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radio removal

P

PhillyD

Well-Known Member
Hi guys:

I'm trying to remove my radio so I can find out if any of the original wires/harnesses were cut or in some other way changed (my car did not come with the original radio! Ugh)

How do you get the bezel off? The only screws I can feel are way at the bottom of the drivers/passenger sides. If those are the ones to remove they seem impossible to get to - no room to put a screwdriver in? Do I have to remove the center console? I hope not.

Thanks in advance for your help
 
That plastic trim piece around the radio and AC controls should just pop off. Might want to get a small flat head screw driver and carefully pry it up. Should be 4 bolts holding the radio in. Take those off and gently pry it out. Should come straight out and then you can see the wires and unplug them. Sometimes the antenna wire will pop out as it's coming out so go slow and watch everywhere. Just take your time it's pretty easy.
 
Nope ... that's what started this journey in the first place. I've been gently prying the bezel and the who unit seems to be moving with the stero and heater controls. There seems to be a screw down way low. Maybe that's nothing ... but it seems hard to just 'remove' the bezel when it's almost wrapped around the units. Should I gently pry the bottom ends apart?

Maybe I should pry open from bottom drivers/passenger sides? Then slip off? I just don't want to snap anything (my tendancy!) LOL

Could you tell me if your bezel has screws on the bottom next to the carpet?? One on each side ... it's so low it's hard to tell.
 
Oh ... BTW ... a manual that came with the car (Firebired restoration - general manual written by Haynes (I think) says take the screws off the bezel before removing it. The original Firebird manual doesn't mention screws in it's diagram (Section 8 I believe)
 
PhillyTurboSix said:
That plastic trim piece around the radio and AC controls should just pop off. Might want to get a small flat head screw driver and carefully pry it up. Should be 4 bolts holding the radio in. Take those off and gently pry it out. Should come straight out and then you can see the wires and unplug them. Sometimes the antenna wire will pop out as it's coming out so go slow and watch everywhere. Just take your time it's pretty easy.
Click to expand...

+1 on what Philly said, the bezel is clipped in, gently pop it out near the corners if possible. Once out of the way (4) 7mm screws should be holding the audio unit in place. "Its so easy, a Cave Man can do it" No pun intended to Geico :thumbup:
 
OK here it goes.

It was ridiculously simple to remove the "faceplate" from the stereo pod but like a genius i was trying to remove the entire radio/heater control unit! Once the faceplate came off it was 1-2-3.

All the original harnesses were there in minty new condition. The radio that was in had an outlet for the SW Controls but they still didn't work. Glen explained that the '90 and up SW Controls sent out different signals that were not compatable with the signals sent by the '89 and lower SW Control units ... so of course they wouldn't work.

Glen had a radio from one of his TA's and lent it to me to install ... as soon as I did I got the obligatory "LOC" ... then the moment of truth ... I hit the MUTE button and WHALLA ... everything worked! So there is nothing wrong with my SW Controls - they work perfectly.

All I need now is an original radio and we'll be good to go and everything will be working on the car FOR NOW!! LOL I enjoyed getting into it and thanks to everyone here and Glen! I'll be a good student.

I should have a radio here within a couple of weeks ...
 
Its amazing how alot of these stock head units now command a fairly hefty price for no more than what they are. In the 90s people used to chuck those delco units by the wayside daily.
 
Went to junkyard yesterday for a console part for my son's Land Rover and there on the shelf ... staring at me ... was an '89 AM/FM Cassette Stereo with equalizer!!!!! Bought it for $30.00 and if it doesn't work I get my money back!!!

Took it to Glen and (boo hoo) it doesn't have the same SW control's plug and some other differences. Boo Hoo ...

It has the same EXACT FACEPLATE and controls. So Ponitiac made multiple versions of the same radio ... Glen speculated (sounds plausible) maybe from a Bonneville or Grand Prix???

Anyone know where it could be from???
 
If it ad the same exact Face, meaning gray not black, it was out of a pontiac. The steering wheel controls were an option (UK3) and came in the high end Bonneville SSE/SSEi, 6000 STE, and GP GT/STE.
 
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