At some point in the life of my '72 basic coupe, someone butchered the dash for a Pioneer cassette player ... and I'm wanting to make it look right.

I was thinking about the Custom Auto Sound retro blah blah blah ... ($544) but after calling them 3 times to see if their bluetooth unit would would work with the unit I'm wanting ... and not getting call back in over 2 weeks, then reading the stories of customer NO service on their FaceBook page I've decided to go back with a stock radio ... Hello eBay! (yeah, I should have known better)

The first unit I bought wouldn't fit the new bezel I bought from Zip ... it was just listed as a C3 AM-FM stereo and what I got was a 77-82 ... I didn't know there was a difference.

Back to eBay ... unit number 2 was advertised as a 72-76 AM-FM Radio ... being a newbie, I didn't realize it's a mono radio but supports 2 speakers, the description just said "Great Condition" ... learning my lesson from the first time I asked "does it work" and the seller said it does and was just replaced with a newer unit.

I connected it to power, ground and powered the light, plugged in an antenna and it comes on ... but the speaker connections are confusing me ... the wires still have the factory connectors, one plug has a Blue, Yellow and Green, the other is Blue, Yellow and Black ... do these connect directly to a speaker, and if so, how do they connect as my speakers have been replaced as well and they only have 2 terminals.

Or, and this is what I'm guessing is the correct answer ... even the mono radio uses amplifiers ... and of course I don't have them ... or possibility the old ones' are still in the car but I don't know where to look or what they look like.

I've noticed some of the factory stereo units (on eBay) have amplifiers with them but none of the mono radios do.

My hearing isn't great, and this isn't going to be a show car what I'm trying to achieve is to have a radio that works and looks correct for the car.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

Hi 72,
The monaural am/fm radio has a convector that that's part of the system and 2 sets of leads for the speakers.
The leads don't connect directly to the speakers but make a connection with leads from the speakers about 6" from the speakers.
Hear (pun) you see the convector and where it's typically mounted and the speaker connections.
Does this help at all?
Regards,
Alan

The arrows are pointing to the speaker connection which is difficult to see.


Left side above tachometer and speedometer.

 

Don't get a CAS. They suck.....at least the old POS cassette player I have does.
There is another brand that was posted up not to long ago but I can't remember the name. They looked better than CAS. Search for stereo threads and you may find it.

 

Alan 71 - that helps a lot! I think I can feel the one on the right side, so it looks like I'll be tearing the front of the dash out ... is there anything I should pay particular attention to, or tips you can offer for taking the dash apart? It looks like there are 4 screw's along the top and a couple on the door edge but I don't see what's retaining the center?

If it turns out that the convector's aren't there can I get new ones or is it something I can buy like a common amplifier are convector's not the same thing as amplifiers?

 

Hi 72,
The mono radio has just the single convector.
I'd try to find a good used one if possible.

The dash pads also have 2 screws that come from the center gauge bezel sides.

Getting the lower pads out is an involved job… especially the driver'- side pad. I advise you to start with the passenger's-side pad and then ask for some advice for the driver's-side pad.

Regards,
Alan

 

YAY ... I think

The convector is there on the right hand side ... and the wires that lead into it are there but the connector is cut off, and I don't see any wires coming out of it ... how does it connect to the speaker?



It looks to be a 44 year old speaker, and as you can see the connection plate on the speaker is broken but the wires are different from the ones that lead into the convector

 

Or is one of the leads coming out of the radio for the convector and the other for the speakers?

 

The yellow wire goes to both black wires. The green and blue wires go to the green wires.

 

It works ... Thank you all!

 

Make sure you get the correct OHM speakers or it won't work for long....I replaced an old cassette player in my 72 with a stereo unit and used (2) 4 ohm speakers per side...I'm not real sure which way you should go....Someone will chime in that really knows.

Brian

 

Hi 72,
I'm glad you got your radio working!! Wee's information about the speakers is important!

I don't know if you have an Assembly Instruction Manual for your car?
If you don't you should seriously consider buying one… they're about $25.
The 'AIM', as it's commonly referred to, was used on the production line in St.Louis. It contains a LOT of information that is helpful to us today.

Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan

This is the AIM for 71.


And an example of the kind of information it contains.

 

Wee and Alan are correct. 10 OHM speakers are needed for the original radio. Your picture does show a 10 OHM with the amp. If it works use it.
I'm with you; if it looks correct and make some noise I'm good.

 

So what happens if I don't use 10 OHM speakers? Smaller one's blow out and bigger ones damage the radio or what?

I'm hoping this is a weekend project unless I have to order something else! I was planning on using Bose speakers I'd bought over 10 years ago for an 86 C4 ... It's demise came too early and I never had a chance to install them ... Off hand I don't now what the OHM's are on them so I'll have to look when I get home.

 

The 4 OHM speakers in place of the 10 OHM will ruin your original radio.

 

I haven't tried the original speakers yet as they are still wired in the car, being 44 years old I doubt if they sound very good, however the cones aren't cracked or torn.

The speaker I tested the radio with is a 6" Bose rear speaker for an 86 C4. As I mentioned before I have a complete set of these, unfortunately they aren't marked as to the OHM's ... Does anyone know if I can use any of these? I have the two 6" rear speakers and two 4" speakers from the front, I bought them from our local Chevy dealer, they came in Delco boxes and say Bose on them so I know they are genuine.

 

I wish I could answer your question...I know how the ohm issues works on a stereo unit but I'm not sure on a mono unit. The speakers even have to be wired in a certain way.

Brian

 

I do IT work for a Chevy Dealership, and went in to talk their service manager, he was a tech back in the 70's and did mostly electrical and confirmed using the correct OHM speakers, not that I doubted what Wee, Alan or toylman said, I just told him what was said in the forum ... he said he used to see blown radios all the time, and because of the cost of factory a radio most customers went for "better" aftermarket radio's with 8-track or cassette players.

Anyway he said I could try to contact Bose and see if they would know, or I could check my speakers with a multi-meter for the OHM's ... duh ... I don't know why I didn't think of that, which would probably be easier

I told him my ultimate plan was to use a 2 channel amplifier, one for each leg coming off the radio, then from the amplifier 2 speakers up front and 2 in back ... he said that should work without damaging the radio, no matter what OHM they are because I'm not running the speakers off the radio, thy will be powered by the amp ... and I should make sure I have several grounds, not count on grounding everything through the radio as he could see that as causing a problem ... but not to quote him on it.

It'll still be mono so it's nothing fancy but maybe going down the highway I can hear the radio over the road noise and air turbulence!

 

This and the owners manual is all I've got, how do I get an AIM for 1972?

 

http://www.fullthrottlecorvette.com/...tte_p_965.html

Brian

 

Just a note of thanks to everyone to say thanks, I got the radio in today, it looks and sounds great ...

... but it occurred to me that I should have ordered a set of dash screw and clips as it's been apart before, maybe several times and unfortunately not only are there a mish-mash of similar screws that I can tell aren't right but some of the screw holes are stripped from the center bezel to the side panals and they fit more like pegs than screws, maybe I can find some epoxy paste to fill them with ... or I'm open to suggestions too!