Does anyone know what the AM/FM mono radio that came as the standard base unit in 81s and 82s EXACTLY looks like? Specifically, were the knobs chrome or black? Was the bezel that surrounded the dial satin chrome or black?

I have obtained an almost new AM/FM stereo unit which has black knobs and a black bezel, but my car originally came with a mono unit, and that's really what I want to get if possible. I just saw a mono radio for sale that puportedly is for an 82 Corvette, but the knobs and bezel are chrome, not black. To my way of thinking, if the stereo unit is black, so would be the mono unit. I wonder if this radio is from some other GM car?

By the way, YES, a mono radio was indeed the type these cars came with if no optional radio was speceified at the time of order, you just may have never seen one; as best as I can tell (using the extrapolation method from the Corvette Black Book), only about 460 cars were so equipped over these two model years. As such, not so easy to find.

Redvet, Went out and checked my '82. It's the orginal and the knobs are black as well as the benzel. Now my AM/FM has the cassette feature as well, so I'm guessing mine is an optional upgrade.

Thanks for checking, Kinger! You definitely have an upgraded radio, and since i'm going for a 100% original look, I'm skittish to assume that ALL 82 radios were of the "all black" theme. I'm still wondering if the base mono unit might have had some chrome on it, so i'll wait to hear from some others, too. I also posted this question on corvetteforum.com and corvetteactioncenter.com. I'll let the C3VR'ers know what I found out.

Thanks again!