1997 cav aftermarket cd player installation...

[aznstealthsnake]

I just called up best buy to install my cd player and it they said it would be around $100 for INSTALLATION with the parts. Its pricey but i think i can do it myself . Is it hard to install on the 97 cav? If anyone can help me out i need a tutorial and i checked google but i found nothing.

[Classicrocjunkie]

Dude.... its a snap. You need a wire harness, antenna adaptor, and the mounting kit... go to autozone, pepboys and get a kit for a GM car.. all the stuff should be in the kit and cost about 25-30 bucks...to get the dash off.... its a pain becuase u have to take the whole thing apart... It would help if you had a haynes repair maunal..... lemme see if i can help you out without you having to buy one...open the fuse box and there should be 1 black screw that obviously hold the top dash on.. remove it ( i don't remember the socket size but its really small).. but all the screws you need to remove are all the same size.. go in your glove box... there should be 2 gold bolts that are side by side...remove those... there should be a viewing hole and remove them from there... make sure your tool is magnetic or have small hands so you don't drop the bolts.... then there should be 2-3 black ones along the top of the glove box and remove those aswell....next pop open the passenger side, where the fuse box was located on the adjacent seide... remove i more bolt from there... Get a philips screw driver and remove the screw from the defroster vent.. there should be two moe screw under that...not sure of the count but all holding the dash on... no the only thing holding the dash on is pop clips so work your way around your guage cluster.... oh and do not puncture the air bag.... now with that removed... the only thing left to remove the the outer trim... look around and remove the screw holding that on... i think there is 3-4 holding that on... around your stock deck it held on with more retaining clips... carfully pry those out... your cancer stick lighter wire will still be atached to the trim to carfully move it ontop of the exposed gus of the dash and don't puncture the air bag.... install your deck and put it all back in order and make sure the bolt on the glove box are back in place for your air bag..

[aznstealthsnake]

wow...sounds like a lot of work...but thanks a lot i think you just saved me about $100...thanks.

[Classicrocjunkie]

its really easy... there is just a bunch of little black screws... and its obvious what ones you have to take out... i've had mine and other kids with cavaliers apart over 20 times puttin decks in for them... i think i can take apart the whole thing in 5 min or less..

[Classicrocjunkie]

1 more thing too.... when you do it yourself... less people know what you have in there, so less of a chance of them finding your car and stealing from you, you also might want to invest in a alarm system since these cars are cake to break into.... i learned that the hard way..... i got a 400 dollar valet system in mine... sensors in front and rear..

[aznstealthsnake]

Well ill be doing it probably next week. I just ordered a kit from crutchfield. anyways will i be able to install gauges at the same time or i need to open something else??

[Classicrocjunkie]

what kind of guages are we talkin about... like ones that go in pods... like A/F ration, voltage, Oil pressure..e.t.c.?.. i don't know how to wire those, its best left up to someone who knows what they are doing... but yes if you know what you are doing.. its would be a perfect time to install..

[aznstealthsnake]

I actually ment like a face plate i dont know what its called. you know when you can change the color of your speedometer..stuff like that. i think its called a bezel im not sure...sorry im new to cars

[Classicrocjunkie]

Guage overlay??... as long as is not stupid things, usually people are nice and will help you out. But if you have any questions, i have a wide variety of knowledge for the 2.2 engine.. seeing i have just about ripped the whole dang thing apart 4 times... its basically brand new...But doing the over lay take a little bit more time and you might want to invest in a haynes manual.... i have still yet to replace those on my car.. but i will eventually get to it...but from what i have heard and read... keeping track of needle position is a persice task...

[KJRich]

If you're going to white-face or indiglo gauges, then yes, now is a perfect time to do it. But, you'll find, like Classicrocjunkie said, if you have the dash apart a time or two, it won't be so bad.

[jayson716]

yes once you take it apart once it is very easy...