1971 Buick Accessory Cassette Player?

[72Buickguy]

Does anyone know about a Buick dealer accessory cassette player? In the accessories section of the 71 Buick service manual, there's a picture showing how to install a transmission-hump mounted cassette player. I don't see any mention of that accessory in any of my 71 Buick literature. Pontiac offered one in 71 and 72, but has anyone seen a Buick with one?

[Guest my3buicks]

Are you talking cassette or 8 track? Buick Master parts book dated September 1972 only list 8 track players. First Buick useage of tape player was introduced mid 1967 as a one year only style/design. A couple ohtner styles designs for underdash where available thru at leawst 73. Also available in radio in early 70's.

[NTX5467]

A couple of scenarios . . . considering the GM Service Manuals would have had to be approved, printed, and distributed to the dealership network at or before the late fall vehicle introductions, I suspect that finalization process would have stopped in the early part of 1970 (for 1971 vehicles). Therefore, the option could have been approved at that time but pulled later on or shifted more to a Delco Radio GM Accessory situation. At that time, cassettes were pretty high-tech but 8-tracks were still pretty popular. Possibly more technology than was needed for the Buick owner (with all due respect) but was more in line with Pontiac?

At that time, Chrysler was offering a hump or console mounted cassette player/recorder unit as an option on their midsize and larger cars. It was a regular option and in the sales brochures AND they sold some in cars.

I did see a Delco Radio cassette player unit for a 1971 or 1972 Firebird at a local Delco Radio Service Station. It was a console mount unit. It required a matching radio with a round plug-in for the communications and power cable from the unit to attach to, but the radio could be modified and hard-wired to the tape unit also. If the radio was set up for the tape player, but no tape player was in the car, then there was a block-off plug that was put into the radio's tape-ready plug-in connector. Similar as to if the radio was "multiplex ready" but no multiplex adapter was installed nor the additional speakers for the non-mono sound situation.

I have a 1970 Camaro assembly manual. It lists many things that were aproved for production but were pulled prior to production. Things like 4-speaker stereo radio (which didn't happen until about 1980 for Firebirds and not Camaros), bumper rub strips, and a few other things. Possibly the same thing happened on the Buick cassette?

The definitive source of verifying the situation would be a Delco Radio Parts Manual (which the repair stations would have had). The ones of these I've seen list the Delco part number, application by model and year, and other data that would be on the paper tag attached to the radio or sound system unit.

During the early 1970s time frame, if the item was an approved accessory item, it would not appear in the regular GM parts book, but in the GM Accessory Parts book, or as in the case of Delco Radio items, in the Delco Radio Parts Manual (which detailed which radios went in which cars and other items to install the radio where there was not already a radio/speaker setup). The Delco Radio Service Center parts book would mirror what the GM parts book did for cars, but would be for the radios (i.e., diodes, resistors, potentiometers, light bulbs).

Hope this helps . . .

NTX5467

[72Buickguy]

It is definitely a cassette player, not an 8-track. It's figure 150-3 in the 71 Buick Service Manual. The page is titled "Cassette Tape Player Installation - All Series". It show's dimensions for cutting the carpet on the transmission hump for installing the mounting bracket. That seems to indicate a Buick dealer accessory to me.

[GMPARTSMAN]

I worked in a Pontiac dealership from 1971 to 1972, and I can remember the large

amount of warranty repairs required by the remote cassette units. The problem that I remember was that they used to eat tapes. Generally they were repeat offenders, once a tape eater, always a tape eater. GM discontinued them after the 1972 model year, and sold the units that were left over very cheaply. I bought one and mounted it in my Vega (thereby doubling the value of the car) through '76, never lost a tape in it. If I remember right, I paid $10.00 for the

player and $20.00 for the wiring harness to connect it to the radio.