1963 Wonderbar Speaker Connector

[Thomas B.]

Is there a secret to separating this speaker connection to the radio? Can wiggle the two parts side to side but will not pull apart.

[Joe R.]

Re: 1963 Wonderbar Speaker Connector

No secret but they sometimes feel like they are welded together. Just put a hard and steady pull and it will come apart. Maybe Delco didn't want any loose connections.

JR

[John D.]

Re: 1963 Wonderbar Speaker Connector

The identical connectors are used on the '57 to 62 fuel injection "choke" covers. Now you know my secret on finding them.
Thomas. As Joe said they can be a tad stubborn getting them apart.
I have the copper connectors-female and male connectors that are crimpled onto the wires. When I make the wires up I also solder them besides crimping.
My crimping tool came from an old Packard Electric employee. It's one they used for service-not on the assembly line.
Story: Years ago at the Corvette Expo an old guy came up to see me and asked if I wanted any tools and wiring connectors. I said sure.
The next Corvette Expo he brought me a bag fullof supplies. But the connectors were/are in a roll. They require work to use.
Best thing is the tool that duplicated the original crimping.
I never saw the man again. He had a huge straw hat. White mustache. Not too tall. He never gave me his name.
What a kind fellow.
I showed the tool to Bill Clupper in the old days. He said I was lucky to have it. Bill worked for Packard forever. The memories. John

[Thomas B.]

Re: 1963 Wonderbar Speaker Connector

I was able to get the connectors separated. It was just a real tight fit. Unfortunately, in the process one of the wires from the radio side broke off right at the connector. I don't know if it can be repaired but Lectric Limited has a replacement harness which looks correct.

The radio doesn't work right now so looking a replacing it with a refurbished Delco AM/FM unit or with something aftermarket with modern features.

[Thomas S.]

Re: 1963 Wonderbar Speaker Connector

Just got finished installing my converted original AM/FM radio in the 63. You mentioned aftermarket as a possible replacement option. I went that route, twice and wouldn’t recommend it. I had the original radio converted a few years ago and it was sitting on the shelf since. I had replaced it originally with an after market type from a well known company that makes replicas for virtually any old car (message me if you want the name). Their products are resold by many of the corvette suppliers. The 1st on I bought stopped working after 1-year. It had the wonder bar type seeking needle and it would jam up. When that happened, you could not tune the radio or put it into BlueTooth mode (hands free). I sent it back and it was fixed. Broke again, same problem but was now out of warranty and would have cost just as much to fix as to buy new.

Bought another one, it lasted 3-years and back to the same problem. The needle is driven by a stepping motor and cloths-line type wire with 2 end pulleys. The thread stretches and the needle gets jammed. Good concept, but after taking it apart what I found were very cheap components. Mind you I drive the car less than 1,000 miles per year.

The original radio that was converted uses a module from Aurora Designs.https://www.tech-retro.com/aurora-design/home.html

They offer many versions and while I wouldn’t recommend doing the conversion yourself, most companies that rebuilt OEM radios use their product. You can not use the original speaker. So you would you have to replace it or leave it there (that’s what I did) and locate another spot for them. The do make dual voice coil speakers that will fit in the original spot, but be prepared for major surgery to do it. I did that initially and found the sound quality to be well below what I wanted so I put the old speaker back and have two removable Bose boxes behind the seats.

The cost of a conversion is around the same price as the Corvette version of replica radio and the you end up with better quality controls compared to cheap feeling that the replica have. The shafts are very sloppy on the replicas.

If you Google antique radio conversions, there are many to choose from.

[Thomas B.]

Re: 1963 Wonderbar Speaker Connector

Tom,

Thanks. I sure don't want to go down that road.

I have looked into Custom Autosound and Retro Sound for aftermarket radios. Both have nice features and are affordable. However, you give up the original appearance of the correct Delco radio. Not sure how easily the aftermarkets install and how dependable they are.

Sounds like I need to stay away from the conversions though.

Thank you for your input.

Tom

[Thomas S.]

Re: 1963 Wonderbar Speaker Connector

Both of those companies are selling the same radio. One version has a digital output and the other has a face that looks very similar to the stock radio. However that is the one I replace twice.

The conversion is the way go in my opinion. Neither aftermarket or conversion will allow you to reuse the stock speaker. If that is a priority, then your only choice is to have the radio restored, and most likely the speaker cone.

The after market radios are very compact and not at all like the original. Very easy to get into that tight space. The conversion route does not change anything on the front bezel and all of the changes are internal. The conversion companies will go over the radio and replace any old component that looks to be defective. They bypass the amplification circuit and install an internal board that is about 2" square. The board can drive 1, 2 or 4 speakers depending on what you tell them. There is a BlueTooth option, and auxiliary out and a microphone for hands free phone use.

When you get the radio back you can not distinguish it from the OEM because all of the changes are internal. They do not mess with the front trim or glass, etc except for possibly cleaning.

The after market radios used cheap potentiometers (volume, tone controls) and the shafts are very loose. The tone knob can move the volume and visa versa. It is a noticeable difference any very annoying.

Bottom line is that if you want to keep the original radio and also have the features offered on the aftermarket types, a conversion is the only way to go. I have easily removeable kick panel speakers mounted on top of the carpet so judging is no issues. The rear box speakers are removeable and the wires can be hidden. Without the original speaker, there would be no sound so from a judging standpoint, who knows how it would work. Original radio / non-original speaker / non functioning speaker - judging is is a science that I defer to others.

[Thomas B.]

[Thomas B.]

Re: 1963 Wonderbar Speaker Connector

I took my radio to an Aurora authorized shop near me in Michigan. They went thru it and got it working again. I had them add the FM2 module to it. Sounds is good and clear through my replacement original type dash speaker. I believe the antenna was replaced by a previous owner. No static at all. Receives many AM and FM stations. The only issue they couldn't fix was the Wonderbar seek function. Doesn't stop on stations very often. Can still tune in manually though. Will just set some preset stations I generally listen to.

[Thomas S.]

I took my radio to an Aurora authorized shop near me in Michigan. They went thru it and got it working again. I had them add the FM2 module to it. Sounds is good and clear through my replacement original type dash speaker. I believe the antenna was replaced by a previous owner. No static at all. Receives many AM and FM stations. The only issue they couldn't fix was the Wonderbar seek function. Doesn't stop on stations very often. Can still tune in manually though. Will just set some preset stations I generally listen to.

[Thomas B.]

Re: 1963 Wonderbar Speaker Connector

I'm in the Detroit area. Many strong stations here. I have tried with the antenna all the way up but same result. I believe my antenna is correct in appearance but is probably a replacement. There is no grounding plate under the deck.

Correction: The grounding plate is actually referred to as a reinforcing plate in the '63 AIM. The antenna is grounded directly to the frame with a grounding strap.

[Thomas S.]

Re: 1963 Wonderbar Speaker Connector

There is also a antenna trimmer (tuning) procedure described in either the radio manual or service manual. Put this phrase into a google search

delco wonderbar manual. You'll see a lot of info on the subject.

I'm not implying that this will definitely fix your problem, but like ever other diagnostic issue, it's a one step at a time process. All antenna's have a specific impedance (AC resistance) and in combination with the coaxial cable to the antenna, can be off a bit. Under normal circumstances, (no wonder bar) the signal strength is not an issue because you are manually tuning the radio. The signal has to reach a certain threshold for the Wonderbar electronics to work properly. There are other internal components that can be tuned, but I wouldn't recommend touching anything inside of the radio.

A competent electronic tech that works on these radios would definitely be able to give you a better assessment. This might also fall into the category of, just living with it as is. If you are able to tune in the stations, but only a few will be recognized by the Wonderbar, that's pretty good considering how old the radio is.