Replacing center console with seat

[Wayne Dohnal]

Having lived in a small cubicle most of my life I prefer space, and I want to get rid of the center console. I've already got it out and like the atmosphere a lot better, but the fold-down armrest on the bucket seat isn't very comfortable. I think my best bet is to get hold of one of the center seats used in the 40-20-40 setup, and I'm wondering if there is any prior experience here for doing the swap? It looks like I might be able to shoehorn the Bose amplifier under the dashboard in the center. I don't know what to do with the Bose subwoofer yet. Maybe it could fit under the center seat or under the back seat.

As a first step I want to find out what a center seat for a 40-20-40 setup would cost from GM. Does anybody here know that, or know the part number? It would be nice to avoid going to the dealer and having them tell me I'm crazy for doing this.

I won't spend too much time ranting about how in order to get the heated buckets that my wife wanted I had to spend $500 for the OnStar system I didn't want, $500 for the Bose system I didn't want, then even more to get rid of the center console I didn't want!

[Diesel Freak]

Wayne, I checked on doing the EXACT same thing, you need a few dashboard pieces and of course the seat. I checked with my dealer and his cost would be just under $500. I haven't done it yet because I'm not sure what to do with the rear seat audio controls (crew cab), the sub, and the amplifier. As well as no longer having HVAC vents to the rear passengers. Let me know what you come up with.

Jerry

[Wayne Dohnal]

Here are a few things I know and/or am planning:

- Right now I've got the console out and have the radio outputs looped back to the speakers at the big connector for everything in the console. The radio knows if the Bose amp is there or not and drives the speakers when it isn't there (not as loud and with lower quality, but it works). The service manual says that the Bose amp tells the radio of its presence with a status message on the serial bus. But my Bose amp doesn't connect to the serial bus. So there is either some other way the radio knows of the amp's presence, or this status message is actually being sent by the rear seat audio controller. If the rear controller isn't sending the status, you could just leave it unconnected. Alternatively, maybe there's a way to mount it on the back of the center seat, but then you'd have to run the wires to it.

- Before I get the dash pieces I want to see if there is some way to gracefully graft the bezel with the power outlets and storage compartments into the center of the dash. I'd like to retain these if I can.

- It looks like there are heater vents for the back under the front seats, so the console vents might only be for fresh air and A/C. I'm just going to give them up. I don't think they exist at all in the bench seat models.

- $500+ is more than I want this to cost, but it's good to know this as a starting point. I'll at least try to find a center seat on eBay or from one of the outfits that replaces the factory seats. I don't think I'd mind the center seat being cloth. This will probably be a several-month-long project!

[ 03-19-2003: Message edited by: Wayne Dohnal ]</p>

[Diesel Freak]

Wayne, do you think there's a chance that the sub and amp would fit under the center seat? Maybe move to under the driver's or passenger's seat? I've been trying to figure a way to remount the audio controls as well, not a heck of alot of luck. Maybe some kind of box on the floor right behind the center seat, but I'm not sure if that would interfere with folding the rear seat up.

[Wayne Dohnal]

Diesel, I went to the dealer, spent some time with a 40-20-40 front seat truck, and figured out a few things. There is no way that the sub will fit under the center seat. The Bose amp might fit there, but it would be pretty tight. I think the only hope for the sub is to build a new enclosure for it and shoehorn it under or behind a back seat. I also don't think there is any hope of re-using the sub's stock enclosure. It's pretty much the core of the console with everything else built around it. I know using my own enclosure will affect the sound quality, but I hope it won't ruin it too much. I don't care about the rear seat audio controls, so I'm not thinking about them at all.

As I pondered what to do with the open hole in the center of the dash I noticed that it at least seems possible to cut down the tail piece from the center console and fit in in there with the power outlet and drink holder. It would be great to have that drink holder up there, but I could easily turn the tail piece into a piece of trash trying. Another possibility is that if I replaced the lower right dash trim with the stock panel from a 40-20-40 truck, there might be enough space behind it in the center for the Bose amp. Keeping the amp up front would eliminate the need to fish all those wires under the rug.

My dealer quoted me $698 for a center seat assembly, and $167 for a new lower right dash trim panel. Do you have a dealer who sells to you at cost? That would be nice!

I found a center seat on eBay and bought it last night. It's from a Tahoe and it's cloth, but it's the right trim color for me. I got the measurements from the seller and it looks like it's either a direct bolt-in or really close. It will be about 2 weeks before I get it and I probably won't make any more progress until then. I'll revisit the sub issue when I get the seat, but it looked pretty hopeless to me at the dealer. I wonder how many times I'll have the front seats out before I finish this project?

[Wayne Dohnal]

Here's more info on the audio system. I got the subwoofer enclosure out of the console. It's held in by 9 screws and a couple of pins. The hard part for me was finding all of the screws. Before I got it out I was assuming that the enclosure was a highly engineered shape and size that I could never hope to duplicate (sound-wise) making my own enclosure. After getting it out I feel like its shape was highly engineered to fit around everything else in the console. I'm not scared of making my own enclosure anymore. The stock sub enclosure will not fit behind the back seat. It will fit under a back seat, but if it's there you can't fold the seat down. When you fold the seat down it is almost flat against the floor. Almost nothing will fit under it.

Now that I've had the experience of running the radio without the Bose amp for a while I can say that without a doubt it sounds better with the amp. But the effect of the subwoofer is another story. Using a few CDs, primarily the Footloose sound track, I set out to determine how much the sub adds to the sound quality. My conclusion is that with the bass at midrange I can detect absolutely no difference in the sound. With the bass cranked up all the way I can detect a very slight bass addition when the sub is connected. I also tried the sub driver out of its enclosure and could not detect any sound difference regardless of the radio's bass setting. It was interesting watching the cone bouncing around, however. My conclusion is that the sub is there for the brocures and the marketing department, and does little or nothing for the sound. The sub driver is 5" in diameter, the enclosure is plastic, with one port, and about 0.45 cubic feet.

The system works the same with or without the rear seat audio controller, but if it's not plugged in you have to jumper the four rear seat audio feed wires to get sound from the rear speakers.

[ 03-23-2003: Message edited by: Wayne Dohnal ]</p>

[RONCLYDE]

DOES ANYONE HAVE THE PART NUMBER FOR THE CENTER SEAT? 2001 GREY CLOTH