SantaCruz163

iTrader: (6)

I just picked up my first LS1 car (w00t w00t!!) and had a few questions in regards to the stereo system. First off, when I pulled the hatch speaker panels neither speaker was connected and there was no harness available to plug them in. It did however have the wiring for the CD changer in the left 'cubby hole'. There was also a connection on the left side; a Black & White wire into a Brown & White. Wasn't sure what that was all about. I did see the amp in the passenger side. Is there any way to run these hatch speakers with little modification if any?

Lastly, the previous owner installed an aftermarket HU and I want a stock unit instead. My question is, what is the difference in the stock Monsoon and a Bose unit; are they a direct plug-in of each other?

Thanks

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

The Bose system was never available in LS1 f-bodies - it was limited to 93-96 Camaros. It had very little in common with the Monsoon system and is not interchangeable. Bose systems had a special head unit that output low-level, high impedance signal to three or five (depending on options) specific speakers with individual amplifiers attached to them.

The Monsoon system uses a completely ordinary head unit. The only way to tell a Monsoon head unit from a base Delco unit is by the Monsoon logo - and many Monsoon systems didn't even have that. The "system" in a Monsoon is all in the external amp and matched speakers.

It sounds like the previous owner modified the system in a way that's fairly common for those who know how the Monsoon is set up. He probably replaced the sail panel subs with coaxial (full range) speakers. Since the factory signal to the sail panels is bass only, pulling the hatch speaker wires forward to the sail panels is a good way to get full range signal there.

SantaCruz163

iTrader: (6)

I'll have to check out what speakers are back there.

Since I want to install a factory head unit does it matter if it's a Monsoon or 'regular' head unit? Like I mentioned, there is an amp in the passenger quarter so this would leave me to believe that my car originally came with a Monsoon?

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Yes, you can use any standard head unit that has speaker-level output - factory or aftermarket. You can usually find Monsoon head units fairly cheap in the For Sale section or on eBay. Try to get one from 01-02 if you can (no earlier than 00) because that will give you the option of adding an auxiliary input for satellite radio, MP3 player, iPod, etc.

If you want to confirm that the car originally had a Monsoon, look for option code UZ7 on the door sticker (assuming it's the Camaro in your signature...W54 or W55 for a FireBird).