Radio delete plate
 

Still not 100% clear about when a car was ordered with the radio accommodation package (RPO UN9).

Saw this yesterday and am wondering if a radio delete plate was actually in place when UN9 was ordered or if it was in fact an open hole in the dash? I have never seen a plate with the "GM" logo on it? Anyone else?

This specific car had UN9 listed on the window sticker and nothing else regarding a radio, ie AM radio etc... This is an 11K mile untouched, survivor car.

Help!

Never seen one with the GM logo. I have one somewhere, and it has no logo on it. FWIW

The "GM" on that plate is a customization.

My understanding about the radio plate to this date is as follows:
There was ALWAYS something in the radio opening;
If no radio option was ordered, then the "delete" plate was installed.

Since no second gen Firebird came standard with a radio, calling it a "delete plate" is actually wrong;
The radio wasn't deleted, it simply wasn't ordered.

The radio accommodation package is a curious matter;
My understanding is that all cars before a certain point in the second generation production run had the antenna in the windshield, and antenna lead installed - before GM wised up, and started building cars with no radio option without the antenna...

Here was an NOS unit that recently sold for $65
https://www.ebay.com/itm/235319026208

There are also exact repops that sell for $40 - up.

Those are what you got along with basic factory wire harness and antenna lead.

If you didn't order a radio or the accommodation option , you just got the plate - is the hand me down lore.
But I don't think I have ever seen an example that didn't have either radio or accommodation options.

On 64-69 GTO all you got was the plate , no charge.
70-72 GTO got the plate and antenna lead , no charge.

that seems like a darn fair price for that radio cover plate - thanks for sharing that!

I believe that one (#10001245; 78-81) is the exact same one which is reproduced;
The 70-77 one is a bit smaller and used part number 479381 - I do not believe that one is reproduced.

There is a local here whom I used to hang out with;
He is my source for some of my information, and I have taken his first hand experience as the basis of my prior post (I have read similar stories which echoed his first hand experience);
He special ordered a 77' 4spd Trans Am (iirc it was a silver over black deluxe interior car with the red(?) hood bird);
He ordered his car with the full intention of putting an aftermarket stereo in;
He was choked when he received his car, because it had a windshield without the antenna lead - to this date he has an antenna on the rear of the car.
He at the time didn't want to order a (very expensive for the time) windshield for his brand new car just to get the antenna lead in the glass - so he got a conventional antenna on the back of the car.
He said that when he ordered his car, he didn't realize about the 'radio accommodation package'.

The fact that the 'radio accommodation package' became a thing points to the fact that GM wised up, and could save a couple pennies on every car that was ordered without a radio - or could make up a little bit for cars specifically ordered without radios.

I do not know when the 'radio accommodation package' first showed up - I have understood (like your 70-72 GTO example) that the early second gen cars received windshields with the antenna lead in place;
I suspect that 1964-1968 GTO's only had the plate, because those cars did not have the antenna in the windshield - those cars used an antenna on the fender.

Correct on the 64-69 GTO.
Fender mount manual antenna , or rear quarter electric antenna , with a radio.
No radio = no antenna

You don't need an antenna for FM band if you have good local stations.
For AM band , you can just plug an old metal clothes hanger into the receptacle.
I bench test a lot of old radios.

Its a shame he cut a hole in his car.
A friend of mine bought a new 77 SE , it came with AM radio.
He put a new aftermarket AM-FM Cassette in it shortly after.
After about 5 years his radio reception went terrible so he bought a new windshield thinking it was antenna problem.
It didn't change one bit - was the radio itself.

He also waxed it so much that grey primer was showing through in a lot of thin spots after 3-4 years.
Things people do

Clear!
 

Ok, thank you for your clarifications!

1. Just like hood bird delete, it wasn't a delete because it was an option! It seems natural to say radio delete rather than radio accommodation because most folks understand it.

2. My car has the original (broken) windshield in it with the antenna embedded.

3. I have seen PHS and window stickers that call out specifically for radio accommodation or a specific radio, ie am, am/fm stereo etc... My car is radio accommodation.

4. Putting a radio block-off plate in would be acceptable because with this option that is how it would have been delivered to the dealer.

Doesn't seem like many folks from back in the day say much about the plates. Maybe with this option is was typical to see the plate and discard it because of the excitement of the new aftermarket unit going in?

So then, the current repop piece will fit my '79 dash but not earlier 2nd gen cars?

Thanks again!

78 - 81 on that style
Repops should list application in their descriptions.

I have an odd ball. My 79 W72 Formula was ordered with the Radio Accommodation Package and Power Antenna but no radio....

For 1979:

Radio Accomodation Package
without Power Antenna , AM/FM Tri Band (U83) or an optional radio
with Power Antenna , AM/FM Tri Band (U83) and without an optional radio

Previous years had the power antenna separately.

:)

I am guessing that you've nailed it there.
There was a discussion I was reading a while back (maybe on nastyz28.com ?) where an ultra-base 70-73(?) Camaro was being worked on - and it was a no-radio car;
It still had the "cover" under the dashboard speaker opening in place!!

Items like this (speaker cover) and the radio plate were surely thrown away the very moment an aftermarket radio was being unboxed.

the radio opening enlarged in height for the 1978 model year for the newer GM radio's;
No one can say for sure that a 78-81 radio plate will fit a given car, because changing a dash is an afternoon affair (if you know what you're doing) - so there's no assurance that a (lets say) 1977 Firebird still has a "1977" dash.

I looked, but could not find the image I made some time ago comparing the size of the two faceplates;
I believe that the 70-77 part was able to fit within the edges of the 78-81 piece.
But even if you have a pre-1978 dash in your car, yours wouldn't be the first car to have hte bigger block off plate added.

1977

I have UN9 also being in 1976.


:)

/\ that I can go with... let me see if I can find anything

EDIT:
I happen to have a 1976 dealer 'sales facts book';
For the Firebird 'what's new' section at, in the lower corner of it says "(revised January, 1976)"
Page 1 "September 8, 1975";
Page 2 through page 7 "February 2, 1976";
Page 8 (back side of page 7) "December 1, 1975;
Page 9 "September 22, 1975
Trim page (with vinyl samples) is undated.

I can find no mention of UN9 in my Firebird section.
Since my newest page is Feb 2, that means this would have been a spring model change at the very earliest...
Also, keep in mind that my binder is a GM of Canada book - so it's possible that RPO 'UN9' first came on USA cars, and remained a part of the base equipment for Canadian (RPO' Z49') cars - I believe that model pricing was negotiated early in the model year (keep in mind all Firebirds were built state-side and technically imports to the Canadian market - where as most other Canadian models were made here), so it's possible that dropping standard equipment would have muddied things up...

Please show the documentation you have for that.

I ordered mine with just the low end AM radio to be sure the antennae and wiring harness was all there to add a cassette player. Sanyo I think!

Try this:


https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...1&d=1716681832


:)

John, that would be around the time to be seeing it.