Radio dilemma

[Spencerad4]

First off, I am new to this for him so I apologize if this is already been covered. I did search and didn't find anything.

I just purchased a 1993 Z71 extended cab for my son who will be turning 16 in a year..
We are planning on restoring it together so it is a nice truck when he gets his license..
That being said, we both enjoy very OEM/stock looks on these trucks.. And do not want to replace the radio with aftermarket single din in the center of the dash.. Is there an aftermarket radio that fits in the OEMs spot that has Bluetooth?

Again sorry if this has been covered. Thanks

-Spencer

 

[DaltonB98]

You'll probably have to buy a Metra Kit https://www.amazon.com/Metra-99-3000G-Chevy-88-94-Gray/dp/B000281WD4 something like this, not sure if it's the right one I have a 98 so mines different. Then to help out even more so you don't have to splice into the factory harness buy one of these https://www.amazon.com/Metra-70-1858-Radio-Wiring-Harness/dp/B0002BEX8W

Double check to make sure that those are for your truck before buying obviously, but that should be everything besides the headunit. Most headunits now come with bluetooth, I have a kenwood and so far i have never had a problem with it.

 

[Spencerad4]

Yeah.. I'm trying to stay away from putting anything in that center where the cassette deck is.. trying to find a replacement for the original head unit that's only 6"x3.5"..
Thanks though.. I may be out of luck..

 

[chipskittles]

Even if there was an aftermarket option for a radio that would fit in that pocket it would be ridiculously expensive. Unfortunately you are either going to have to go with the center dash DIN radio option, which I also hate, or one of the factory options. There are still plenty of those factory radios sitting out in the junk yards and they tend to be pretty tough. I've pulled a few out of u-pull-its just to have and they all worked. There's always ebay but people are crazy with the prices they ask for 90s vehicle electronics.

I'd leave it for your son to decide. The factory radio will match the truck better and be more convenient to use, but won't sound near as good as just about any DIN radio made in the last 20 years. The DIN radio will be a pain to use because of how far away it is. If you have the fold out cup holder it will be even more inconvenient.

 

[98chevy2500SS]

Even though I love my aftermarket Kenwood radio, I have to agree with @chipskittles. That's one thing that miss about my truck was the factory radio, but I installed subs and needed and aftermarket unit.

That's the one problem that will keep me away from a 94 and older, was the aftermarket radio spot. Hate how it's in the center of the dash and hard to reach. The 95 and up dashes had the radio right near the shifter, and in OD, you could rest your palm on the shifter and change channels and such.

But yeah, I have rarely seen someone have a kit that installs right where the 6" radio was. I have seen people put their GPS's, tachs if they don't have them, or other gauges there. It's a nice large cubby hole though for your son to put his phone, wallet, and other accessories in. If your son listens to CDs (like I do) or Bluetooth a lot, then he will not like the factory radio. My factory radio's CD didn't work when I bought it, so I had to switch it or else I was going to die. lol.

 

[someotherguy]

If the only argument against aftermarket in the center of the dash is that it's harder to reach, picking a unit with a good remote pretty much negates that. Especially if you're using it with bluetooth so you're not reaching over to it to swap CD's like some kind of old-timey person.

You could add bluetooth to the factory stereo but it's definitely a hack. It's been covered here for the 1995-up style stereos but a similar hack could surely be done with the older stereo too; you're just looking for the right spot to hack into the wiring to make an aux-style input and then you attach a bluetooth dongle to it.

I can offer this opinion though, your 16 year old son is very unlikely to be satisfied for very long with how the factory stereo and speakers in that truck perform, especially now that they're older than he is.

Richard

 

[98chevy2500SS]

Well we all have our opinions on that issue about the physical vs digital, still can't beat the greatness of cds. Anyway, yes the remote would be very handy even if it's in the center. I tried to see if the remote would work if I somehow connected it to the steering wheel and it was a no go. The remote has to be pointed directly at the radio, which was saddening for me. Oh well, the remote for your son will be more beneficial than it was for me.

 

[someotherguy]

I'll also disagree a little bit on using the center-mounted aftermarket being a pain even with the accessory cupholder. Maybe if you put Big Gulps in there or something, then it's a pain.

This is my old '94 with a Pioneer HU, has a nice remote gave me no issues. The dash kit is an AMI GMK-333, best one on the market, and the pocket I replaced the factory HU faceplate with is an AMI GMP-333 has a nice lip at the bottom - nice place to stash the remote, lip prevents the it from flying out when you mash the pedal. I drilled it out and added the AutoMeter gauges (trans temp and boost/vacuum.)

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Richard

 

[98chevy2500SS]

So wait some had an accessory cup holder option? I will have to see if my grandpa's 93 has one. Sorry for being off topic there, still learning more about the 94 and older interiors.

 

[someotherguy]

Yep, and real easy to install, just a couple screws underneath and it hooks in on that ledge in the lower part of the dash. Real solid. Folds in when you're not using it.

I see somebody bumped the "88-94 aux input" thread so right now it's showing right next to this thread...so there ya go, anybody wanting to do this.

And the bluetooth dongle I have tried (and another member here has as well) that worked great - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JAPZRH2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T1_UVeozbW8VHKP1 though at the moment appears to not be available.

Richard