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Hey can anyone tell me if the C2 radios have date codes?
Not in a "stamped on the unit" way that other parts have. The midyear Delcos had a paper tag glued to either side of the radio, that tag had the model number, which identified the year.
985396 63 wonderbar radio
985686 63 AM/FM
985921 64 AM/FM
986281 65-66-67 AM/FM
If the tag has fallen off (most are long gone) then physical ID will usually indicate the model number unless the front has been changed, however the 65-66-67 are all the same model. The easiest was to ID the date of the radio is to examine the big output transistor (DS-501) on the back of the radio in the heat sink area (unless someone has changed it). There are four numbers on that transistor - first two are the year, last two are the week of the year. This one (photo below) is from a 66 that I used to have, date code 6612 is 1966, 12th week
Velox,
Interesting information and the first time I heard of the model number. Here are 3 photos I took of my radio prior to sending it out to Jerry Rudbeck for refreshing.
Rick
...note the extra id numbers. Don't know what they mean.
Those extra numbers next to the Model Number were referred to as the "Paper ID Number" and for the 65-67 radios the id's started at 81-FSA-XXXX and ended at 81-FS(X)-XXXX and they are basically that radio's serial number. They correlate with date and hence VIN range of what car they were installed in.
My '65 was made Nov 30, 1964. (vin: 103249). How is the correlation done?..or can anyone tell? Thanks!
Well this gets a little involved and maybe Jerry Rudbeck will chime in here or you can ask him if you discuss your radio with him. Anyway as I mentioned 65-67 Delco IDs started with 81-FSA-XXXX with the XXXX going from 0001-9999 then went to 81-FSB-0001 to 81-FSB-9999 and so on. So from your paper ID it is obvious that your radio is an early 1965 unit. Now to narrow it down further, you would have to know exactly what was the first Delco serial number installed in a 1965 Corvette (I don't know, maybe Jerry does, and it would not be necessarily 0001). With that fact then you can get fairly close to your VIN (realizing that not all the 65's had a radio). As a guestimate, it seems reasonable that your VIN of 3249 would fit with Delco serial first batch 3674 of 1965 Corvette radio models. Maybe others here will know, and I bet Jerry knows!
Thanks for that! I just shipped it to him so he'll get it later this week. I will ask to see what he knows. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks again for your help!
My '65 was made Nov 30, 1964. (vin: 103249). How is the correlation done?..or can anyone tell? Thanks!
I have an early '65 coupe (November 6th, first day production after the 6-week strike); VIN 0148x, and its radio has tag 81FSA-2623, with the output transistor ink-stamp dated 435 (the early 3-digit format = 1964, 35th week, ie. the last week in August) for a body assembly that was probably at least started by 3rd week of Sept (VIN 1425 was last car off before strike began).
I wondered why the 2623 on the paper tag; maybe they started the new 81FSx series with number 81FSA-1001 instead of 81FSA-0001. That would make mine the 1623rd radio of the new series. Allowing for St. Louis & Kokomo inventory, in-transit, etc. that might be the explanation.
I used to collect the Corvette radio data off eBay, and have accumulated about 100 sets of numbers. Have to say I never saw a 81FSA-0xxx, nor the '64 radio 21FJA-0xxx, although I've seen several examples of zero as the first digit following the B, or C, or D.
Thanks guys. I too just sent my radio to Jerry. Here is a pic of my radio. note the extra id numbers. Don't know what they mean.
I'm trying to get my radio out of the dash on my '64-how the heck do you get it out? Did you get the speaker out? I can't get my big hand to get the far nuts off. I think they must have built the car around the radio.
I'm trying to get my radio out of the dash on my '64-how the heck do you get it out? Did you get the speaker out? I can't get my big hand to get the far nuts off. I think they must have built the car around the radio.
There are only the two nuts on the volume and tuning control shafts, and one screw at the lower right from the side. Do you have the Shop Manual?
Well this gets a little involved and maybe Jerry Rudbeck will chime in here or you can ask him if you discuss your radio with him. Anyway as I mentioned 65-67 Delco IDs started with 81-FSA-XXXX with the XXXX going from 0001-9999 then went to 81-FSB-0001 to 81-FSB-9999 and so on. So from your paper ID it is obvious that your radio is an early 1965 unit. Now to narrow it down further, you would have to know exactly what was the first Delco serial number installed in a 1965 Corvette (I don't know, maybe Jerry does, and it would not be necessarily 0001). With that fact then you can get fairly close to your VIN (realizing that not all the 65's had a radio). As a guestimate, it seems reasonable that your VIN of 3249 would fit with Delco serial first batch 3674 of 1965 Corvette radio models. Maybe others here will know, and I bet Jerry knows!
Don't put money on my knowing that answer Don. I've only talked with two people who worked in the radio division and radio labels never came up. My questions were always directed to the manufacturing process and not to any of the labels (and not always Corvette radios as I used to fix anything that found it's way here).
When I was in college (back when Moses was an undergrad) I took summer jobs in the brake division of Bendix. That was assembly line to the hilt and I also worked in the inventory/parts section. Excellent education for a young guy! The overall methodology was very similar to what the Delco folks shared.
I can comment that the radios build date lead can typically be one to three months and exceptions to that did occur.
Personally, I enjoy seeing the various internal parts substitutions when they ran out of specified parts during a production run - such as AM/FM switches. They regularly pulled four section selector slide switches designated for other model cars to replace the three section types used in the vette radios. That happened at the component level in the 58-60 C1's also.
Anyway, I hope someone finds a definitive answer one day. That would be an interesting bit of history.
Hey can anyone tell me if the C2 radios have date codes?
If your radio still has the paper id tag attached, it can be attached on the outside or the inside panel, anywhere.
1963 - 86 FMA 0001 through 86 FMA 9999, then it starts with 86 FMB 0001 through.....
1964 - 21 FIA 0001 through 86 FJK or L 9999
1965/1967 - 81 FSA 0001 through 81 FSJ 9999. There were only 9999 in the sequence before it rolled
To 2KREDVert, you found him. And an answer for Octane64 also.
[QUOTE=[color=#000000]Is Jerry Rudbeck still the guy to go to for radio repair? If so, how does one get in touch? Or who else?
Sorry 2KREDVert but I stopped doing vette radios about 5 years ago and am finally working on my own car and radio collections. Eventually I plan on doing more 53 to 72 radios but it will be a while as there's a pile of ham radio gear here that will take about a year to bring back to new condition. But I do miss doing old car radios and meeting their owners!
Now that Greg Thompson has left us, I'm not sure who is still doing quality repairs on the C1 through C3 radios let alone newer units. I do know that parts are becoming scarce and expensive! Fortunately, most of the electronic components and mechanisms for those years, especially Wonderbars, can still be found or rebuilt. And substitutes from other Delco radio models can usually be acquired after some service manual detective work. From 77 on I suspect there are still plenty of repair techs and salvaged parts radios should be pretty easy to find. But guys who are fluent with tube and electro-mechanical systems are hard to find I've been told.[/color]
Octane64, the build date for your radio is ink stamped onto the top surface of the round silver (probably corroded by now) DS-501 power output transistor mounted on the finned heat sink on the rear of the 64 radio. The last two numbers are the build week and the first one (sometimes two) numbers are the year. For example, 6420 or 420 would equate to a 1964 built for a radio prepped during the 20th week of 64. Generally the red ink stamp predates the blue ink stamps.
For anyone else reading my note here, I did about two dozen C1-C3 radios that I had purchased over the years and never got to do for my own enjoyment (this was my hobby, not my profession). Almost all were full tear downs and even had their cases/front panels removed and cleaned back to original metal. They are stock, unmodified except for added aux input jacks, and carefully packed away although not inventoried. My son expressed an interest in helping me regain some space by putting them on a resurrected electrodesign.us copy of the old web site. Currently that's on the slate for next summer.
Best wishes and thanks to all my old friends on here. Sorry for not being more active. Retirement has been pedal to the floor - and fun!
For my 63, I got a nice 67 AM/FM which has improved circuitry and tuner, changed the station selector to one with the Civil Defense marks on the AM band and changed the power transistor dated to early 63. Externally it's a 63, internally it's a 67. Should fake out the judges.
07-07-2015, 03:58 PM
