Steering Wheel Radio Control Adapter for F-Cars(Firebird and Camaro) and
J-Cars(Sunfire)
Have you ever wanted to install a "killer" aftermarket system in your
car, but didn't want to give up your cool (and convienient) steering wheel controls? I
did, and I found out there was no one out there making an adapter to do the job. That's
why I did something about it.....
I have created an adapter to integrate GM's radio controls with Sony aftermarket
stereos that have a jack for a wired remote. Currently the adapter is only known to work
with 1993-2000 Firebirds, 1999-2000 Camaros and all Sunfires equipped with steering wheel
controls. Theoretically, it will work with all GM cars that have Vol Up,Vol
Dn,Play,Mute,Seek Up,SeekDn,AM/FM and Preset buttons, but I only
know for sure it will work with the F-cars and the J-cars.
The device is very simple to install. It only has 4 wires: A red wire that connects to ignition power,a blue wire that connects to the output of the
steering wheel controls, and a black wire that connects to ground. The
other wire is a cable that has a stereo mini jack on the end which plugs
into the Sony stereo's wired remote control jack.
My design can be adapted to work with other brand of stereos using infared remotes,but
that is a bit more compilcated and requires a "donor" remote and drilling into
the trim panel around the radio to place the infared LED's.
If demand warrants it, I will make my adapter work compatable with other brands of
stereos. For now,ya need a Sony with the wired remote jack. Why not think about upgrading
to a Sony...they've got some really cool
stuff!
This adapter actually is not quite ready yet....I need to make sure I can duplicate
them reliably and relatively easily. The prototype in my 2000 Firehawk has been
functioning flawlessly for about a month. I will also be figuring the price, which I
expect to be less than $100.
I will eventually post pictures here, and I will try to research just how many GM
vehicles my adapter will work with.
By the way,YES I do have a Monsoon system, and YES my Sony connects directly into the
system without bypassing the Monsoon amplifier, and YES, it sounds good! Actually, with
the recent addition of the amplified subwoofer in the trunk, it sounds AWSOME! The sub is
a 100 watt powered Thunderform, made by MTX specifically for '93-'00 F-Cars It is not
really for convertibles(like mine), but if you want a sub in your F-Car and you dread
giving up too much space, this is the way to go! It is actually designed to fit under the
trim panel in the rear of the driver's side(where the pump goes for the top in ragtops)
You can get it from Crutchfield
in powered(around $400) and unpowered(around $230) versions. It is not listed on their web
site and if you call, you might have to convince the salesperson that this thing exists,
but trust me...it does!
You can E-mail me if you have any questions about
the adapter or my system.