What's the best 'upgrade' for pulling the original radio and cassette player from '87 GT......I.e. pulling late 90's early 2000
pontiac radio-cd combo ...any suggestions ?

A lot of people like the monsoon system. There is someone in the mall who adds an auxiliary input for IPODs, etc. Do a search for radios. I just added a new receiver without cd in mine. It is small and fits well with an adaptor. USB, Bluetooth, Aux input with built in equalizer. If you want to stay with the stock dash, you'll need a 1.5 Din size stereo. Most are either 2 Din or 1 Din now.

Do a search for "Monsoon". Many have changed to that radio to keep the stock appearance but upgrade the radio itself.

Edit: JMTUT beat me to it. lol

[This message has been edited by Spadesluck (edited 08-19-2018).]

A company called "Replacement radios" has the Monsoon radios/Cds with the "Theftlock" deactivated and wiring adapters for $200....Works well and the readout is ORANGE like the rest of the dash...

[This message has been edited by cvxjet (edited 08-20-2018).]

So many threads on this. Forget CD that is also old you want perhaps dvd/mp3/mp4.
What do you want to achieve? So many avenues to explore with components.

quote Originally posted by cvxjet: A company called "Replacement radios" has the Monsoon radios/Cds with the "Theftlock" deactivated and wiring adapters for $200....Works well and the readout is ORANGE like the rest of the dash...

I offer the same Monsoon radio for $169 shipped with aux input ....

I bought one from FieroTom with an auxilary input and use a $20 MPOW bluetooth receiver plugegd into the aux port. Works great

If you are interested in a pop out screen (7"), I just recently installed a Jensen unit in one of my cars that has CD/DVD, NAV, aux, and camera inputs. It is a single DIN unit that comes with an adapter for the 1.5 DIN slot and a wire harness. My show car also has a pop up screen with NAV and other inputs but it is a Kenwood unit that is considerably more expensive than the Jensen.

Nelson

RetroSound Newport DIN 1.5 Radio is another option.
Looks "vintage" so thieves won't give it a second look.
I installed one in a friend's car and she loves its functionality.
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/136301.html

Features:
Compatible with iPod and iPhone
Built-in Bluetooth for hands-free calling and audio streaming
Plays MP3 and WMA files via front or rear USB inputs
Dual Green or Amber illumination with adjustable High/Low Dimmer
AM/FM tuner with 30 presets and RDS
Selectable USA/EU/Japan Tuner Frequencies
Built-in amplifier (25 watts RMS/45 watts peak x 4 channel)
Two sets of RCA low level outputs
One pair of sub-woofer outputs w/ adjustable level and crossover control
Warranty: 2 Year Parts and Labor
DIN 1.5 dash compatibility

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3.4L Supercharged 87 GT and Super Duty 4 Indy #163

I also got a Delco head unit from Fiero Tom. Was 130 shipped. Great radio and Tom was a pleasure doing business with. If he has a Monsoon for 160 I would jump on that. He doesn't always have them in stock.

Theftlock is a big pain even to most original owners...

Plus Old CD players may die too... OEM and Aftermarket and Even when not used much or at all.
if motors and everything else works, 10 to 20 or more year old laser assembly can have problems.
Any used from a junk yard etc. the laser "box" can be full of crap to mirrors and beam splitter (wiki) can be bad.

Even new lasers in CD/DVD/Blueray units are known problems because mirrors/splitter parts have metal coatings that react w/ dirt or anything in the air and go bad. Some in < 5 years. Many have players/burners in a computer that have died or can die for same issue.
This goes far beyond laser cleaning most stores sell you. Many even take apart to blow "air" to clean but often won't help and many "canned air" things and cleaners are bad for them.

So make sure you have whatever adapters needed to test them before buying used from junk yards etc.

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(Jurassic Park)

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I went with the Monsoon with cassette as I don't really play CDs or cassettes, but I do have a cassette adapter that allows me to use my phone. Theft lock is no big deal, there are youtube videos out there that will show you how to easily deactivate it. I got the adapter from eBay for about $25 and the stereo from a wreckers for about $25. Only issue was a dead display bulb which I got from Rockauto for a couple of dollars.