VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Radios, Tools, Accessories First factory radio

Hi, folks -

Hoping for responses from AntiqueMechanic, JYD, Chipper on this -

I have been contacted by the GM Heritage Center again, this time asking about the first factory radio installation. I know this has been talked about here many times. From my memory, I told them the first factory available radio was December 1932 for the 1933 models. Is that correct? Or if you want to point me to a string about this topic, either way.

Many thanks -
Don Williams

Yes.

WRONG! The first available radio was for 1922 as I have posted here on several occasions. The next available dealer installed was the United Motors 2035. The first factory installed was in the 60's. Please! Don't confuse the members with unsubstantiated information.

'first factory installed was in the 60's" is hard to believe. was "60's" a typo? i'm certain all 53 vets had factory installed radios. mike

Ray,

You mean to tell us that all those Chevrolets that came to the dealers prior to the 60s were without radios already installed? Did I read that right? If that is so ...well "S H A Z A M!"

I sure would have thought otherwise. And would have thought that JD was right on.

Charlie

The first year a dealer could order a factory installed heater was 1955.

The first year the dealer could order a factory installed radio was 1958. The readio was installed in the dash but the antenna came loose in the truck. The dealer could order the radio with a front or rear antenna. This worked out OK if the customer ordered the car.

At the dealership I worked at at that time they still ordered new cars that were for stock with no radio. That way it allowed the owner to chose from a push button or manual tuning radio. We also could purchase the radios in larger truck load quanities and get a better price. Each new radio came with an antennas - the trick was how many front antennas and how many to order with rear antennas. From about 1960-1969 we also installed a lot of Motorola radios as they were a few bucks cheaper and if the owner came back with a bad one we could quickly exchange it for a new one where as the Chevrolet radio had to be sent out for repair.
The stickler was in 1969 and the antenna was built into the windshield glass. If you ordered a car with no radio the antenna was not in the glass. This made for the use of more factor installed radios.
In 1958 we still sold a number of cars with out radios.

Don,
First we need to determine exactly what they mean by "first factory radio"? Is it the first radio that was available from any source intended to be installed in a Chevrolet? Or the first supplied as an official accessory? Or the first installed on the production line? Or if not on the production line at the assembly plant?

I may have read Don's posting the wrong way, but I believe that Don was asking about the first genuine Chevrolet radio and not the first radio offered by GM or United Motors. Is that correct Don or did you actually mean the very first radio offered for any GM vehicle? At any rate, for several decades Chevrolet accessory radios were installed by the dealers and not the factory.

Don, since your question, obviously, can be interpreted several different ways (Chevrolet radio vs. GM or United Motors radio) can you please clarify?

Gene: Our 1969 Impala had a fender mounted oval antenna and our 1970 Impala had an antenna installed in the windshield. Both cars had the same AM radio however.

The the dealer installed the 1969 radio. Not too unusual. Also there was some doubt about the reception with the W/S antenna and the reception it provided. Also on some the wipers caused static in the radio when the blades passed over the glass..

The reception on the radio in our 1970 Impala with the windshield installed antenna was lousy! Not so with fender mounted antenna in our '69. It had absolutely great radio reception.

Fair questions. OK, here is a synopsis of the dialogue with GM Heritage Center so far. They first asked me simply "what is the first year a radio was offered in a Chevrolet?" (this would not distinguish between factory installed or dealer installed).

I answered:

From memory, I believe General Motors first offered a Chevrolet factory radio beginning for the 1933 models in December 1932. (Of course, by then many after market companies were selling radios to install in anything you cared to install them in.)

Do you want some documentation on the radio question? We have some members who are experts in the radio area and are very familiar with this topic - serial numbers, model numbers, month and year, etc. I would be glad to forward this to them and ask for their further input if you like.

Next I made the first posting in this string. The answer I got back very quickly from the Chief Archivist was:

Thanks for confirming my suspicions. I also found the late 1932/1933 date for GM radios although it appears to me that they were a dealer-installed accessory as the cars left the factory with the means to have the radio mounted in the dash but not the radio itself. Also, the 1931 Cadillacs were "wired for radio" though we understand that to mean the same as "cable-ready."

I would love any documentation you and your team can provide. It would certainly help eliminate any questions in the future.


So what can we give them for documentation?

By the way, we/I have been hard at work developing the relationship with the Heritage Center, and GM, and the Hemmings guys. That is what that "Executive Ambassador" title by my name is all about at the beginning of the G&D on the Board of Directors page, if you ever noticed that. Doing things like this. If you think about it, it is kind of amazing that we now have GM coming to VCCA to ask questions about early Chevrolet history!

Chevrolet began to install a wire mesh under the fabric roof covering and attached wire extending under the dash so it could function as a radio antenna. Sorry but don't have documentation or an exact date. That to me would be an important date as it was factory installed and supported the installation of a radio. Before that one could argue that any radio installed was not factory sanctioned.

I think that I have some literature somewhere that indicates the first wire mesh screen was installed in 1933.

Don....thanks for the clarification on which radio you were talking about. From your first post I thought that you were referring to the Model 364441 radio (late 1932 for the 1933 model year) and you confirmed that in your latest post.

The answer to that question is 1922. If you like, I can provide documentation from Chevrolet.

Hello Ray:

I find that very interesting that you say that 1922 was the first year. If the 1922 was not a typo for the year 1932, I would be very interesting in obtaining documentation on the actual year of introduction.

dtm
ps I have 2 1933/34 radios that are restored and are simply a work of art.

Don,
Maybe the best response to the GM Heritage Center is to put together a documented (as best we can) timeline. It would also make a great technical based article for the G&D with its recent dearth of tech articles. Also would cover many years (even decades) to have a more universal appeal.

Ray posted these pictures here a few years ago.
https://vccachat.org/ubbthreads.php/galleries/131443/1922_Chevrolet_car_radio

https://vccachat.org/ubbthreads.php/galleries/132027/1922_Chevrolet_Radio

Jack, thanks for bringing that forward. I had forgotten that I posted that information some 3+ years ago.

Ray,

The ad said that the 1922 would take a Westinghouse radio. The original question was what was the first "factory" radio offered. Was Westinghouse was owned by GM?

I think the answer of late 32 for the 33 year model may better suit the intent of the question (as I understand it). Maybe not.

Best,
Charlie

What does the ownership of companies that furnished goods to Chevrolet have to do with the current discussion?

Why do you insist on confusing people without providing any documentation?

I think that the question asked, because it is so vague, can be perceived from several different points of view with several different answers. Other words used, such as "installed" and "factory" can play a factor here too which could add to the confusion and change the interpretation of the question as well.

Ray obviously interprets the question from Don as to when was the "first" radio offered for a Chevrolet. Others, including myself, perceive the question as to when was the first "genuine Chevrolet accessory" radio offered for Chevrolet. So basically, again, depending upon your point of view of the question, there could be several answers. When Don clarifies the original question then we will know.

In the meantime, I have been in contact with Don asking for a clarification to the question and Don will probably post here later. However, Don indicated that the people at GM Heritage were only interested in the first year that a "genuine Chevrolet accessory" radio was offered, not other types of aftermarket radios.

By the way, it is very interesting to note that according to the 1922 brochure, the radio in the 1922 sedan was portable. The ad states "the set can be removed in a few minutes to transfer to your home aerial, when not wanted in the car." So, could this be considered the first portable car radio?

The relevance of the ownership does make a difference as does verification of the actual date of the circular in order to better understand what the documents actually represent. A handwritten date indicates someone's opinion of the date of publication. The identification below the single photo is not correct as it clearly is a not a Coach but a Sedan (the photo clearly shows two doors on the drivers side). I am sure that was an honest mistake.

The top of one page states "The Sedan described in this circular is not for sale, but is for demonstration purposes only." Yes it is documentation that apparently was supported by the Chevrolet Motor Company "retail store" and several Detroit area "Authorized Dealers".

One question is "Was there ever another?" "In the same time period?" Or was this just a promotion by the dealers to get more showroom traffic? It appears to me to be a set manufactured for household use that was installed in a car. Very ingenious and probably not too practical considering the engine caused interference. But when parked to view the submarine races might have improved the ambiance.

Another, Is there any documentation that the installation of radios was Chevrolet Motor Company supported in the years between that of the circular and the well documented late '32 introduction of a Chevrolet accessory radio?

Once better understood this topic should make a great G&D article. It is technical and covers multiple decades of Chevrolets.

I am sure that the GM Heritage centre would be equally interested in this 1922 chevrolet offered radio as it was through half a dozen Chevrolet dealers.The more widely distributed Chevrolet 1932 / 1933 radio was everywhere. The infancy of radio in 1922 would be the magor limiting factor for sales , and it was a very important step for the Chevrolet motor Company to even consider the installation. 1930's radio were a lot more
prolific. I have 2 of 1932/3 radios, and a lot of others have one of them as well. There is one for sale on ebay at the moment which doesnt seem to be selling, been there for a while at a reason cost.

I first have to start this posting with an apology to all. I asked this radio question, and then disappeared for 2 or 3 days which was certainly not my intention. I have just been covered up with a couple of projects with imminent deadlines. I truly apologize for being so unresponsive; I simply have not had any available computer time the past couple of days, at all. I am trying to catch up this evening.

This string has taught us two things:

(1) yes, in 1922 a Chevrolet was equipped with a radio. It appears that it was an "experimental" effort to test feasibility to some degree, and it appears that it was not something that was intended to be readily available at your local Chevrolet dealership, notwithstanding the mention of a few local dealers - it also says "The sedan described in this circular is not for sale, but is for demonstration purposes only." The GM Heritage Center (GMHC) in their first communication to me indicated that they were aware of this 1922 project. As Jack39Rdstr says, it is interesting and impressive that they were exploring this new technology at such an early date.

and (2) it appears the first offering of a radio as a "Genuine Chevrolet Accessory" was in December 1932 for the 1933 cars. Nothing has been posted here to contradict this date of introduction.

And nothing has been posted here to fill any of the 10 year gap between the 1922 experiment and the 1932/3 availability.

GMHC's question was more about what we might be able to share with them with respect to this second point - when a radio became something that the average customer was made aware of and could routinely purchase with his new Chevrolet.

So, given that interpretation (of what seemed like such a harmless question), what can we offer in the way of documentation about what was available in December 1932, and can we add any clarity to the "factory installed" versus "dealer installed" conversation, with documentation?

Many thanks - another educational Chat string!