Having just purchased a '92 Formula 350, I am wondering about my options for upgrading the stock (yes, it has the stock stereo) unit. This car is pretty unmolested, and I would like to avoid hacking things up. Could anyone recommend a nice CD receiver that will fit directly in the stock location? Speakers?

I'm not sure that I need giant amps or bass boxes. I'm 29 and don't listen to rap, preferring rock and punk. Maybe an amp, but no bass monsters...

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

I get a kick out of how people think that you only need subs if you're into rap and want to shake your fillings loose. The truth is, if you want any of the bottom couple octaves of your music, then you want a sub. A single 8" or 10" sub in the car is more than enough if you don't want super loud volumes, but will fill out the bottom end with a natural, clean sound.

Anyway, to answer the rest of your questions, any standard head unit will fit into your car with a mounting kit. The kit comes with an adapter that holds the new radio and bolts right into the spot where the factory radio was. You should also buy a wiring harness that plugs into the factory wiring instead of hacking it up. It's neater, cleaner, allows you to revert back to stock easily, and most of all, doesn't require you to chop up the car.

There aren't a lot of really good options for front speakers because you're stuck with 4x6s, and the driver side speaker location is very tight. You can fit better 4x6s if you're willing to heat and move the plastic heater box assembly a little bit, but if not, you don't have a lot of options. For much better quality, you could opt for a pair of kick panel speakers. Myself and 1 or 2 other guys here build custom kick panels, and they slide right into place where the stock ones were without making any other modifications to your car. This will allow you to run a nice pair of 6.5" component speakers. You'll get vastly better sound quality as well as much improved imaging.

For rear speakers, well, if you opt for a nice set of front component speakers, I wouldn't even use rear speakers. Let all the money go into 1 good set that's up front where your sound belongs.

But... if you stick with 4x6s, they have absolutely no midbass whatsoever, so it would be a good idea to get a decent set of 6x9s (preferrably the same brand and model line as the 4x6s to maintain consistent sound) to help fill in the low end.

For an amp... I'd suggest a nice modestly priced 4 channel amp from a reputable company. Sounddomain.com sells Rockford and Kicker refurbs at fantastic prices, and the amps are very good quality. If you do decide on a sub, you can use 2 channels of the amp for the sub and the remaining 2 for the front speakers. If you don't get a sub, you can use the 4 channels for the 4 interior speakers.

Just remember... your music isn't all there if you don't have a sub. Don't think for a minute that all systems with subs sound like boom-boom-boom rap mobiles. A properly integrated sub will just provide the lower couple octaves with a seamless integration to the rest of the speakers without drawing attention to iteslf or getting overwhelming. Most car stereos sound that way because that's what the owner wants.

 

I'm not sure I could ask for a more thorough answer to my questions, so thank you very much.

I accept the fact that my knowledge of audio systems is basic...I've installed a few systems over the years, but just basic setups. So, I appreciate your correction of my perception that subs are for thumping rap-mobiles only.

The kickpanels you mention sound like what I would want to go with. Do you build them to sell, or just for your own projects? If I use them, do I then eliminate the stock front speaker locations entirely? No sound quality is lost from having the speakers down low, by my feet?

Thanks again for helping me out, I always enjoy learning new things.

 

You could simply un-wire the stock 4x6s in the dash or completely remove them, and the sound quality is much better in the custom kickpanels, the speakers are slightly angles to give the best imaging possible, and separating the tweeter also aids in imaging. And since it seems you do not want to go over-the-top or go at all with a sub, a very good, very clean and still cheap sub is an Image Dynamics IDQ, in my opinion they are the best SQ sub for the price (about $150). But if you do not especially want a sub a nice set of 6.5 components will add much greater sound to your ride

 

Also, Ive kinda been wondering about this, my friend had an '86 Camaro awhile ago and said he saw a cover for aftermarket stereos in third gens and he basically set it has a piece of spring mounted plastic that you could cover your CD player with to give a little extra security, has anybody heard or seen this?

 

I'm glad I could help. You caught me in a good mood yesterday, which is why I gave a much more thorough explanation than I usually do.

By the way, I'm not too far from your neck of the woods. I'm in North Adams. Anyway, if you want more specific information about my kick panels, send me a PM or IM me at Jim85IROC.

 

or you could keep it stock... what radio did it come with? Stereo/tape player; stereo/tape player with 5 band eq; advanced etr tape player with steering wheel controls; or the CD player? Oh by the way, nice grand prix

 

Thanks for the kind words on the GP...it is pretty bad-*** looking, IMO.

The Formula has a casette player, that I know, but I can't answer the rest of your questions until I get the car here this weekend. I think my fiance would appreciate a mild upgrade to the system, though...she really likes to cruise with her iPod mini!

Jim, I'll PM you later about your speaker panels

 

It is man, i love the front ends on those cars, shape of the hood and such... awsome.