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Faceplate for aftermarket stereo in an '02

5K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  sojiaraggs9000 
#1 ·
I'm new here and have read a lot about replacing stereos in this year of Taurus and needing the special faceplate for the climate controls. Seems like Meta makes the best kit but it costs about as much as the stereo I plan to install. Given that, I've thought of a few options and I'd like some feedback from those who have replaced their stereos.

My first thought is to go to a local junkyard and find a car where the stereo has already been replaced, and take that faceplate and associated wiring, getting all of that for around $20. Now I've heard the mounting tabs for the aftermarket faceplates are prone to break so I'm not sure if this it would be possible to get one out intact. Anyone had to remove their aftermarket faceplate and how did it go?

My second thought is to take the original faceplate, remove the existing controls and single disk player, and somehow mount a frame for a single DIN unit in it, blanking off the unused portions where buttons were. I might use wood, sheet metal or plastic, painted black fo course. A lot of work and I know it will be a challenge to make it look good but I could probably pull it off. Maybe someone else has done this and can post a photo and a description of the job.

Just some background, I have installed many car stereos over several decades so this isn't uncharted terretory for me. I just need a strong yet economical mounting for a stereo that costs under $100.

Thanks,
Christopher
 
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#3 ·
this was when i first tested my jensen uv8 single din 7" screen out with the metra kit, its not locked into the dash so that extra space would normally be filled up.




and does anyone know the name of the gen4.5 control button piece that is broken in the top left? broke it when attempting to remove the dash?
 
#5 ·
If the new head unit costs around $100, it cant be that great in the first place. I guarantee you that a plug and play Mach RCU, as noted above, will sound MUCH better than a $100 aftermarket head unit. The Mach RCU literally takes 10 minutes to install. Added benifit of a Mach RCU is the system looks completley stock = less chance of the car being broken into.
 
#10 ·
2004 mecury sable gen 4.5

the pre 04's dont have the instrument panel.

and it seemed to easily pry from the front and then it litterally snapped in like 7 pieces and all the buttons fell out. i would REALLY appreciate it if you could grab on for me might even be a "pocket" piece at the yard.
 
#12 ·
Thanks for all the responses so far. One question about that Mach RCU. Does it have an 1/8" stereo input jack on the front or at least a pair of aux input RCA's on the back?

This is my wife's car and she wants to play her Zune through the stereo. I'm able to connect a Zune this way in our other vehicles and it works well enough for us.

Christopher
 
#14 ·
No, the Mach doesn't have that. If all you want is a way to listen to your MP3s, then look for the PIE adapter. It's a box that plugs into the CD changer port of the radio (all Taurus/Sables have the plug on the radio regardless whether there is a CD changer or not) and allows you to plug in your MP3 player.
 
#15 ·
just grab a metra kit and a aftermarket cd player its not like your missing out not having a mach rcu, i cant stand fords factory radios, i got a 7" DVD screen for $200 and it was the best investment ive made, its only 160 watts vs the normal 200w or so youll see in others.

but with a amp and subwoofer it sounds great, i even have stock speakers!

i have a rca to ipod connector, that plugs into my itouch outputting video and charging at the same time, so i download music videos and play them on the screen while it charges, its sweet.

but ive had dozens of fm transmitters and they usually work fine in ANY other car than taurus, i had it in my moms acura TL and it was clear then i had it in mine and the quality was junky.
 
#19 ·
The PIE unit sounds like the way to go for me, though a new one looks rather expensive for what it is. That said, since I enjoy poking around in junkyards I might spend the weekend trying to see if I can find one, longshot as that might be.

FYI we tried one of those FM transmitters and it was junk. Picked up static from overhead wires and who knows what else. Hard-wired is the only way to go.

Thanks,
Christopher
 
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