stereo compatability

[paul kellam]

The cd is shot in my 2003 sport trac it is a 6 table pioneer deck will the cd/stereo from a 06 ford f-150 fit and work in my track?

 

[interscope8]

You may need to buy a wire adapter for all the wires to match up, but size wise, yes it will fit. Pics of the F150 head unit would be nice for me to bee 100% positive though. Im about 95% sure the F150 unit is a Double Din and thats the same as the ST stock one...

 

[paul kellam]

thanks i know my unit has 3 plug ins the one i looked at has only 2 will that be a game changer?

 

[interscope8]

Without pics I couldnt tell ya... I know that my stock one had 3 and I bought a universal Ford wire harness and used the color coding on that to install my Clarion unit. I figure it would be easier with stock to stock setups... In all honesty I'd just buy a new head unit you can get nice ones for $80 or so. Mine was $80 and has blue tooth, usb, and an auxiliary cable hook up.

 

[paul kellam]

what is a "head" unit i guess i am just a dumbass when it comes to this stuff

 

[interscope8]

lol. a "head unit" is what you are calling a stereo. also called a stereo receiver...
Stereo by definition is audio from multiple speakers, so I almost never call it a stereo. head unit is also easier to type

just read a lot and you learn it pretty quick. I spent maybe 4 months reading and reading then bought the parts I wanted and built my current set up. Getting ready to redo it and make er bump louder.

Good Luck! Any questions Im on here daily

 

[paul kellam]

thanks. i'm gonna check out the unit from the 06 F-150 tomorrow

 

[rmcalis]

The third socket on your present head unit supports your subwoofer (probably located in the storage behind the rear driver's side seat). You will lose the sub if you use the two socket head unit from the F-150.

 

[Willcall]

The stock 04+(except 04 Heritages) F150 head units will not fit in the dash of a 1st gen Sport Trac.

 

[interscope8]

The stock 04+(except 04 Heritages) F150 head units will not fit in the dash of a 1st gen Sport Trac.

Stock 04 F150s have a double DIN stereo... they will fit in an ST...

F150 size is given here:
http://www.f150forum.com/f4/oem-radio-dimensions-28495/

The ST stock head unit is also a double din. it should slide right in. Im not sure if 2004 F150s had a sub or not, but the 2 / 3 wire issue sounds like that'd be the problem. If you get a wire harness like this:
http://www.stylintrucks.com/parts/b...a&ST_SRC=PPC&gclid=CInZqvHo2a8CFZDrKgod4DFXAg

you should be able to run the wires into that and make it work. But seriously... more work than its worth and the sound will still be flat. An aftermarket unit would be easier and yield better sound

 

[Willcall]

Stock 04 F150s have a double DIN stereo... they will fit in an ST...

F150 size is given here:
http://www.f150forum.com/f4/oem-radio-dimensions-28495/

The ST stock head unit is also a double din. it should slide right in. Im not sure if 2004 F150s had a sub or not, but the 2 / 3 wire issue sounds like that'd be the problem. If you get a wire harness like this:
http://www.stylintrucks.com/parts/b...a&ST_SRC=PPC&gclid=CInZqvHo2a8CFZDrKgod4DFXAg

you should be able to run the wires into that and make it work. But seriously... more work than its worth and the sound will still be flat. An aftermarket unit would be easier and yield better sound

I tried installing a radio from an 05 F150 hu into my 98, which has the same dash as the 01-05 Sport Trac. I got the wiring right... World Plugs to Phase II... and it worked wonderfully HOWEVER:
It will not fit without extensive modification to the radio bezel. It is much too large for the bezel! First of all, those radios are about a half inch taller and about 1/8in too wide. You would have to cut the vents in order to get it to sit flush. Secondly and more importantly, the F150 face is slight curved and angled, making it difficult to place correctly. And the radio bolts in on the bottom, where as the SP radio is held in place by clips on the sides.

There are other radios from other cars that will fit and do the same functions, mainly from Escapes and Expeditions. Just look for ones with the AUX and SAT buttons with two square black holes on the back. Phase II will have two rectangular grey holes.

The direct fit radios you can use in a 01-05 SP are:
98-01 Explorer/Mountaineer
97-02 Expedition/Navigator
01-07 Escape/Mariner (05+ models will need Phase II plugs)(Cannot use Hybrid Navigation system)
97-03 F150/Blackwood
04 F150 Heritage
99-04 Mustang
99-02 Cougar
98-08 Ranger/B-Series
99-12 Crown Victoria/P71/Grand Marquis (Some models will have Phase II)
99-05 Town Car
99-04 F250/F350/F450/F550/E-Series
99-04 Excursion

Radios that will need you to swap the bottom bracket with the side clips on your original radio but will fit:
02-05 Explorer/Mountaineer/Aviator (04+ Phase II)
03-07 Expedition/Navigator (all Phase II) (Cannot use Expedition Navigation Unit, will not fit)

Good Luck

-Will

 

[interscope8]

So you're telling me that the size classification ford labeled their factory head units in F150s isnt the same size as every other Double Din on the market?


Im not doubting thats the case, it just doesn't make sense to me that 2 radios which fall under the same size class aren't the same size... Im not a big expert in the stereo world but I can't wrap my head around why this would be...

 

[Willcall]

I don't mean to irritate you, but yes if you look at a side view, the f150 faceplate is MUCH taller than the ones that came in the 1st Gen Tracs. The 2nd gen Tracs have this radio, so if you want to go measure and compare, it just won't fit without modding the crud out of the bezel.

 

[interscope8]

I don't mean to irritate you, but yes if you look at a side view, the f150 faceplate is MUCH taller than the ones that came in the 1st Gen Tracs. The 2nd gen Tracs have this radio, so if you want to go measure and compare, it just won't fit without modding the crud out of the bezel.

Oh no im not irritated! Its like the feeling when you see a movie on TV and can't remember the actors name or something like that. lol. Kinda a confused feeling when you are certain you shouldn't be!

If I had a unit to measure I would, I'll do a google search when Im not on my phone. I guess I cant figure out why there's a stereo size system if 2 head units of the same size class aren't in fact the same size! lol.

 

[Willcall]

Oh no im not irritated! Its like the feeling when you see a movie on TV and can't remember the actors name or something like that. lol. Kinda a confused feeling when you are certain you shouldn't be!

If I had a unit to measure I would, I'll do a google search when Im not on my phone. I guess I cant figure out why there's a stereo size system if 2 head units of the same size class aren't in fact the same size! lol.

Basically what Ford did was make the actual radio without the faceplate a double din. Then they added a faceplate to fit a particular vehicle. Its like how the radios in the old Ford Taurus have the same backend, but the faceplate had integrated climate controls and won't fit any car beside a Taurus.

Trust me lol, I have had many factory stereos in my 98 and completely destroyed a bezel trying to fit one from a 05 F150 in it. Spent 100 bucks on it to!

 

[paul kellam]

so i am going to the wrecking yard in the morning i am gonna look for one that has a single cd player will i be ok or do i need the one that has the 3 plugs?

 

[Joe Dirt]

Take your old head unit, and match the part numbers or plugs on the back to another unit that has the same type of face on it.

 

[paul kellam]

i found one in a van it has the single cd player and cassette tape player no amp plug in tho. will the sub still work even tho it doesn't have a amp?

 

[Joe Dirt]

You need to go by part number, not features. What part number did you buy, and what part number do you have currently? That would be easier to figure out what you need.

Deciphering above, are you saying that there isn't a place for the amp to plug in? If not, how is the sub supposed to work?

 

[05explorer1974]

I am putting this out there because I wanted the CD player from the 04-05 Sport Trac's that played mp3's. Both radio's are the single cd/cassette so I put it in because all the mounting was the same and it would work. I did have some problems with it. I found later that in 03 the used an analog signal in the computer. In 04 it went to a digital signal so what would happen is the all the lights would go out. Put the original in everything was fine. Ford will run signals to the computer between analog and digital so what might look the same might cause problems.