIOR Posted May 28, 2005 Report Share Posted May 28, 2005 Dadillac, I was going through old threads on the board, when I noticed yours from May 20, regarding the replacement of your factory radio with an aftermarket unit from Alpine. Question for Cadillac audio experts, Installing aftermarket head unit I assume that this current thread's topic is related to that radio installation. If that is the case, then I want to give you some serious cautions before you proceed too far too fast with the radio installation and the interior trim repainting that you appear to be contemplating. My concerns are not related to the trim color changes, but with the radio installation. Although "ed blag" replied to your other post telling you that the Alpine installation should be a "plug-and-play" job on a non-Bose vehicle like yours, I must tell you that is NOT the case on '98+ Sevilles. In fairness to "ed blag" I believe that he offered his opinion based on what he knows about earlier vehicle models, in which at least some "base" radios were wired in such a way that lent them to a relatively pain-free swap to an aftermarket radio. However, ALL '98+ Sevilles (and '00+ Devilles) have audio systems that have a radio "head unit" and a remote audio amplifier (located behind the rear seat back); this is the case for both Bose and non-Bose systems. These components are designed to operate together in a unique way, different from most aftermarket radio and amplifiers. The factory-installed radios and amplifiers communicate with each other using the vehicle's "Class 2" serial data network. The radio sends only left +/- and right +/- audio signals to the amplifier, and these signals are at a fixed signal level (amplitude). Volume, fade, balance, and "equalizer" settings are all communicated from the radio to the amplifier via serial data messages; the amplifier interprets the messages and adjusts its output signals to the speakers as needed. Also, the radio is the source of the "chime" which is produced through the speakers. Finally, the radio has no "switched ignition" wire -- its "power moding" is determined by the serial data messages that it receives from other modules connected to the Class 2 network, and it either does or does not operate depending on the vehicle's power mode state. Accordingly, the radio only has a single "hot at all times" battery wire and a ground wire connected to it; there is no radio wiring connected to the vehicle's ignition switch. The bottom line is that unless your Alpine radio was specifically designed to function in a GM vehicle whose radio is wired and operates like the factory unit in your Seville -- which I really doubt is the case -- then I think that it will be useless by itself in your vehicle. There is no way that it will interface with the factory amplifier that your vehicle has installed. I think that you will need to add an Alpine-compatible amplifier in place of the existing one, or you will need to wire the Alpine radio directly to the speakers, none of whose wiring is anywhere near the radio head unit. However, even if you did replace the amplifier, I think that you would need to run at least four more wires from the radio head unit to the amplifier's location in the rear, since the factory system uses only left and right +/- channels, whereas (I assume) aftermarket units use dedicated LF, LR, RF, and RR +/- channels. The factory speakers may or may not be compatible with an aftermarket amplifier, although a quick impedance measurement of the speakers could probably answer that question. The aftermarket radio would need a switched ignition wire input, which you would have to locate and "tap" into, unless you were satisfied to simply connect it directly to the battery wire so that it could be switched on at any time even with the vehicle's ignition switch off. Also, if the aftermarket radio is not connected to the serial data network, there will be no chime function. There may be aftermarket adapter units that make installing a non-factory radio a true plug-and-play job, but I not aware of any for your vehicle, and I did not get the impression that you had one. Without such a device, I think that installing any aftermarket radio will be a very difficult job, with much interior disassembly and running of new wires. In any case, the wiring work will not be limited to the radio's wiring harness connector. With my skills and experience, this kind of work would be relatively straightforward for me, but very time-consuming. Even so, I do not think that it is very practical -- I would really have to be convinced that the factory audio system's performance was very poor in comparison to what the Alpine system could offer. I just do not think that you are going to obtain that kind of performance change. I suppose that with a new radio and amplifier, and maybe new speakers, and a great deal of wiring and interior work, you could install a new audio system that could perform well, perhaps even better than the factory-installed system, although I think that the chime function will be lost in any case. However, I think that the scope of such a project is much greater than what you envisioned. In your May 20 post you stated that you did not have a lot of experience or knowledge regarding car audio systems. With that in mind, and for the reasons described above, I am concerned that you will be "in way over your head" on this project. I wish you the best of luck with whatever modifications you decide to perform. I just wanted to give you some things to consider before you start cutting and splicing wires. Hopefully, this information is not reaching you too late! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playtime98 Posted May 28, 2005 Report Share Posted May 28, 2005 Dadillac, It is very possible to add an aftermarket headunit, and still use the factory amp (including BOSE) and keep your steering wheel controls and keep your chime. You don't have to re-wire the entire system, but it might be too big a job for the weekend warrior. I have a 98 STS with bose, currently running a in pioneer in dash flip out dvd player. And all functions still work in my car, not to mention it still sounds like a BOSE system. It's just a matter of getting the right adapters. There are adapters that allow you to use your factory amp and chime (two seperate adapters) I posted this topic a long time ago. http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=386&hl= Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadillac Posted May 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2005 Okay, here is where I am at with the "Alpine project". I have purchased the new head unit. I have purchased, and painted, the new dash kit. I have painted the climate control, and top access panel. I have on order, an adapter, that plugs into the stock wiring harness, that has a chime module on it. So the chime will no longer come from the front left speaker, it will come from the new module. I will run new power feeds (both switched and constant) to the new head unit. I plan on locating the factory amp, cutting the speaker wires, and running them to the new head unit. This way i will not have to run new wiring through the doors. I am also planning on replacing, possibly, the factory subwoofer, with an aftermarket piece, with a new amp. I am getting alot of advice from a "young" co-worker. Himself, his brother, and his best friend, are very knowledgeable about this stuff. With everything I have listed, everything should turn out perfect. I just have to wait for the new module to arrive, and a free weekend, to do the install. This will be the most involved install I have done, but I am not intimidated by it. I am gaining alot of knowledge, which is making everything, seem like alot easier. I will post pics when I am done. The pics will either be of a sweet install, or a silver '02 SLS, aflame. Don "Modern warriors saddle iron horses of chrome." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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