unsure as to how to remove radio

[guywithaVL]

hey all, newby here...just looking to add that lil bit of extra bass while getting from A to B

i have a '88 VL executive

could someone give me the low down or a link to how to remove the radio?

also will the original have a spare port to plug a amp/sub into?

thanks

[Panama]

not if its the original. also it wont have a cd player.

[guywithaVL]

yeah, didnt think it would have the capacity to use an amp/sub

i use my ipod instead of a cdplayer, the radio picks up the signal of the ipod then transmits through the speakers which is why id prefer not to get a new cdplayer rendering my ipod useless.

does anyone know of an adapter that could work all of this in together?

or would just buying a cheap new player(thats accepts an amp) and just continue as doing currently be the best bet?

really dont wanna go back to CDs...

thanks

[maxpower QLD]

I'm no expert on car audio but most head-units that i've seen like ALPINE & KENWOOD usualy come wid a cable to plug ur i-pod into the head unit . Get a good quality head unit and not some no name crap thing then upgrade ya speakers , add a 4 channel amp and your rockin

As for pulling the old one out i'd take it to someone who instals car audio and just pay them
to remove your old one as i've been told that they are somewhat difficult to remove if you've
never done it before . When i removerd my old one (don't laugh) i basicly ended up pulling out the entire dash to remove the
stock head unit When i didn't need too .

[VL Berlina 5speed]

my way of removing my factory tape deck which didnt work wasnt the most pratical

vice grips and a screw driver.
smashed the face of then ripped all the insides out till i could pull it out

[guywithaVL]

maxpower, cant laugh at that, ive read abit on this and alot of ppl have had to take the whole dash apart. now will most likely go looking for a place where they sell and install.. just hope they do removing aswell.
by cheap i meant like low end sony or alike, never had much luck with the life span of no name sh*t

and VL Berlina 5speed, LOL... theres always that as a back up plan ay

thanks for the replies guys
--------------
also i bought a sub in box with a amp inside... will this be able to hook up to a new player directly for the time being?

i ask this because i do intend to get a nice complete system going but first need to invest in some rust removal for above the rear left wheel and have it checked for a leak, afew months ago in the wet season parking outside found a puddle of water also in the left side.
enjoyin your tunes is great but cars heath first

[Panama]

i'd just buy a cd player that accepts auxillary input by a headphone style jack in the front. one which does mp3 is good too. i just payed $288 for a pioneer DEH-P4050UB which works a treat.

[etch289]

take the knobs off , all plastic surrounds
then ,get 2 very thin like letter openers or hacksaw blades and push em in to the vertical slots
one on either side of player
i think thru the ashtray and under the middle aircon vents theres a special radio 90"
bracket with 3 screws that will have to be undone also

[Sabbath']

CalaisTurbo.com.au will be your friend in this matter.

There is an anti-theft plate which you can just break the mounting on, which will help it to slide out.

You can get headunits with iPod interfaces on them, you'll want to also upgrade to some aftermarket 4 inch front speakers, and if you're running a sub, 9's for the parcel shelf, make up a custom shelf out of MDF. Give it a go over a weekend and you'll transform the car instantly.

Good luck

[guywithaVL]

will try put all this great info to good use.. and will let you all no how it turns out, i no im keen to find out ha ha ha

i relise this is draggin on.. im just not a handy 'go out and do it' guy

here to learn

thanks guys

[Panama]

its ok man, theyre valid questions and even i dont know how to take out a stock vl radio, as all the ones ive ever seen have had aftermarket cd in when they were bought.

[guywithaVL]

just alil update: rang a shop, agreed on a player, install fee...basicaly just agreed to whatever they said it get it done right then went in to have it happen then was told that they couldnt do it

gotta love incompetence

[Dayvo]

From memory the radio is fitted to the dash in production before the dash is fitted to the car . I'm pretty sure the VL radio is held in buy a screw in the rear panel that looks like a philips head screw but is a three point star not a four point star.

[ucwepn]

my way of removing my factory tape deck which didnt work wasnt the most pratical

vice grips and a screw driver.
smashed the face of then ripped all the insides out till i could pull it out

Amen brother hehe i remember doing somthing similar

[VQXTC]

Hi there,
Removing the original radio from a vl can be a pain. However not all vl's had the bracket which supports the back of the radio so therefore I use to use keys (tools that came with aftermarket cd player to allow it to slide out of a metal cage otherwise known as a cradle) that came with kenwood cd players and this worked a treat if i was lucky.
Otherwise most of the dash had to come apart just to get to the bracket at the rear. The bracket is held on by one single screw in the back of the radio and 2 screws which secure it to the car the two screws had a speednut (metal nut bent into a U shape with a hole in one side and a thread on the other) attached to them.
The good thing about removing most of the dash is you can loom all your wiring up.
Just dont forget that factory Vl's are common speaker ground. Need to modify or rewire speakers.


If you need anymore help then dont hesitate to ask. I lost count of the amount of Vl's I have done.....

Cheers

Simon

[guywithaVL]

hey guys, sorry was so slow to update, kinda got slack after that failed attempt, went to a different shop and got a new head unit and a pair of sony xplod 440w 6x9 4ways.. these will deffinetly do!
and had a m8 whos done up his and other ppls cars, hes also an electrician to help install so yay... compare it to those 4" 20yo stock speakers i had, i wasnt even listening to real music LOL

thanks for all the help and info, it ended up having the anti thelf plate and we were talking it out piece but peice but gave in and took the dash apart. all in all a very neat job and he reckoned way faster then the last vl he did.

working on pick of speaking in back dash mounted

[guywithaVL]

[VQXTC]

Hi there, Great to see that you got the headunit sorted out....... however i hope those speakers are well secured at the rear.

By doing it that way it looks like you have lost alot of viewing area through the back window....... Depending on the size of the magnets on the speakers

I have made a parcel shelf out of 18mm Craftwood and mounted 6 x 9 speakers flush in a new parcel shelf without cutting or altering the structural steel under the factory shelf......

Gave a much tighter and clearer sound. Really worth the extra effort I bet you wont be disappointed......

At the end of the day its not all about the amount of money you spend on audio but the way it is installed that counts......

Cheers

Simon (Semi-retired car audio fitter for 10 years)

[guywithaVL]

the speaker boxes are screwed in through the bottom and doesnt block as much sight as it looks in the pic. maybe should have gotten them in the doors, but that can be next time

[05 Senator]

i know its an old thread but i didn't want to start a new one..
how the hell do you get the screw out of the security plate behind the unit. got the other 2 out. i dont want to wreck the unit because someone wants it. help is greatly appreciated

[jatsvl]

unfortunantly to save the unit you will need to undo the nuts holding the dash on the body they are just under the windscreen underneath the little square trim covers. when installed the whole dash was assembled and secured in the car as one unit, as they were a HOT item for thieves in the 80"s holden made it virtually immpossible to remove them without stripping half the interior. thankfully with the more modern commodores they have security coding so removing the stereo is simple as with 2-4 pieces of hard wire e.g. coathanger. and not having to take of any of the trim.

[05 Senator]

yea ive got the dash off. i unbolted the security bracket from the body and thought id just slide it out as a whole unit, but the bracket wont fit through so i guess i need to undo it from the head unit but... i cant get to it and isn't it a weird bolt as stated earlier in this thread?

[Sabbath']

Pretty sure i just slid a metal ruler in and used a hammer to break the screw

[05 Senator]

not a bad idea. will try something like that. hope only the screw breaks though lol