How to Put a Radio in a 1971 Corvette
- 1). Open the driver's side door and pull back the seat. Open the rear battery compartment door located behind the driver's seat. Using an open end wrench, disconnect the black negative lead from the battery.
- 2). Using a Phillips screwdriver, remove the two forward side panels located in the front portion of the console. This will give you access to the side area of the radio. Unplug the left and right speaker wiring connectors.
- 3). Locate the center wiper switch assembly at the top center area of the dashboard. Remove the screws holding the wiper switch assembly and pull it away from the dash. Carefully disconnect the wiring assembly.
- 4). Remove the four screws located on the sides of the instrument cluster that hold the cluster assembly to the right and left lower dash panels. Pull off the radio knobs and using the needle nose pliers remove the nuts holding the radio studs. Remove the cluster by pulling it upwards and towards you and lay it face down. Label all wiring attachments and remove all connections. Remove the instrument cluster.
- 5). Unplug the antenna connection on the back side of the existing radio and disconnect the wiring harnesses. Remove any other fasteners holding the radio in place and remove.
- 6). If you're installing a standard DIN 1 type of stereo, the cluster bezel needs to be replaced with an aftermarket unit. Obtain the replacement bezel from a Corvette supplier. The DIN 1 type of stereo has a rectangular face and does not have the two separate holes for the radio knobs.
- 7). Locate the right and left speaker cables and cut off existing plugs. Solder the new wiring harness to the power, ground, and speaker leads. Use heat shrink tubing to protect the solder joints. Do not connect the wiring harness to the existing amplifier system when using a newer type radio unit–it's not necessary.
- 8). Re-connect the antenna and fasten the new radio in place. Re-install the gauge lens on the new bezel. Install a new gauge lens assembly if the old one is scratched and worn. Install the old gauges in the new bezel and reinstall the cluster in the dash.
- 9). Reinstall the wiper control panel and re-connect the battery ground cable.
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