madpwr1

iTrader: (3)

i have a 99 trans am with a headunit that looks like this:



except the one in my car has a cd instead of tape ... i'd like to put the monsoon cd headunit that looks like this in:



my question is would i be able to just remove my headunit and replace it with the monsoon one, or does it need a different wiring harness or other modifications due to the equalizer on the monsoon headunit and that www.radiosandmore.com says that the monsoon headunit is for 00-02 firebirds? also are the speakers different in the monsoon system or is it just the headunit and amp? and how much are used monsoon hu or the whole system (please specify what the system consists of) sellin for?

thanks for help

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

The Monsoon system in the Firebird had 10 speakers (well, actually 10 drivers) - tweeters and mid-range in each door, subs in each sail panel, and tweeters and mid-range both sides of the hatch area. Early Monsoon head units did not say "Monsoon" on them, so your cassette HU might be a Monsoon unit (check the option codes on the door). If so, the newer CD head unit will plug right in. If not, you can probably still use the unit but it might not sound right. Even with the separate amp, the Monsoon system provided only speaker-level output at the head unit so it should still plug right in.

The equalizer makes no difference since it is entirely internal to the head unit and doesn't affect any other components (it's basically just a fancy tone control).

madpwr1

iTrader: (3)

well actually i have a cd hu, i just used that picture to show the other differences between the headunits ... it has the 10 speakers, well it has the 2 speakers and 2 tweeters in the door, 2 behind the seats and 2 in the hatch, i think the other 2 are suppose to be 2 tweeters in the hatch area but haven't checked for those ... well in any case i have the monsoon in my 98z and that's supposedly only 200watts and it blows the system in ta away which the monsoon is suppose to be 500watts so i don't think it's a monsoon, plus all the 99ta's i've seen with monsoon have the hu in the second picture, come to think of it i have yet to actually see any other ta with the hu that's in my ta ... in any case i'll still check the option codes to see if it is monsoon

thanks for the help ... anyone else can add any other info for me?

thanks

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Here are the codes to look for:
UL0 - 200W Monsoon cassette
UN0 - 200W Monsoon CD
U1A - non-Monsoon CD head unit with 10 speakers (could also have the U1C or U1T head unit with UW2 10-speaker option)
W54 - 500W Monsoon cassette
W55 - 500W Monsoon CD

madpwr1

iTrader: (3)

well i checked the code and it was "W55" so i guess it's the 500W Monsoon CD in the car then ... in the pictures the brackets and hole locations look to be different so will the hu with the equalizers be a direct replacement then and it'll work properly? also will the wiring be the same or will that have to be changed? ... just want to make sure all i need to do is unbolt the old one and unplug the back and reverse for the new one, i rather not spend any more time than that on this.

thanks for all the help whitebird00

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Yep, you can just unbolt and unplug the old one then plug in and bolt up the new one. No additional wiring or mounting modification is needed.

ncd1966

iTrader: (2)

my 98 trans am has the monsoon system and it looks like the 2nd pic above. Just for info

madpwr1

iTrader: (3)

yeah so did by 96 trans am, that's why i got thrown off by this hu and didn't think i had the monsoon system ... thanks for the help guys, now just gotta find a "monsoon" hu to switch out to