How To Install a DIN Radio in a 73-79 Ford F-Series

[KLX1990]

460? distributor is in the front

[76hotrodF250]

@KLX1990 Yeah. its a 460

[stihlman44]

what do you do if the wires dont match up and you dont have a factory wire plug? im trying to do it on a 88 ranger.

[76hotrodF250]

@stihlman44 Your just going to have to wire it from scratch. That is what I had to do in my truck. I ran new power wires to the fuse box, and new wires to the speakers and amplifier.

[stihlman44]

@76hotrodF250 ahh ok well that sucks, but thatnks for tellin me how.

[Fantastic7776]

Nice vid, but what up with the rebel flag and ss stickers? No offense intended I was just wongering.

[76hotrodF250]

@Fantastic7776 Rebel flag yes, SS stickers NO! I think you might have confused the Summit Racing sticker on my glove box door, as it has that similar style "S".

[dkhill27]

Nice. Thanks for showing us how i have a lifted 77 ford f-150. Will be installing it this weekend, Thanks.Quick question where did you get your bucket seats from? What are they out of?

[76hotrodF250]

@dkhill27 Your welcome. Its actually a bench seat not buckets. Its from an early 90s ford truck.

[rabqaiser]

nice video cool

[geraldbradshaw]

Im Having Trouble Withh Thee Wiring Howw Doo I Wiree It Inn?

[kramnahillac]

and all I have to do is *gr* *grrr* *grrrr* Pull it off.... damn.

[79fordblake]

The instrument cluster bezel shouldnt be holding the cd player in. The factory radio bracket should stay in tact. You just cut it enough for the holder to slide into it. Then where the bracket is thin you add extra metal to brace it and its good as new. Very easy, I have done it on all 3 of my trucks. That way the instrument cluster bezel will come off and go on while the radio is in.

[76hotrodF250]

@79fordblake I have done it the way you have described in my old 79 gray truck, and I hated the way it fit, the way it looked, and was a pain in the ass to do it that way. I like the way did it in my 76 the best, and really, being attached to the instrument panel is not that bad at all man, its been like that for almost 4 years, its just fine that way, and my radio has a quick disconnect harness, so its not really a big deal to remove it from the truck.

[79fordblake]

@76hotrodF250, well no offence but possibly you did it wrong? lol. When you do it the way I said it should look like a factory fit and it is easy to do. 10 minute job or less.

[76hotrodF250]

@79fordblake Eh, hell I might have, but that was 11 years ago. But quite frankly I don't give a damn, I like my way, its easy and fast and that stupid metal radio frame isn't in my way. Etheir way, which ever works for you, I just hate cutting that radio frame to fit a CD player when I can just hack it completely out and be done with it.

[79fordblake]

@76hotrodF250 ......lol..ok.

[xxxxxxxMETALLICA]

@76hotrodF250 Thanks man for this video, i've been looking for months for a radio replacement guide, thanks to this vid i know have a weekend project,again thanks,and happy new year!!

[whereeaglesdare83]

Hey I know you said all the wiring is different for the radios but I was hoping you could tell me the wiring from the truck? I am trying to install a DIN Radio in my '74 and I have no idea what's what, being I bought it without a radio, but all I see is 3 speaker wires, and a large green plug-in type of wire(Power perhaps?)

[76hotrodF250]

@whereeaglesdare83 I never owned a truck with the factory radio wired up, so I have no idea, my guess on the green plug wire is its power perhaps. Best thing to do is use a test light on the wires with the ignition turned on. I wired my radio by sticking the wires in to the fuse sockets, as my trucks radio wires were hacked up and burnt out, works fine that way.

[dbrandinni]

My radio cage is smaller than that, that wouldn't be a problem right? And will I have to drill another hole in the dash to keep the panel back like you did?

[76hotrodF250]

@dbrandinni size wise, it shouldn't be a problem. as far as drilling the hole in the dash like I did, not sure, but if you do, thats not a big deal.

[dbrandinni]

I think it's funny that in every truck I see of this year, including mine, all have AC controls but NONE actually have AC working lol xD

[76hotrodF250]

@dbrandinni Yeah, mine had all the stuff for a/c in it when I bought it, but it didnt work, and I didn't care to pay for it to be replaced as its a work truck, so i just removed it all, only thing really left is the controls on the dash. I don't see too many 73-79s with a working orginal a/c, unless they have been replaced with new parts. In fact, most 80s fords I see don't have workin a/c ethier. Oh well, i didnt need it anyways.

[dbrandinni]

@76hotrodF250 I don't care for it either, I'm just trying to get my 78 Running, then I'll be referring to this video to help install a DIN in my dash lol

[DerkaDog]

Hey man I have a 1973 f250 camper special with a 400m. I was just wondering where you got that little center console on the floor of your truck? I want one haha. Also, how easy is it to find door panels for these old fords?

[76hotrodF250]

@DerkaDog Center console came from wal-marts about 10 years ago, as for door panels, there almost impossible to find in an auto-wrecker, however, the LMC truck catalog has them as well as National Parts Depot and Dennis Carpenters, all those catalogs are free, and carry alot of parts for these fords, as well as others.

[DerkaDog]

@76hotrodF250 Thanks! I just ordered a catalog from LMC truck.

[manny30250]

nice truk



[christopher5361]

cant believe you let a cat walk around on the hood.

[76hotrodF250]

@christopher5361 Why, hes my cat and my buddy, he aint hurting the paint if thats what you was thinkin, the truck needs repainting anyways.

[curtismundy]

where ya been man?

[jdat747]

I like your "green machine" I'm gonna have to rename my 1978 F250 from "old yeller" to 'rusty' or something 'cause there isn't much yellow paint left on it ... check out how I use it sometime on jdat747

[fordbroncodave]

interesting!

on 87-96 ford trucks/bronco there is none of that bracket stuff. just take the old radio out and put a new one in plus wire it. nothing needs to be cut. sombody actually converted mine to the old style like yours came with. i don't know why but its floppy and looks like crap. i am gonna put a ford premium sound stereo back in from a ford probe. best stereo ford ever made hands down.

[76hotrodF250]

@fordbroncodave Yeah, the later model vehicles that came with the full sized radio, you didn't have to cut the dash as the modern radios just drop in, but on older cars that still had the radio with the 2 shafts had to be modded in order for a DIN to work. The Ford Premium system is good, but I rather have a newer radio in a car these days.

[CSAKvids]

I have no AC either! I manage perfectly fine.

I gotta rewire my head unit, as the main feed somewhere down the line has coem disconnected, and removing the dash on my MK5 Polo is gonna be a pain!

[76hotrodF250]

@CSAKvids Yeah, but its gets much hotter in Texas than in Ireland, I do ok still without it in old Green. I hate working on newer cars, all that plastic and there dashes are usually held in by clips that pop off or break, I have worked on several 90s cars and i can't stand them, 00's cars are even worse to work on. My 76 ford is the easiest thing you could ever work on.

[CSAKvids]

@76hotrodF250 Mines a year 2000 ;) and it really is a pain in the butt. I wouldnt know about Ireland, I've never been. Im in Scotland buddy. haha. Im really not a fan of plastic parts on anything!

[76hotrodF250]

@CSAKvids Oh whoops, Scotland sorry, I feel like an ass now. I know there in about the same area and I forget things. But what I meant was I bet it doesn't as hot as it does further down here in the South, whooo man, I dread the up coming 100 degree heat were gonna get this summer. I bet theres tons of plastic on your Polo. Oh btw they just started showing the 2010 season of top gear in the states, finally!! I saw the one where they went to Boliva, oh man that was funny!!

[CSAKvids]

@76hotrodF250 lol, dont worry about it!

Yup, it will got alot hotter down here, we're lucky if we get 25C up here.

That Bolivia one's the one with the range rover right? That is my favourite episode ever!

[76hotrodF250]

@CSAKvids Yeah jeremy bought the range rover, richard got a FJ40 land cruiser and James bought a suzuki sidekick/samurai. It so far has been my favorite episode as well, my last favorite was the one when they bought cars in Africa and crossed the desert in them. I can't believe they made it across the Devils Highway in Boliva without an deaths, 100s die each year on that road, scary stuff man.

[CSAKvids]

@76hotrodF250 @76hotrodF250 That was one scary as hell road! Really on the edge of my seat there.

Loved seeing the Samurai though, my nieghbour had two of them (as you might have seen in my videos!)

[76hotrodF250]

@CSAKvids Yeah it was, when Jeremy was sitting on the edge with the other car next to him, and the road was falling out from under his truck, oooo man, NO WAY, I wouldn't drive on that road, they actually had a thing on the History Channel yesterday about dangerous roads, that was one they talked about.

Yeah, wasn't the grayish truck ur neighbor gave you a samurai? The one you flipped over to get the exhaust out?

[67tr876]

nice vid man

[RoadWarrior72]

Good instructional video. I'm one of the guys who will never cut the dash of my old 72 F-100. It's in too good a shape. But they make AM/FM and CD players that will fit in my original radio spot.. Just too expensive.

[camochannel1]

thanks for the informative video.

[460fordtruckman]

can you do a vid on how to install a tach

[76hotrodF250]

@460fordtruckman Theres several on YT already for that, I don't see a reason to make a video on that.

[warrior350yam]

@460fordtruckman

its super easy. you'll have a wire running to the fuse box for lights, a wire running to the ignition, not the ignition itself but the fuse for the entire ignition system, a ground wire going to the closest ground and a wire going to the ignition coil, you can wrap the wires around the fuses or get fuse taps. but make sure to put an in-line fuse for an wires that will be having any 12v current running through them. its like a safety net.

[RamblinAround]

Nice vid, very instructional. I wonder if you could just bend the metal up flat under the air controls instead of cutting it. I can't remember exactly what it looked like so I don't know. Just a thought for those that don't want to cut it.

[Simplicity885]

Nice you should do One on how to install the 3 little gauges and the tac.

[76hotrodF250]

@Simplicity885 Theres actually a ton of videos on YT already for that, I don't see any sence in making one.