I think this probably has been covered but,, I have an '85 T/A,
Is there a factory Delco cassette/cd receiver that will work with just having the right plugs swapped onto the existing radio wiring?
I know the newer ones won't work because of the way they're setup to work with other electronics in the car but I'm hoping that there's an older model that will be adaptable without much trouble and if so, what years they were made?

Thanks in advance,
Steve.

 

Yes,... there were some Delco CD head units from about 89-98 ( or so ) that will mount without modification into the center console of your Thirdgen. You would need a wiring adapter harness for the radio plugs and the antenna but that's about it. I've got a few of these Pontiac CD players in fully functional condition if your interested ( $70 + shipping ) . I'm pretty sure this radio would need the brackets trimmed a bit, I know other members here have installed this radio so "search" the boards for details.



FYI: Only Pontiac factory head units will have the red Pontiac style back-lighting.

 

Thanks John.
I do have a cd player like that one but without the equalizer, just bass and treble slides. Not sure if it works or not, one of my cousins gave it to me and it doesn't have the plugs so I can't try it out.
What I'm really looking for is one that plays both cds and cassettes though. I still have a lot of the tapes I bought back when the car would have been new and would like to be able to play them .

I suspect that GM made such a deck in the time frame you mention, I'll try to find one of those.

I have a seasonal plate on the car so I can't drive it after the end of the month until April again so I'll have lots of time to look.

If I can't find one suitable and the one I already have doesn't work properly, I'll definitely be back to see what you have on hand then.


Thanks.

 

Ya,... I can't think of a single factory cassette w/ CD that has the same plugs & will fit. Not to say it doesn't exist,... I just don't KNOW of an example.

 

I've been thinking about switching to this later style of radio, as the 1st gen CD player I have is a joke.

But I was able to wire it in, including an adapter for the Performance Sound subwoofer system. Do you know if that's possible with these later unit, John?

 

Yup,

The performance sound system works into the audio system after the radio, so it's going to do what it does to what-ever radio signal it receives from what-ever head unit is installed. If the Performance sound is working OK now, it will work OK regardless of the Delco plugged into it.

The radio I pictured above has a plug that is almost exactly the same 88+ Thirdgen radio plug; There is 1 very minor difference that must be addressed before stock Thirdgen plugs can plug into it,...... the Thridgen plug will need to be trimmed.




TheThirdGen rear speaker plug locking tab will need to be trimmed off the original harness because this radio doesn't have a slot for that locking tab. The radio plug at the bottom of that picture is the factory plug for that Pontiac CD Player.

 

Thanks John. This is VERY good to know.

 

I think what I'm gonna do is get a cassette version of the radio John shows above and a cd changer for the back.