So, after some reinspecting, there actually was a display, but it'* not back lit. It is virtually undetectable without shining a flashlight on the display.

After turning off the theftlock, the only problem now is being able to see what is being displayed. All of the fuses related to the radio seem to be in check, I even switched them out with my spares just to double check.

The -only- thing that doesn't work is the backlight. Any idea on what could alleviate this?

Thank you everyone for these responses! I have to admit I've never really gone on a forum to ask for help, but this is painting it all really positively.

Does the radio actually play sound now, or not?
Starting to sound like something shorted and burnt the bulb out, it happens..
See this video.


If you cannot do it yourself you may want to consider getting an aftermarket unit, you'll pay somebody around 150.00 to replace the bulb for you, that Delco deck is not worth spending that much to replace a bulb.

the bulb is only a few bucks if you can do it yourself, thats why i was taking the radio out of my bonnie in the first place. just about every radio like that blows that same bulb and my wife wont let me make anything un-stock on that car unfortunately

The bulbs are not too expensive if a one time fix takes care of the issue, from watching that video you do not want to get the cheap e-bay bulbs, they are said to not last long.
The bulb from the site the guy mentions is 23.00 total shipped, that is a bit pricey, and could be even more expensive if there is some short in the wiring harness that caused the deck to blow the bulb in the first place, so before the bulb is replaced I'd inspect that wiring harness well.
GM Radio Replacement Bulbs & Lamps

Looking at the instructions they provide, and the video, it looks like there could be 3 bulbs blown out, in the instructions they say 3 bulbs are 20.00, but before you click the instructions link you can see it says 1 ea, so that is a little confusing.
http://www.corvetteradios.com/home/Page1bulb.jpg

For around 100.00 to 150.00 you could get a decent aftermarket deck, this is the method I'd take if you are not worried about keeping things stock.
Of course you'll have to pay a little more to retain things like the chimes when a door is left open.

i just went to radio shack i have the older style that only has one bulb but doesnt make any difference. all you have to get is a 12v bulb as close to the same power rating as original as they have. i think they were two packs for less than ten bucks i think

Not sure if the guy in this video knows what he is talking about or not, but he says the 12v bulbs don't last, since when the car is running the batt is usually delivering from 12.7v to 13.4v, he mentions a 13v bulb, but I don't see anywhere on that site that they say the bulb is not a standard 12v bulb.
Of course I cannot see how a 12v bulb could not tolerate a little more voltage, I am pretty sure most of the regular bulbs in the car are 12v, of course I am no electrical engineer.

a light bulb is not a "smart" device its just a piece of wire or something else that glows when there is power applied. it doesnt matter if its 6 or 15v, its just going to change the service time before you have replace it

I think what he was stating about the EBay bulbs was, the fact that they were 12 volt bulbs with a low current/power rating......all a bulb is, is a resistor.....so if it is rated for 12 volts, and so many watts, if you increase the voltage applied to the bulb(14 volts on a cold start), you are increasing the current though that resistor(filament), which will cause a shorter shelf life, if it has a lower power rating(higher power creates more heat, which is not good for the filament).....for example........you can buy 100 ohm resistors, with different wattage ratings.......so with increased current through a bulb due to a higher voltage applied, you could be on the edge of, or exceed the power rating of the bulb, and thus shorten it'* longevity....

What bugs me though is, we have all seen the displays where, one or more bulbs go out and you end up with a "black spot".....bulbs don't usually all fail at the same time.....in fact, the bulbs may be ok, and it'* a circuit board problem(loss of power or ground), because they are probably all in parallel....

So essentially if the cheaper bulb has a lower power rating then it could fail sooner than a more expensive higher power rating, makes sense.
If it is just a short that caused them to blow, and the short is found, and fixed, would you not want to put a higher rated bulb in, with better filament, like the guy was mentioning, that way you do not have to repeat the job sooner, rather than later?
Then again if it was a short that cause the issue, and it is found/fixed, then I guess that point becomes mute.

Good point about all 3 failing at once most likely being due to some more serious problem, my money is that something shorted them, whether or not it damaged the circuit board, that I do not know.
Starting to sound like getting an aftermarket unit may be the way to go, of course after the wiring harness is inspected thoroughly.

bulbs are not like resistors. the power rating is more like the brightness of the bulb, they have a resistance that will draw the current to use that power. the reason many times parallel bulbs go at the same time is when you have three for example the voltage is dropped so they all will see like 11.5 or 12v and then one goes now the remaining ones see 13.5 and its a shock.