I have a 84 and a 87 Camaro z28 that I'm currently restoring and I was wondering which Delco stereos where in them originally? Also I was told any GM delco stereo up to 2003 would fit, is this correct? I have been researching this for a couple days and been getting a lot of different answers. I was looking at a mid to late 90s Delco CD/Cassette on eBay that I was thinking about getting but want to make sure it'll fit and wire up correctly. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

Some members here might be willing to scan and share the photos of their sales brochures, owners or service manuals that show the different optional radios that came in those particular model years.

Most any factory radio would fit, physically (watch the radio depth) but be aware that sometime in mid 90's, the wiring harness plugs in the back of the radios (and the harness connectors) changed sometime in the early-mid 1990's, IIRC.

Metra or Scosche should have the necessary adapter harnesses that will adapt early to late radios (or vice-versa) if you want plug-and-play and don't like cutting up factory harnesses.

I would avoid any radio that came out of something made after 2002. I read someplace that radios starting with the '03 model year and later have some kind of anti-theft feature that works with the body control module and won't work unless it sees this module and the matching VIN that's programmed into it (or something to that effect).

 

GM changed the stereo wiring plug some time in the mid-late 80s. Your 87 would still have the early 4 plug harness. GM used the four plug harness into the early 90s on trucks, but most cars by then use a single plug harness. So as far as plugging in, a deck that late wont without changing the plugs or running an adapter.

The most common radios in 84 and 87 are going to be the AM/FM cassette decks with either the bass/treble sliders, or the 5 band EQ. The bass/treble deck was used in all kinds of GM cars, and trucks, the 5 band EQ is a little more unusual but still very common. Both are a bit difficult to find functional.

Your rpo codes in the glove box will tell you what the car had stock.

 

Can you post a picture of the radio that you were looking at ??

Your cars should use the 3 large plugs + 1 small plug for it's radio. If the original plugs are intact, only 88 and earlier plugs will be a direct fit.

If your install an 89-95 style radio than you can either cut/splice your harness to the correct style,... or you can use an adapter so all original wires remain intact.




Here is the 84 and 87 Camaro radio options:

Equalizer deck:



Non-Equalizer deck:



There are many radios that look similar, but they will be different in some way. for example; S10/Blazer EQ decks from that era look very much like Camaro units, but the display is a different color. You can basically use any GM radio from ABOUT 82-95 as a direct fit for the console mounting.

 

Here is a couple pics of stereo I was thinking about buying.

 

Thanks for all the replies and thanks for those pictures!! I found some stereos on eBay like in the pics you posted. But I was really wanting to put in a CD/Cassette combo that looked kinda stock in one of the Camaros.

 

Ok, The eBay seller messaged me back. The stereo that i posted pics of is out of a 1998 GM car.

 

I have one of those head units in my '98 Cutlass (though it's not original to that car). Mine's a Monsoon version. Works nicely.

 

That looks like a double din, thirdgens take a 1.5 din radio. It's too tall without cutting.

 

+1,.... That is too big to fit in the factory stock console.

Not much to choose from when talking about GM head units with both CD and cassette,... that will fit in a Thirdgen ! I can't think of a single 1 1/2 DIM radio with both options. GM always used remote CD or remote Cassette players rather than building both types into the same head unit.