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AM/FM Radio info


Barney Eaton

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I did some parts trading with a former Delco employee and received an AM/FM radio that appears new... no signs it was ever installed.

Someone has noted on the side 82 #16009960, while the instruction sheet in the box are for a 1224198 radio.

Does anyone have an accessory or parts book that would clarify. It appears to be the size for a full size Buick, Olds, Pontiac

I have not tested yet but expect it to be like new (box it came in has no marking on outside)

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On production radios, there was the normal printed paper tag with an "ID" number and a GM Part Number on it. If there is a separate brown wire, that's the "memory wire" for th internal clock, if it has one. There was a separate ACDelco Radio catalog in the 1980s. It had all of the carlines listed and what production numbers and GM part numbers in it. When we got those catalogs, it made things much easier to deal with radio upgrades and such. Also detailed what was in the installation kits, too, plus what speaker systems went with which radios AND where the speakers were located. The GM parts books had some of the same information, but "in pieces" in the catalog groups for each item.

Pictures of the front and of the electrical plug-in on the back? In some cases, the same radio chassis would have a different part number depending upon where the outer transistor heat sinks were located (on the back or on the side).

The "16009960" might be the GM part number, whereas the "1224198" number might be a DELCO Radio number for the base chassis, I suspect.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

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Looks like late '70s to earlier '80s. That's the "unified" connector on the back. The wiring schematic should be stamped into the top piece of the case.

Actually, the unified connector is THREE separate connectors which have index "fins" to ensure they only plug in one way (the little slots on the rh side of the opening in the case match the "fins"). One section is power items, another section is the front speakers, and the other section is the rear speakers. Do NOT operate the radio without some "load" on each of the speakers, otherwise the outputs can "smoke", as I recall. This radio was built post-internal grounded speakers . . . i.e., "2 wires for each speaker" and pre-digital displays.

Each carline division had their own front faceplate cosmetics and style of knobs. This was the more mainstream model, though. A pretty good radio, especially with some good (i.e., dual cone, moderate size magnet) speakers.

Thanks for the pictures, Barney.

Enjoy!

NTX5467

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If the knobs are original it is undoubtedly an1977-1980 Chevrolet radio. May be Pontiac. Here's something I personally experienced.

My Father in Law bought a used 80 Cadillac Coupe De Ville which he gave to us when he wanted a new car. The radio always seemed to sound tinney in that car. The front speakers sounded richer than the factory 6 x 9's in the rear shelf. Eventually I could not take that sound anymore and bought an after market Sony. I planned to get new rear speakers a week later. Upon removal I found a similar AVIS sign on the side of the radio. We put in the new radio and the rear speakers really came to life. I concluded that those Avis spec radios may be somewhat inferior.

Maybe it was just that Caddy's, maybe not. I would recommend bench testing that unit before spending any time installing it.

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OK here are front and rear pictures. If anyone knows when they were made, I will hunt for a connector for the rear so I can easily test all the outputs.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]276133[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]276132[/ATTACH]

It is not a single connector, but three connectors. It is a white, blue, and a black connector. On the right side of the opening are the "keys" for the different connectors. Two of the connectors are for speakers, and the third (I think black) is for the power, ground, etc.

Here is a picturepost-44099-143142797217_thumb.png

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I'll concur with the three separate connectors, although there were some aftermarket connectors which were "solid" insulator connectors. In the factory wiring harness, all three pieces were "as one" when they were pulled out or pushed in, though. Certainly more "one" than the prior separate and individual connectors of earlier Delco radios.

Back then, not all Delco radios were created "equal". Generally, they were, but some carlines used different amps than other carlines did, or even the lesser radios did. Typically, the more expensive the radio, the better output amps it had. Until they started using better speakers (usually with a "foam rolled suspension" of the "paper"), one of the best upgrades was a pair/set of aftermarket speakers (i.e., Jensen, back then). It was surprising how much total frequency response the factory speakers didn't have, in many cases. By the middle '80s, though, things had improved significantly in the amp/speaker realm of Delco radios.

The same radio chassis might have a differently-styled faceplate relative to the carline it was used in. Cadillacs were usually the most ornate, with fancier knobs and such. Available installation space could dictate where the heat sinks/amps were located on the case, too. EVERY change generated a unique part number for the particular radio. If you knew the intricacies of which carline used which faceplate/knob combination, it was easy to determine which carline used which radio . . . but that was "back then", when I was much more involved in taking care of our radio inventory.

In the later '80s, Buick was one of the first GM division to use separate high frequency tweeters located on the front door panel. By the early '90s, it was like there was a race to see how many speakers a system could have, from the factory. Concert Sound II was the basic Buick upgrade speaker system, with Concert Sound III having the most speakers in the car. Sometimes, if a "coax" speaker was used, that counted for EACH of the components in the speaker (coax=2, triax=3). THOSE were the days!

Enjoy!

NTX5467

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