jmoore6

I have a 63 corvette with what looks old enough to be an original radio. I want to get it to work but the wiring info I have does not include a radio. The radio plug looks in keeping with the rest of the original wiring and I attach photos to show the radio its 3 pin plug and 2 wires at the back that look like the speaker. Any advice will be gratefully appreciated

Frankie the Fink

Here is the plug from my original 63, not complicated at all...
brown-white is power
black-white is ground
remaining wire is radio light

I have an aftermarket radio and didn't want to butcher the original harness so I crimped spade lugs onto the new unit and installed them in the old connector, to wit: red is radio power, black is radio ground and green is radio light..

Soooo.....I'm not seeing the problem - you have the harness connector; you have a radio with the male spade lug receptacle, so you plug the two together ?!?

jmoore6

Thanks Frankie

Frankie the Fink

You should know you HAVE to use an original style speaker with an original radio. Meaning it must have the impedance matching transformer on it, there is only one repro worth a hoot IMO...the one in the picture.

So, don't try to use your generic Auto Boutique store 6"x 9" dash speaker!

Jackfit

hi, just a note , if you have not installed it yet, try to test it out of car, you will be happy not to have to take it out again if it does not work.

after so many years......they can be repaired....

Jack

jmoore6

And the great news is it still works on FM at least!!!!

midstyle

Here's some further info: This is a '65-7 model 986-281 AM/FM; probably out of a '67 (going by the FSE-0949 sticker, and the year/month date ink-stamped in red [6610] on the DS-501 output transistor).

So a radio wiring schematic would have to correspond to that model, and not the '63 or '64 model years.

Frankie the Fink

Are you saying you can't plug a 67 radio straight into a 63 original harness ?
Or, that the internal radio schematics may differ by year ?

midstyle

I believe (but can't confirm) that the plug is the same for all C2 years [as shown above: top is for dial light (same dimmer circuit as dash lights); middle is ground to radio case -- should be 2 wires; one goes back to birdcage ground; bottom wire is main 12 volts to radio).

I know by comparison of a '64 radio's main printed circuit board with the '65-7 radios I have that the shape is different. I seem to recall somewhere reading that the earlier radios had an architecture that was basically AM, with FM circuits added (later '63 and '64 ?), whereas the '65-7's were FM radios with AM capability added.

66Vett

As some said before if you use a non-original speaker it will work but will blow the amplifier eventually. If you must do this you must keep the volume as low as possible and hope. Replacing a speaker is a PIA so it's best to get the correct radio in the beginning. Good luck!