Matt's SC 97 Riviera

Mattwa wrote:

I install my LED interior lights I got in the mail. I replaced 9 bulbs in the cabin, (8 that you see and one in the glovebox. And I got a 9 LED bulb for inside the trunk...not as impressed with that, but since I cheaped out on that one, it's better then the bulb that was in there before, that's for sure.

I love the LED's!! Only drawback in a Riv, is that the LED's don't like to be "dimmed out" like the lights do in these cars. Fiero's don't do that, so it's not an issue there. What happens is they flicker/blink as they dim. I can live with it...I think. That and the buttons to manually turn on the map lights etc. don't work anymore either.

Sorry about the poor pictures, but I think it gets the point across.

Before-




And after!-

Thanks for posting about your LED conversion, when I do mine (someday) I will try getting the type of LEDs that don't care about polarity (can be plugged into sockets either way) and see fi they work better.

I put an LED in the foot well lamp in my son's car (a ford) and it worked fine and dinned right.

Z-type wrote:

Ooooo I like the LED's. That's odd about the map lights...they have the same power source the whole time, really, so what's the difference. Hm...

The difference is the same thing that makes electrical mods in the Riv so tricky - basically you could think of it as a "floating" ground for lighting and accessory wiring (it's not really but...) and circuits are switched sometimes by grounding them, sometimes by applying + to something that's already grounded, and sometimes by applying + where a ground was so there is no voltage drop across a bulb (both sides are +12 so the light does not come on). This is also why we say so much "read the fine manual and wiring diagrams" when people have electrical issues. You really have to.

Albertj

I read the diagrams in my 97 factory service manual that I bought, and it's a weird setup. Basically, there is the power from the BCM on one side of the bulb, and two possible different paths on the other side. Normally, the other side of the bulb is connected to another wire going to the BCM...when you use the switch though, it goes right to ground. So, my guess is, if I took out the bulb and flipped it around, the switch would work, but normal operation would not. These LED's are sensitive, the normal incandescent ones obviously are not.

Edit: yea, Albert beat me too it... But yea, I have LED's in my Fiero's as well, and have no issues with it at all. Because it's such a simple circuit. On/off..thats it. None of this fancy delay lighting stuff like in the Riv. I swear, there is a module for a module for a module in this car...

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Mattwa wrote:

I read the diagrams in my 97 factory service manual that I bought, and it's a weird setup. Basically, there is the power from the BCM on one side of the bulb, and two possible different paths on the other side. Normally, the other side of the bulb is connected to another wire going to the BCM...when you use the switch though, it goes right to ground. So, my guess is, if I took out the bulb and flipped it around, the switch would work, but normal operation would not. These LED's are sensitive, the normal incandescent ones obviously are not.

Edit: yea, Albert beat me too it... But yea, I have LED's in my Fiero's as well, and have no issues with it at all. Because it's such a simple circuit. On/off..thats it. None of this fancy delay lighting stuff like in the Riv. I swear, there is a module for a module for a module in this car...

I wonder if there are LEDs that would work in this application, that have a chip in them allowing you to put them in the socket either way. They'd light up depending on absolute voltage potential across the terminals, not based on which terminal is positive or what not.

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Today I installed new front struts, and new strut mounts. Kinda of a PITA job, but it's done. However, there is now a nasty clunk when I hit a bump or pothole. I'm pretty sure it's loose strut nuts at the top, and I have no idea how to tighten them like they are now (installed), while keeping the actual strut shaft from turning. Mades me frustrated I can't do it, but I think I'm going to let the alignment shop take care of it, as it really needs to go there anyway, since I have alot of new suspension parts on this car now, AND it has some really bad Toe out in the front, whenever I make a turn at speed the tires squeal like crazy, and you can tell from the surface of the front tires too..really wearing them.

Hoping to have an alignment done very soon.

Nice job on the strut brace! Looks perfectly good to me .

Got my Riv back from the alignment, much better!! No clunking and drives very solid and is as solid as an arrow. Plan to rotate tires soon.

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Very smooth lookin setup there! Love seeing the 1400 head unit actually installed in a riv since I'm literally about to go out and buy one...definitely sealed the deal here

Mine is a 3400, but yea, more or less the same thing, I just have more features.

Meant that series of the new avh line but yeah. I'd actually be springing for the hd radio and Bluetooth for my Android too anyhow. Just glad to see it sits so well in there and good to know you're enjoying it so far. Only fun part of my install will be the parking brake bypass so my passengers can zone out to a movie on long trips haha

I have the bypass installed as well. I bought one from eBay for $15 I think.

To bypass the parking brake just ground the parking brake wire coming from the head unit. The wire is usally pink

No, it's not that simple anymore. It tells you to connect the light green parking brake wire to the power source of the parking brake switch. Therefore, it's more of a complex circuit that requires a little bypass "module" like I bought.

Yea your right, if you put the parking brake power wire to a switch that you can turn on or off, you can bypass the parking brake

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Looks like a great setup, and I can tell you installed it the right way. Good work man!

Great job, Matt. I'm still drooling a bit over those EXACTs. Way to go choosing a variety of affordable cutting edge components with some old school classics mixed in. Gotta love using the best from Japan and USA to get good results! Can't wait to hear more about how it all sounds after you tune everything.

AA wrote:

Great job, Matt. I'm still drooling a bit over those EXACTs. Way to go choosing a variety of affordable cutting edge components with some old school classics mixed in. Can't wait to hear more about how it all sounds!

I'm drooling over that crossover much more than the driver itself, lol.

Although those do look like nice dirvers.

That head unit is awesome though :o

EXACT crossovers from that period are highly sought after in audio circles for some reason. That was before Sound Stream got bought and started sourcing from overseas. Very similar if not the same units used with the separates. If you know anything about speakers, you know the filters are a big part of getting the right sound. There are better coaxials out there, but none of this caliber still brand new in the box for the price he paid.

Matt - have you tried different high-pass settings for the fronts? I like to tune by turning the subs off, and just playing the fronts. Start at around 150 Hz and play them loud enough that you would comfortably listen. If they handle that, see what happens when you try 100 Hz. Play some kick drums and hip-hop bass tracks to see if they can take it. If you hear any distortion in the bass, clipping, or other noises, go back to 150 Hz, or 180 Hz, 200 Hz, etc., until they sound clean. Be careful when you play low bass to the fronts. If you hear a "clack", that's bad - abandon that filter setting and raise the high-pass to a higher value. Be gentle, keep your hand near the volume knob!

Now bring up the sub level. Cut it off really low, like 60 Hz and down. Get the volume where it sounds good with the highs, then try higher filter: 75Hz or 90Hz, until the midbass starts to impose. I prefer a slight gap between the subs and fronts, like 125 Hz-up for the fronts, 80 Hz-down for the sub. This works well with 12 dB/oct slopes. If you have 18 dB/oct or 24dB/octave options, you can move the crossover points a little closer together. Sometimes it's cool to try a steeper slope on the fronts to get some extra midbass from the doors, while keeping a 12 dB slope on the sub. Lots of tuning will get you sweet results!