Sorry for the delay. I added a second kayak to my arsenal tonight, and also mounted the Yakima rack I bought from another MyST member (and added kayak cradles). I'm shooting for a ST of the Week photo tomorrow while at the lake.
That being said...
Things to know:
- Mounting Kit: Scosche FD1330B. It includes side mounting plates, a rear piece that attaches to the rear of the HU and slides onto the OEM track (that the OEM radio slides on), and a filler plate that has 2 single DINs but can be clipped out to fit one Double-DIN (what I did). The paint is noted below. To match, I took the filler plate, sanded it with (what I recall) 1000 grit sandpaper until it lost its texture, washed it, and then sprayed it with three or four coats to fill any sanding grooves, etc.
- Paint: From AutoZone. Dupli-Color DARK GRAY (M) CC, UPC 0-26916-80564-5, cap color number E8800564. It's what I call a 98% match. Because it's metallic, if you hit it with a halogen, it'll refract the light a little differently than the '04 bezel. But, for all purposes--in daylight, at night, etc., the match is dead on.
- Harness: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-9Sh51Dlkred/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=103000&i=120705521&tp=2977. This is meant for the 6CD Changer (non-Adrenalin) with subwoofer. It includes everything you need to fire the sub (note the little harness with RCAs).
- Transistor: http://www.dennisjudd.com/?p=685. This link is most helpful. And the transistor, as noted above by Chad (who helped me with this problem--thanks Chad!), will stop the sub from popping. Aftermarket HUs fire at 12v, while the Ford uses 5v. Easiest way to install it is to take the blue/white (sub remote on) from the new head unit, slice it, run a wire to the transistor, ground the transistor, and run a wire back to the new head unit's harness. If you notice, the Crutchfield harness has two blue/whites. You onl need one; however, I joined them when I tied into the new head unit harness (note that I spliced the transistor into the HU harness [from the radio to the Crutchfield harness, which only has one blue/white] and not the Crutchfield harness; this gets around the two wire issue when cutting and rejoining). It will not hurt anything. As for mounting the transistor, to the right of the radio area in the dash is a metal dash support. In the center, there is a small hole. You can use a small bolt and nut to attach it. To do so, pull down the glove compartment and reach up to hold the bolt as you tighten it.
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- Mounting the new unit: Home Depot has the screw sizes you'll need (I forget exactly, but they're weird sizes and very shallow lengths for obvious reasons--i.e., don't use a pointed screw to go into the unit, etc.). Check the manual, and look through their screw drawers (usually have four to a pack). To make mine a little different, I went by the stated screw sizes (millimeters in depth and thread type), but used hex screws with washers (to spread out the stress on the install plates that attach to the side of the radio). To each their own.
- Wiring: I recommend soldering and headshrink tubing. Radio Shack has the tubing (get it while getting the transistor) and soldering is not difficult. However, you also can twist and tape or use wire crimps. But, again, I recommend soldering. If you've never done it, it's really easy, and with the tubing, makes for a very, very clean install.
- Bezel: You WILL have to trim it to make a DDin fit. Follow Sal A's project (listed in the menu choice to the left). To keep from damaging areas I didn't want to Dremel, I masked the entire bezel with masking tape (and I mean the WHOLE thing--covered the vents (keep out plastic shavings), etc. After I was finished trimming and untaping, I then washed it gently. Let it air dry before reinstalling,