Ok, so i have a 79 f100. It has the radio removed, so i got a stock ford am/fm radio to install. While looking in the empty hole where the radio was, there are no wires!!! So, i guess i am going to install a new fuse box, and wire that right to the batterie and use for the radio, fog lights and whatever else. Also plan on running new speaker wires as well as ground wire. What about the illumination dimmer? What should i wire the radio to for that? Also, on the stock am/fm radio, what color wires go where? Thanks for any info or help.

 

by the way, the radio is from a 78 f100, and is a ford radio.

 

There should be a grey connector that used for Keyed radio powrr and Illumination

The Blue/red stripe wire is for illumination

The Black/yellow wire is for Power

There is a keyed power connector behind the cluster in the form of a 3-way Y connector


Fog lights should be run off a relay. You can use the keyed power mentioned above to trigger the relay through a switch

 

Originally there would have been a separate 2-signal connector behind the heater controls. It's green, and has both the radio power and dash illumination in one pigtail. Make sure it's not tucked behind the heater controls, out of sight. If you wire a new fuse panel straight to the battery, the radio would have power all the time. You should use keyed power for the radio only. There is no need to run a ground wire for the radio, as the original radio grounded through its mounting bracket.

The radio power wire is YELLOW with a BLACK stripe, so you should say yellow/black, not black/yellow. Black/yellow is a totally different signal. We have been over this.

 

Thanks for the help.....also, i am going to replace the tired, dryrotted old speakers. Is there supposed to be some type of matirial or foam type " pocket" behing the speakers? It looks like the speakers are exposed to whatever moisture may come in through the window channle and drip down the inside of the door.

 

I don't think so - on mine there was just a mesh screen between the speaker and the dash opening, but I don't recall there being anything behind the speaker. The bottom of the speaker is exposed to the inside of the dash, but I don't see how moisture would be able to collect there. I think the biggest source of damage with the original dash speaker is the sun.

 

FWIW......I went to NAPA and bought a 6 fuse panel for around $15 It uses the larger blade type fuses. I installed it next to the original fuse block and installed a 30 A Bosch relay under the hood to provice switched power for any accesories I may add. I used the connector shown in post #3 to provide power to trigger the relay. Turned out nice and I've used it to provide power to my power seats, CD player and XM radio that I have recently installed. I'm thinking I should have one that had more fuses though.

 

Thanks for all the info and pictures guys. I installed new 6.5" pioneer door speakers today, as well as the ford am/fm radio, and it works and sounds great. It seems that someone had actually cut the radio wiring harness off, but i found the yellow/black and blue/red wires. As for everything else, it all got new wiring. Was a little confused at first, but i removed the ash tray assembally and inserted the radio from under the dash.

 

Does anyone know where to get those brass looking nut thingys that hold the radio to the bracket? I can not find one of mine.

 

any stereo installer should have a few to give you

 

Also, i heard someone say something about tubes in the radio or something? What are tubes doing in a radio and what do they do? Also, i saw a sticker that said something like "this radio conforms to fcc radiation regulations" or something....radiation? I have never heard of radio radiation...??

 

Transisters replaced tubes

Why not just google it ?

 

A lot of High End music electronics still use tubes, (looks like a light bulb of sorts) instead of transistors for some components as the tubes resonate with the music and produces a better sound.
My surround sound system still uses tubes etc...

Some Ford radios were still using tubes in this year range. They have metal heat sinks over the top of them so may not be recogniseable to the layman eyes. Transistors didn't really start to take off untill the mid seventies.

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Radiation is a broad term. Not all forms of Radiation are harmfull or "Nuclear Radioactive". Your radio radiates interference waves that can be detrimental to other electronics or electrical circuts. The FCC passed the radio as it doesn't radiate harmfull interference.

Definition of Radiation:

1.The act or process of radiating: the radiation of heat and light from a fire.
2.Physics.
a. Emission and propagation and emission of energy in the form of rays or waves.
b. Energy radiated or transmitted as rays, waves, in the form of particles.
c. A stream of particles or electromagnetic waves emitted by the atoms and molecules of a radioactive substance as a result of nuclear decay.


Other forms of Radiation related to your truck. Your lightbulbs radiate light. The Radiator and heater core in your truck radiates heat. Your CB Radio if equipped radiates radio waves. Your speakers radiate sound waves.

Notice how the words, Radio, Radiator, Radiation, Radiate etc.. have the same root "Radi" in the words? This is not a coincidence.

 

Vacuum tubes are an archaic form of an active circuit element and were commonly used in amplifier circuits. Your radio should have transistors and not vacuum tubes, but I could be wrong since it has been a while since I opened one up. As 81 said, vacuum tubes are still used in some very specific audio applications because they tend to deliver a "warmer" sound.

The FCC sticker just means that it won't interfere with any other equipment meaning it doesn't broadcast some sort of signal that will get picked up on a nearby receiver. It means it passed the FCC compliance standards at the time. It has nothing to do with the radiation that you think of when you think about a nuclear power plant.

 

Hey guys, hate to hijack this thread but since we're on the topic of radios and speakers I have this question: Those of you that have trucks with factory a/c, does your dash center speaker have a cover plate that is held on with 2 or 4 screws so you can get to the speaker more easily? Just curious.........lol