fixedit
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- Feb 10, 2006
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- Members Ride
- VE II Calais V Redline Wagon
I found a perfect tool to remove the centre dashboard speaker grille on my VE Commodore without the need to remove the demister plastic strips that run across in front of the grille near the windscreen.
I used one of two black metal clips that go behind my number plate covers. They have hook bends on each end that go over the top and bottom of the front of the number plate to hold it on. If you don't have one of these just get some light gauge metal that you can bend into a similar shape. They are about 140mm long, 12mm wide and the hook ends are also about 12mm long. The metal is less than 1mm thick. Really quite thin and flexible.
For the sake of these instructions I refer to this as the 'tool'.
The speaker grille has a total of 5 clips on the edges. Two clips on the right side, two on the left and one in the middle of the edge on the side nearest the radio.
1. Don't bother lifting the demister strips.
2. Push the bent part of the tool (with the hook side facing you) down into the gap between the demister plastic strip and the speaker grille. I pushed it in at the very middle of the edge of the speaker grille because the gap seemed bigger there. You may have to make the bend a bit thinner. Don't worry that it will be too fat to get out because the speaker grille will be up when you remove it.
3. Slide the tool to the right and pull up towards the windscreen until the right side of the speaker grille pulls up out of the first clip. This may take a couple of goes and you may have to re-straighten the tool but the speaker grille will eventually come out of its clip.
4. Then slide left and pull up towards the windscreen to lift the other side up out of its clip.
5. Use your hands to lift the speaker grille out of the other two side clips working your way to the side nearest the radio. Just keep even steady pressure on it as you go. Then lift out of the last clip on the radio side of the speaker grille.
6. Unscrew the two screws on the speaker, lift it up and unclip the wires. drop the wires into the space to the side.
7. Replace the speaker and two screws.
8. Make sure all the speaker grille clips are in place.
9. Replace the speaker grille pushing it into the clips using your hands starting from the radio side and work your way evenly left and right towards the windscreen.
10. Turn on the radio and enjoy not having the centre speaker louder than the others.
I used one of two black metal clips that go behind my number plate covers. They have hook bends on each end that go over the top and bottom of the front of the number plate to hold it on. If you don't have one of these just get some light gauge metal that you can bend into a similar shape. They are about 140mm long, 12mm wide and the hook ends are also about 12mm long. The metal is less than 1mm thick. Really quite thin and flexible.
For the sake of these instructions I refer to this as the 'tool'.
The speaker grille has a total of 5 clips on the edges. Two clips on the right side, two on the left and one in the middle of the edge on the side nearest the radio.
1. Don't bother lifting the demister strips.
2. Push the bent part of the tool (with the hook side facing you) down into the gap between the demister plastic strip and the speaker grille. I pushed it in at the very middle of the edge of the speaker grille because the gap seemed bigger there. You may have to make the bend a bit thinner. Don't worry that it will be too fat to get out because the speaker grille will be up when you remove it.
3. Slide the tool to the right and pull up towards the windscreen until the right side of the speaker grille pulls up out of the first clip. This may take a couple of goes and you may have to re-straighten the tool but the speaker grille will eventually come out of its clip.
4. Then slide left and pull up towards the windscreen to lift the other side up out of its clip.
5. Use your hands to lift the speaker grille out of the other two side clips working your way to the side nearest the radio. Just keep even steady pressure on it as you go. Then lift out of the last clip on the radio side of the speaker grille.
6. Unscrew the two screws on the speaker, lift it up and unclip the wires. drop the wires into the space to the side.
7. Replace the speaker and two screws.
8. Make sure all the speaker grille clips are in place.
9. Replace the speaker grille pushing it into the clips using your hands starting from the radio side and work your way evenly left and right towards the windscreen.
10. Turn on the radio and enjoy not having the centre speaker louder than the others.