where is the radio harness on a p71..1999 vic?

[v8only]

Driving me nuts...my 1999 crown vic has a large plastic bucket where the radio should be, and the antenna cable is there, but no actual harness for the radio. I know it should be there, as the car has speakers with wiring, but no plug?

the panel is off the very bottom of the dash and I can see all the wiring at that plastic box and around it, but still can't find the radio harness.

can anyone tell me exactly where this harness feeds off of and where I should expect to find it? thanks all! stock exhaust and no radio is putting me to sleep

[sly]

it "should" come off that huge mass of wires directly behind the radio hole. Can you snap a pic with the "cubby hole" removed?

[v8only]

ok, that leads me into the next question, how does the inst panel surround piece come off? I could get the top half unsnapped, but it feels like the bottom half wants to break off. Does it truly just pull off? Should I man up and yank it off? I just don't want to break that piece.

[sly]

good question. that, I dunno. if the bucket has two holes on either side (like the radios do) you don't need to remove the dash panels to get it out. Just the radio removal tools (or 4 long nails) will get it out.

[v8only]

the radio is long gone, or perhaps never there. The plastic bucket mounting points are behind the dash bezel. I'll just pull harder

[sly]

ah... maybe the trim moulding below that section of dash pops out like the older models to reveal the bolts that hold it all in.

[v8only]

ahhhh...that' would make sense. I've been tied up all night, I'll get another chance with it monday night...thanks!

[v8only]

well, the panel below the inst bezel did snap off revealing some bolts, which I undid and the inst bezel finally came off.

However, it sure as hell didn't show me what I wanted to see. That large plastic bucket where the radio goes is molded into the dash...go freaking figure. Also, the radio harness was no where, nada.

I don't get it...their are speakers in the trunk with wires that go forward, and I "assume" door speakers, but where do the wires go?

I'm gonna call it and say that this police vic must have never come with a radio in it, and it doesn't have a radio harness either. I'm going to have to run individual wires along the car...bummer. I may just drop it off and have it all done for me..I'm not in the mood for hacking up the dash to fit a din style radio.

[marquisman]

well, you could always run new wires. all you need is speaker wires, 12V switch, constant for memory and ground. would not be hard. and it would be better than factory

[v8only]

yea..I'll probably just do it all myself...Ive got a 4 channel and 1 channel amp too I want to wire in, so guess I'll just have to get busy.

[v8only]

just an update, I drove out to someones house who had a rolled over 09 p71 and bought some interior stuff from him...in the process I looked at his radio and his harness.

just for future searchers, the harness comes out right middle top just inside the plastic radio bin...out of the top of the dash at that crack on the inside of the bin like I said. I found mine there, cut really short ....I think I have enough wires still to play with though and resplice it.

[sly]

ah... yours is someone's "hacked-out clean up job" and they didn't leave the stock harness in. that sucks.

[v8only]

yes, sadly enough...I'm guessing someone installed a modern din style radio with the din adapter bracket...pulled it straight out of the dash tight then just snipped the harness...not giving a damn...then sold it to me. I'd bet anything it was the guy who sold the car to me cause he was sneaky enough to reset the battery hence resetting the readyness monitors...100 miles later, check engine light...

[sly]

yeah... probably the seller... rat bastage.