STOCK Head Unit Removal Tools (non-kenwood)
 

Hey Guys and Gals.....I am here to tell you its not the easiest thing to do.....BUT...not the hardest either....

AND its NOT necessary to spend any money on special tools you MAY only use once, even if they are only $5...that is $5 I can spend on something else...

NOW....I have heard guys talk about just using a coat hanger (which I did) and making the TWO pieces and go for it....BUT I descovered ANOTHER tool that makes this whole process even easier.....an extra set of hands (another person) would also help...but I did do this alone.

You will see at the bottom of this post a picture of the home made tools with their deminsions.

the first thing you do is remove the little side panels on the sides of the units fact to expose the holes which the tools fit into....you will see that there are THREE holes on each side....the top and bottom holes which are round...and the ones between them which are oval or oblong.

Insert the two "U" shaped tools, one on each side, into the ROUND holes and push then in till you can feel that they have gone under the clips which hold the unit in.....THEN

take the LARGE tool and insert each end into the oblong holes, one on each side......install it so that its INSIDE the other U shaped tools....

NOW, while pushing/pulling the U shaped tools to the side (this FULLY disengages the clips), pull out on the LARGE tool to remove the unit.

the whole thing is in there pretty snug....it took a bit of fiddling for me to do this alone...but with a second set of hands so one of you can operate one tool while the other pulls the unit out....would greatly ease in the removal.

http://www.mazdamp3.com/members/Sir ...movaltools.jpg

hope this helps some of you out.

Nuke, I can't see the pic! Bad link? Would love to see what you came up with.

Very nice, Nuke - I'm sure this will help plety of people, especially with the pic of the tools with the dimensions and such. Nice work! And I just can't tell you how excited I am to see you jumping on the stereo upgrade bandwagon. There is something pleasing about an "older" person doing things a teenager would do, yet using the wisdom of experience to do things in a logical and easy way. Whatever - I dunno - I just get a huge kick out of the fact that you're gonna have a pumping system complete with amps and subs and all. You go boy!

And silver_owner - give the pic a sec to load up. It took up to 30 seconds before Nuke's photo showed on my screen - slow hosting I guess.

~HH

Thanks HH. Still wouldn't load in Netscape but came up in explorer.

Thanks NUKE, those look simple enough to bend up. Question, is the one that goes into the middle oblong holes used for leverage (ie: a grab handle) or does it also disengage a clip or hook like the others? TIA

I can answer - the large "tool" that goes into the oblong holes will act only as a handle to pull out the radio - kinda like the old Benzi box removeable decks. There are no clips inside the oblong holes, so this is just for leverage.

~HH

Cool! Sir Nuke, you must be an engineer :)

Anyway, I don't really think the large tool is necessary (unless if you have big/fat hands). If your stock HU doesn't have a cassette tape or MD module, you can pry open the center piece of plastic and stick your hand in for leverage. The hole goes all the way back, so you'll be able to have a pretty good grip.

:D

HiHo is right...the big piece is just a HANDLE to use to pull the deck out...mine was in there REALLY tight and took a bit to get it out....

ENGINEER? hell no...my parents were married when I was born! lol lol.. :{D I have just been at this sort of thing a long time and have a lot of experience figuring things out on my own and working "on the fly". HAD I KNOWN how easily that little insert came out and that there was that HUGE frickin hole behind it....I probably would have done exactly that....but didn't know for sure till the unit was out.

well just because there is a little snow on the roof....certainly doesn't mean there is no fire in the furnace! :{D

I have always loved my tunes.....I like it loud with the right music in the deck.....and my little stock unit really don't have the guts to pound it out....I am surprised that the stock speakers hadn't blown yet..lol I turn the stock unit up to about one click off of MAX all the time when I put the Ramstien in ..... I can't wait to jam to it with the upgrade...its gonna rock so hard!!

Just remember guys.....just because I am old enough to be your dad....well some of you anyway.....don't mean I don't like to have fun....don't love to mod my car (called HOTRODDING) and don't like to bang my head to some killer tunes.....

think about it......look at the age of some of the most famous rock and rollers out there still banging it out.....hell some of them could be MY DAD!!! lol

this thread is great. . . im a bit late responding on it, but did a search and found it. im going to start making those tools now. . . thanks nuke. . . BTW why does it say non-kenwood at the top?

i'm guessing he meant stock head units (the 2 DIN ones) as opposed to the stock kenwood units in the MP3 and MSP.

BINGO.....give that man a cupie doll!

:{D

good point. . i never thought of that, ignore that question nuke

This is an old post I am replying to that will maybe help. There was another one with pics of the actual radio, but this may do the trick.

Mister T

ahh! I need kenwood removal keys :cool: . Hehe j/k, I have the MSP stereo in my car though... cool :D . I can just bend the tabs on the DIN sleeve from the outside though if I want to pull it out, cause the mounting kit ain't the most spectacular :p

heh, chewing gum wrappers and duct tape work wonders!
peace