I'm thinking about going radio delete on a 71 Supreme I'm doing. I spoke to some guys at MCACN about it and am now all "wooded up" to make it happen. A couple of questions:

1) Was a radio mandatory on a 71 Supreme (4257) - not talking about 442, F-85 or Cutlass S? I don't want to get into the terminology food fight about this, just, if you got a Supreme, did it automatically have an AM radio, and is there a documented case of one being "deleted" if they were mandatory?

2) The PIM shows two different part numbers for the center wood grain appliqué - one obviously for with radio, and one without. If you had a car that had the wood grain and did not have the radio, was a block off plate used below the appliqué, or did the applique by itself just cover the holes?

3) Anyone have a speaker hole cover for sale?

 

The radio was an OPTION.

That's why we get into a "terminology food fight" about the term "radio delete."

If you wanted an AM radio, you paid about $75 bucks (about $425 today) for it.

If not, you saved your money, and it was magically "deleted."

The in-windshield radio antenna, however, was standard on all cars.

- Eric

 

I've only come across one of these and it was in a 1971 Cutlass 4 door car with very few options. It didn't have the wood grain on the dash. So the question I would ask would be if a car didn't get the radio option and had the block off plate, did it have the wood grain applique? John

 

Here's an old thread with pictures of the one I had. Since the panel is applied over the radio holes, its raised. How would one put the wood grain over this and have it flat across the panel? Look closely at each end of the block off plate and you'll see what I'm describing. John

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...look-like.html

 

I think a lot of the debate comes from "standard equipment that can be deleted/downgraded" vs "options."

The heater, pre-68, was standard equipment in the price. You could delete it, and pay less. The radio is an option, and, if you did not get one, you did not pay any more.

I am not sure of any standard equipment that can be deleted other than what I listed above. Buckets downgraded to bench, and good transmission downgraded to basic one are some downgrades.

 

believe the dash speaker cover is reproduced

I just looked at pics of a friends 70 W-30 post car which has no radio. There is no woodgrain on the block off plate.

 

Thanks Joe and everyone else! I now have two of the three questions answered. I think John is trying on the last one, but maybe I'm a little thick - so, if the car is not equiped with a radio, and has the wood grain applique, does it have the "radio-less" dash hole cover underneath the applique, or is it just the applique that covers the holes?

 

Just went back and looked closely at the pics in John's old thread - there is no way you could put that cover on under the applique and not have it look totally wrong - there would be a step that the rigid applique metal backing could not possibly accomodate.

 

The woodgrain applique, if used, went over the cover, 404887. Only one cover was offered by GMPD, and it might come in any color. I still have a black one and a blue one.

 

I believe a cover/plate was used when there was no woodgrain ie. F85, plain Cutlass, and if there was wood ie. Supreme, then the grain just went right over the holes. No need for the plate as the metal backed woodgrain was rigid enough.

 

pizza's take makes the most sense to me.

metal backed woodgrain would not need a plate under it.