Factory radio swap?

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Fumanchu2.7

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I’ll sell you an alpine unit with Bluetooth for 75 plus shipping. Pm me if interested
 

mars2878

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Hello,

I've got a 95 with the am/fm radio, can I swap in a CD unit from any 95-99?

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to answer your question, yes all 95+ gmt400 interchange except for the Bose unit. The Bose setup has a factory amp & diff ohm speakers.

if you are one to talk on your phone while driving, there might be a legal issue, as some states like RI & MA are handsfree states. Meaning, that you are not aloud to be using your phone while driving. So people will either try their luck, swap in a Bluetooth unit or have the factory unit modded. Just food for thought.
 

nhyrum

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to answer your question, yes all 95+ gmt400 interchange except for the Bose unit. The Bose setup has a factory amp & diff ohm speakers.

if you are one to talk on your phone while driving, there might be a legal issue, as some states like RI & MA are handsfree states. Meaning, that you are not aloud to be using your phone while driving. So people will either try their luck, swap in a Bluetooth unit or have the factory unit modded. Just food for thought.
Cool.

Secondary thought. Is the CD deck in the head unit? Or does it go below in the little cubby hole?

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jayden Richey

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Hello,

I've got a 95 with the am/fm radio, can I swap in a CD unit from any 95-99?

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just go with a new bluetooth sterio, or any other sterio. The kit is $15 for the dash piece and the sterio depends, I got a pioneer with bluetooth for $70. Ive done several others with good $40 sterios. just depends on what you want.
 

nhyrum

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just go with a new bluetooth sterio, or any other sterio. The kit is $15 for the dash piece and the sterio depends, I got a pioneer with bluetooth for $70. Ive done several others with good $40 sterios. just depends on what you want.
I want a factory radio. Period. I hate how aftermarket units look. Unless it's a nice, big ass double din

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mars2878

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Cool.

Secondary thought. Is the CD deck in the head unit? Or does it go below in the little cubby hole?

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it's available in both slots, but I find the more common setup to be cassette in the head unit & cd in the slave.

if your handy, you can get a unit out of a 95+ Blazer or Jimmy (again, avoid the Bose models), as they were more common w/ cd in the head & cassette in the slave or grab a unit from a similar era Grand Prix. The G.P. unit will have red lights & some have an adjustable EQ on the face. They use the same dash plug. Here is where you need to be handy. 1: cut the mounts off of the new radio w/o damaging the radio. 2: remove the base plate from the gmt400 radio. 3: place the gmt400 base under the new radio. 4: mark up the plug side of the gmt400 baseplate on what needs to be removed to clear the plugs. 5: remove what is blocking access to the plugs. 6: remove the baseplate from the new radio to see where it will clear in new radio. 7: mark the open sections on the new radios baseplate. 8: align the 2 baseplates w/ the new plate inside the gmt400 plate. 9: mark 4-5 spots on the gmt400 baseplate & drill holes slightly smaller than the screws that you'll be installing, I just use ones from the donor radio. 10: screw the 2 plates together, separate. 11: put the new radios baseplate back on. 12: mount the gmt400 baseplate onto the bottom the new radio. 13: install the new radio into the dash, program & enjoy. what little the radio was raised by the thickness of the additional baseplate will never be noticed. I have done this several times w/ various gm radios into diff gm vehicles, I've even gone as far as making custom harness adapters. I once put a factory cd head unit from a 98 Trans Am into an 84 Trans Am. same size radios, diff mounts & harness. But I made it work. Looked OEM when I was done.
 

nhyrum

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it's available in both slots, but I find the more common setup to be cassette in the head unit & cd in the slave.

if your handy, you can get a unit out of a 95+ Blazer or Jimmy (again, avoid the Bose models), as they were more common w/ cd in the head & cassette in the slave or grab a unit from a similar era Grand Prix. The G.P. unit will have red lights & some have an adjustable EQ on the face. They use the same dash plug. Here is where you need to be handy. 1: cut the mounts off of the new radio w/o damaging the radio. 2: remove the base plate from the gmt400 radio. 3: place the gmt400 base under the new radio. 4: mark up the plug side of the gmt400 baseplate on what needs to be removed to clear the plugs. 5: remove what is blocking access to the plugs. 6: remove the baseplate from the new radio to see where it will clear in new radio. 7: mark the open sections on the new radios baseplate. 8: align the 2 baseplates w/ the new plate inside the gmt400 plate. 9: mark 4-5 spots on the gmt400 baseplate & drill holes slightly smaller than the screws that you'll be installing, I just use ones from the donor radio. 10: screw the 2 plates together, separate. 11: put the new radios baseplate back on. 12: mount the gmt400 baseplate onto the bottom the new radio. 13: install the new radio into the dash, program & enjoy. what little the radio was raised by the thickness of the additional baseplate will never be noticed. I have done this several times w/ various gm radios into diff gm vehicles, I've even gone as far as making custom harness adapters. I once put a factory cd head unit from a 98 Trans Am into an 84 Trans Am. same size radios, diff mounts & harness. But I made it work. Looked OEM when I was done.
How difficult would it be to get both factory head and CD slave in? I don't mind losing the cubby.

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mars2878

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cassette head & a cd slave is easy. You need the 2 obvious parts, the head & the slave, you also need the patch cable that connects them. In some trucks, I was able to fish the cable out & in others it was clipped on the backside of the dash so I had to undo that 1st. There is plenty of room in the radio cavity to leave the patch cable, so no need to re fish it. Just make sure that it's installed & tested w/ in j/y's return period. You might find a slave that doesn't work. Make sure that you test it w/ a cd that you don't care about in case it's bad.
 

jayden Richey

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I want a factory radio. Period. I hate how aftermarket units look. Unless it's a nice, big ass double din

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If I remember right, crutchfield offers OE looking sterios that are way better than OE. Like $150 though. other than that I would just go to a local Pick n' Pull and get a used one, they sell them for $15.
 

nhyrum

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I would just go to a local Pick n' Pull and get a used one, they sell them for $15.

That's my plan. I don't have a "pick n pull" just a local wrecking yard, I tell them what I'm looking for and they go pull it. I got a hitch for 50 bucks. I'm guessing a radio will be about the same.

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