Radio Questions

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icejawa

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 16, 2016
Messages
312
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Location
cleveland
My Car
1971 Mach 1 M Code,2003 Mach Azure Blue
Hello everyone,

So I am trying to hook up an original AM radio and I just had some questions:

What holds it in place? I have the rear silver "L" shaped bracket and the knobs? Is that it?

Is the wiring harness separate from the main under dash harness? I need to see if midlife will fix the botched splicing the previous abusers performed.  :p 

Is there a way to test the radio outside of the car? I currently do not have an antenna installed.

Thanks

 
The L shape bracket goes on the back of the radio and slips into the slot on the bottom at the rear of the radio slot in the dash. There should be some nuts that go over the volume and tuner shafts that will hold the radio bezel to the radio. To test the radio outside of the car you will need an antenna, speaker and battery. There should be a wiring diagram on the radio. If not you will need to try to find one for your model. Most are the same. The wiring is pretty straight forward. For most it is usually red = key 12v power, brown = constant 12v power, black = ground and yellow to light switch.

Edit for clarity-

Red key switch 12v is power for the radio to turn it on and off.

Brown 12v constant power is for the radio memory. If this is not connected then you will loose any program channels and the time of day. Of course if old manual tuner then this doesn't matter.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Radio connects to a two-pin female plug on the underdash harness (white/purple - power, blue/red - dash lamps); speaker wires go to center-dash speaker.

 
The L shape bracket goes on the back of the radio and slips into the slot on the bottom at the rear of the radio slot in the dash. There should be some nuts that go over the volume and tuner shafts that will hold the radio bezel to the radio. To test the radio outside of the car you will need an antenna, speaker and battery. There should be a wiring diagram on the radio. If not you will need to try to find one for your model. Most are the same. The wiring is pretty straight forward. For most it is usually red = key 12v power, brown = constant 12v power, black = ground and yellow to light switch.

Edit for clarity-

Red key switch 12v is power for the radio to turn it on and off.

Brown 12v constant power is for the radio memory. If this is not connected then you will loose any program channels and the time of day. Of course if old manual tuner then this doesn't matter.

Radio connects to a two-pin female plug on the underdash harness (white/purple - power, blue/red - dash lamps); speaker wires go to center-dash speaker.
Ok when trying to wire up the radio the light inside of it flickers, that damn west coast cougars sold me a "functional" radio but the wiring needs to be replaced. I guess I will have to order a $20 pigtail. I'll probably tear apart the dash tomorrow and see what is all botched under there

 
A word of caution. To work on the wiring you need to take the whole dash out or you will have to go to Dr. to get your back adjusted, lol. 

It is not really that bad of a job probably 2 hrs. to get it out and remove the front seats for sure. It will of course snowball and you will be doing heater box. There are two bolts on top under the dash pad, take instrument cluster out, a brace rod to the left of the glove box, the brackets going to the A posts and one smaller screw hidden under the steering column that you will need to drop down. Take the screw out of the center of the fuse box and it stays in place and you pull the under dash and under hood apart there. There is a ground wire near the center going to cowl on AC cars. If you have just vents the cables have to come lose. The heater controls and several plugs in each A post depending on what options you have. Don't really have to label them just take a pic the plugs are sort of fool proof unless hacked up. The harness is specific to your car not a one harness fits all for sure. 

If you have speakers in your door you would have AM/FM or AM/8 Track. If just a center speaker then AM and some had no radio. A block off plate will sell for more than a radio will.

There are two different trim pieces that the radio mounts in. The AM and AM/FM trim has a smaller hole for the face of the radio the AM/ 8 Track has about 1/4" taller opening that just gets cut out on the smaller one. 

There are still some good radio people out there sometimes it is just a diode bad and easy for them to fix.

You can send to Midlife if really bad or just clean all the connections with steel wool, small wire brush and apply electrical grease when going back. You can get the no stick tape they use to wrap the harness at mustang supply house.

 
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