The Comvette Project

Overview

Do you own an early 4th generation (1984-1989) Corvette? Is your car equipped with a BOSE system? Are you frustrated by the lack of options when it comes to repairing or upgrading your BOSE sound system?

The Comvette Project grew out of a need to find a way to bring these early 4th generation cars out of the past and into the present while preserving the aesthetics and integrity of these wonderful cars.

When the 4th generation Corvette was being developed, GM worked with BOSE to create a sound system for the new Corvette. The BOSE sound system was a wildly popular option. Of the 206,218 Corvettes built from 1984 to 1989, 90% were equipped with the BOSE sound system.

Unfortunately time has not been kind to our BOSE systems. So let's look at the challenges of retrofitting a new head unit into a BOSE equipped system:

Form factor: The 1.5-DIN form factor that GM chose to use is not a popular one with aftermarket manufacturers. There's not a lot to choose from. So, your options are to either install a 1-DIN system which typically lacks a touch-screen and video playback, and requires filler plates to hide the unused space above and below the head. Or you can hack up the dashboard to try and shoehorn a 2-DIN system into the 1.5-DIN opening to get the touch-screen and video playback that you really want.
Audio interface: The BOSE head unit has only an audio pre-amp and works with the BOSE speakers which have their own built-in power amplifiers. To install a modern head unit (which has built-in power amplifiers) requires that the new head unit's outputs be attenuated in order to interface with the BOSE speaker units. This has led to many perfectly good BOSE speaker units being removed and replaced with regular speakers.
Aging components: As the BOSE head units are now quite old, many of the parts are difficult to find or unavailable. If you can find service parts, you still have to find someone who has the skills to perform the needed repairs. This can be very expensive.
Advances in technology: The BOSE head unit offered AM/FM Stereo and a cassette deck. Hardly state of the art by todays standards. Most new head units offer AM and FM Stereo tuners, CD players, DVD players, backup cameras, GPS navigation and auxillary inputs.

All of these factors have convinced me that there is a sizable group of C4 owners who could benefit from a drop-in replacement for the BOSE head unit. One that addresses the above issues and is also upgradable as new features are required.

My foremost priority is to build a unit that blends with the "F-14A Tomcat" design asthetic of the early C4's and has today's technology inside. And no dashboard hacks!

Here's a list of items that I want to incorporate into this project over time:

☑ FM stereo radio.
☑ MP3 audio player.
☑ MP4 video player.
☑ GPS flight recorder.
☐ OBD1 diagnostics display and data logging. (in progress)
☑ WiFi connectivity for loading MP3/MP4 media.
☑ Cellular connectivity for internet access on the road.
☐ Sport seat recliner and bolster control.
☐ Dash-Cam recorder.
☐ Backup camera.

At the core of The Comvette Project is a Raspberry Pi micro-computer running Linux. The benefit of having a Linux based computer at its core is that it can be customized in ways not yet imagined.

It's an ambitious project and the major parts are complete but there's still more to be done. That's why I've released the source code and supporting files to the public as "Open Source". Hopefully others will join in and we'll have an amazing project!

Have questions about The Comvette Project?

Email Me!