dmw

I have a 1970 442 W30 that does not have a radio in the dash. The wood grain trim on the dash does not have holes for a radio although the dash does have the holes. The windshield does not have an antenna in it. Could a 1970 442 W30 be ordered from the factory without a radio? If so, was there a RPO code for no radio?

joe_padavano

There's no RPO code for "radio delete" because the standard equipment in the base price did not include a radio. Every radio was optional and each one has an RPO code. RPO U63 was the pushbutton AM radio, U58 was the AM/FM stereo, and U57 was the 8 track player available with either of them.

capstoneclub

The 1970 year was the first year for the antennae to be integrated into the windshield, not a post antennae design. If you want to install a radio, you would need to cut through wood grain obviously for installation (or replace that wood grain insert) and assuming the windshield lacks the integrated antennae, that would also need to be replaced in order to be factory correct.

joe_padavano

Scroll up and note the Standard Equipment column on the left side of the page I posted. Standard equipment did not include a radio. It DID, however, include the windshield antenna. All cars got this, whether there was a radio or not.

4+4+2=10

As Joe explained, your car is base as far as radios are concerned. This is actually a popular configuration among those in performance car circles. I definitely would not cut any holes in the cover plate as it has more value in it's current state. If you add a radio, find a cover plate already cut, those are a dime a dozen.

tc

dmw

Thanks for the information. After closer look you are correct. There is an antenna in the windshield. I think my car was ordered without a radio. I plant to leave it this way and not add a radio.

capstoneclub

Agree, good call. Not surprised to hear that the antennae was integrated into all windshields. Imagine the factory installers have to deal with two different designs on the factory line with something as large as a windshield.

joe_padavano

Well, they dealt with far more than two different designs of engines on the same assembly line. Different seats, different wheels and tires, heck, completely different body styles.

Koda

That's fairly easy to do; the hard part would be visual ID. In modern plants, something is done called "Orderly Pick." Once a painted body gets put on an assembly department carrier on paint lifter, its vehicle data (already planned out, just not put in sequence order) gets attached to it, and now it is in sequence, and gets an assembly sequence number. All that data zips back to printers in the back and there are pallets of windshields, and a guy has a hoist and picks them and puts them on a dolly with holders to hold them up in the order needed. That then gets hauled off to the line, and the guy on the line, when he needs the oddball one out of 100 part, it's there in order for him. Most guys on the line get the big things orderly picked, and the little things are on flowracks; he reads the manifest, and picks the one he wants. The conveyance trains come by on a 12 or 24 vehicle schedule.

BeenThere

My 1970 parts book only shows 2 types of windshields. Tinted and clear. They all had the antenna included. For the very small number of non-radio cars, it was not worth having a non-antenna windshield. Just more hassle and would save almost no money.

WTHIRTY1

Could we see a picture of how the woodgrain looks without the radio holes? I always wondered how they handled the no radio with the woodgrain package. Would be pretty cool to see. The block off plates themselves aren't all that common for the '70 and NOS plates have sold recently in the $200 range.