Delco Radio

[born2saw]

My (I think) original AM/FM stereo only plays through one channel (the right). For the sake of originality and because I usually listen to the car and not the radio, I really do not want to tear out the Delco & put in an aftermarket. My question is how much of a hassel is it to tear into the dash & check all the wiring & speaker (there is no sound at all from the left, not even static). It looks like a nightmare to get into. Are these radios reapirable if it is the radio?

I doubt I want to spend a lot of time & money on the radio as I doubt it will sound very good in even the best of repair or that I will even be able to hear it with the top down.

Hearing others experiences will help me decide (besides, my Volvo Turbo Wagon has a kick a-- stereo & is great for hauling parts).

 

[Ala75Vette]

Getting to the left (driver side) dash speaker was probably the biggest hassle I've had working on my car. And that includes popping the ball joint stud from the PS control valve out when I replaced it !!!! You have to remove most of the dash, including the driver side speedometer & tach, and pop up the dash pad to get to the sucker. I replaced mine right after I bought my car (while my desire to install a decent stereo was still fresh & strong), but if the stupid thing were to break now, I'd just install a kick panel speaker on that side, because it's waaaay too much trouble to get to the dash speaker. Just my opinion, but of course, once one embarks on a quest & obsesses about it sufficiently...... where there's a will, there's a way! Good luck.

 

[smurfvet]

If you pull the cover panel by your right foot off on the center console (at least on my 74), you should be able to get to the speaker plug on the radio. As I remember, there are three wires, or four depending on the type radio. If it's three, the wires are right, common and left. Hook up a working speaker and try it. The pins in the radio are standard 1/4" spades, just use insulated ones as the casings of those radios do spark when you hit them with even speaker voltage.

I agree with the previous post- taking the driver's side of the dash off is almost a weekend "leave me alone until I'm done" job.

 

[cruzer99]

I had to pull my Delco out of my 82 a couple of weeks ago because it just quit. I wanted to have it repaired because I want to keep the car as much orginal as possible. I found a shop near by that services the "OLD" style radios, as they call the non-digital ones, complete service for $60. If you need info on the shop let me know or I can post the address and phone if there is an interest.

 

[smurfvet]

There's a Delco electronics service center in Syracuse called United Radio or United Electric. Most areas should have one of these factory authorized places to go to. I sent a couple of other items to them for service, like the fancy electronic dash on my 89 Blazer that used to let all the smoke out of it so it stopped working.

I know these guys have seen most everything that could happen with these radios, so they can give you an accurate idea of what's going on.

 

[born2saw]

Thanks for the input. I assumed from looking at the assembly & service manuals that getting to the speaker would be a major undertaking & I'm not sure I want to go there. I think there are some other projects I would rather spend time on my car other than the radio (like driving it!!). The info on the wires is good advice, I can test the radio & figure out where to go from there. How tacky would it be to put a speaker in a box behind the drivers seat?? :eyerole

 

[Ala75Vette]

....wouldn't be tacky at all! They sell them (aka 'custom boom boxes') in several of the major corvette catalog sales stores (Eckler's, Mid America, etc). You could almost certainly make one & carpet it yourself a bit cheaper than buying one, if you were so inclined. Only problem you may run into if you're keeping the original Delco is wattage (or, more specifically, lack thereof). A friend of mine with a '71 had to special order low wattage speakers to use with his Delco, because the 30W variety you can buy almost anywhere could not be driven by his original radio.