These Classics Need an Upgrade!

If you're a fan of American Muscle, or you're a car enthusiast in general, you already know how iconic the GM F-body cars are. The 4th generation Chevrolet Camaro and its sister car, Pontiac Firebird, are some of the best bang-for-buck cars you can buy right now. With slick 90s looks,  LT1 or LS1 power, and a six-speed manual available, its no wonder they've surged in popularity in recent years. I can't deny it either, as I bought myself a 2000 Pontiac Trans Am only a few months ago for the same reasons! While these are great cars, even the newest examples are 23 years old now at the time of writing. That's to say when you get in one of these, you'll find an analog dash cluster, a radio with a 12-disc CD changer, and Green Day's American Idiot album in the center console. They're all great, but when you have lived with the modern conveniences of Apple CarPlay, Spotify and Waze, the old school charm fades quickly.

The stock Monsoon head unit, found in the Firebirds/Trans Ams

Developing a Solution

About a year ago, Reversion Raceworks began offering radio kits for the GMT400 & GMT800 full-size GM trucks, specifically from '95-'02. It was a large departure from our traditional product line, which has mainly revolved around creating dash bezels for the Holley, Haltech, FuelTech and other digital dashboards. The reason why is simple. We had purchased a '99 Chevy Suburban 2500 as our shop truck build and ran into the same problems described above. Our truck has great power with its blown 454 big block, killer looks, plenty of room, but a head unit that was twenty years too old. The problem with many of these 80s and 90s American cars however is they used a somewhat non-standard 1.5 DIN radio. The fancy double DIN offerings do not fit without aftermarket trim pieces or altering your dash and the single DIN units are too small. With no good solution, our engineers scanned the OEM radio and designed a bracket that would fit perfectly in the stock location with no modification required. From there we worked with a manufacture to create the perfect radio solution for these vehicles, with wireless CarPlay/Android Auto, full touchscreen display and even provisions for a back-up camera.!

'95-'02 GM truck adapter. Notice the additional side clips that mimic the factory design.

A 4th-Gen Solution

When we saw the strong interest in our GMT400 kit, we knew we had to create a solution for F-Body enthusiasts as well. During our research, we discovered that while the Camaro and Firebird share many parts, their factory head units are not identical. The key difference lies in the bolt patterns used to mount the head unit to the dash. Since our goal is always to deliver truly "bolt-in" parts, we opted against a "one-size-fits-all" bracket. Instead, each of our F-Body radio kits is uniquely designed to match the OEM radios found in each vehicle. That’s why we offer three distinct kits for the 4th-gen F-Bodies: a '97-'02 Camaro kit, a '93-'95 Firebird kit, and a '96-'02 Firebird kit. While all three kits use the same radio, each features a custom bracket tailored for a perfect fit.

'96-'02 Firebird bracket on top, '97-'02 Camaro on bottom. Notice the subtle differences.

Truly "Bolt-In"? What's Included?

From dash bezels to gauge pods, our parts are always designed with ease of installation in mind—and our radio kits are no exception. Each kit is engineered for a perfect fit and comes with the proper Metra harness to eliminate wiring issues. Simply connect the wires from the Metra harness to the ones on our radio, then plug it directly into the factory harness—no cutting required.

If you’d like to continue using the factory radio antenna, we also offer the appropriate adapter for that. For F-Bodies equipped with factory steering wheel controls (like mine!), you can retain this functionality using the universal Axxess AXSWC adapter. While we don’t currently carry this adapter, we’ll be covering how to use it in a future video on our YouTube channel. In the meantime, every kit includes detailed instructions to guide you through the installation process.

Our radio kit, mounted perfectly in a Firebird.

What do you get when you go with Reversion?

While you might be able to custom-fit a radio yourself with the right fabrication skills and expertise, what sets us apart? Unlike nameless sellers on other online platforms, we provide personalized support. If you encounter any troubleshooting issues, you’ll work directly with a member of our team to resolve them. At our shop, we use a custom test bench to thoroughly test each radio and replicate scenarios customers might face. And if necessary, we’ll even send you a replacement unit.

At Reversion Raceworks, we’re car enthusiasts just like you. We run these kits in our own vehicles and know firsthand how frustrating upgrades can sometimes be. That’s why we’ve gone to great lengths to make upgrading your F-Body as seamless as possible. Whether you've got a bone stock V6 Firebird or a turbocharged LS-powered Camaro, there has never been an easier and cleaner way to get a modern touchscreen radio in your 4th-gen!