I work with a guy who used to fix these things for Ford 20 years ago but he's
forgotten the specifics about this exact condition. In any event, yes, it can be
fixed, but you'd prolly be better off just buying another one (or two ;) from a
local junkyard. You already have the brackets to mount the thing in the truck,
THAT is the important part. The radios are sometimes in mid-80s high-end Ford,
Mercury & Lincoln sedans (LTD, Marquis, Continental, etc.).

 

That's exactly what I plan to do.There's about 25 of our trucks in my favorite yard,at least 10 of them were bound to have had a radio in them.My favorite yard takes them all out and puts them in storage.I think they might test them too,but i'm not sure.

 

Something I just wandered,would an 8th gen radio work?They're similar in size to what I have,just a little newer.I'm not sure as to how they mount up,do they require those spring things to hold them in?I know 9th gens require the radio removal tools,but i'm not sure about the 8th.

 

They can be made to work, I played around with one or two out of
Taurus-class cars.

Not really sure what you're referring to when you say "spring thing" but I have
an idea... are you talking about a large, flat thing that's underneath and that
kind of clips onto a metal ledge and thereby provides support from underneath?
You don't have to use that, just so long as you use some sort of rear
supporting mechanism. The older radios have a nut on the back onto which you
can attach a strap to hold the radio up. The straps are similar to the kind of
stuff used to hold up plumbing inside of houses - flexible metal with lots of
holes in it, just like below:


In any event, the newer radios (at least, the ones I played with) pretty
much suck from a sound output standpoint. Sure, they have more features
and more memory and whatnot, but they don't put out the same power that
the older ones do.

To add to that, while the wiring colors are pretty similar (the important ones
are the same) the connectors are entirely different, and you'll have to do
more investigation to find the correct speaker wiring.

BTW I know nothing about 8th or 9th 0r Nth gen, all I know is what I've
played with.

 

I answered my own question on how they mount,the radios around 87-89 still mount with mounting plates,but they screw in on the sides,not the top and bottom like the 85 radio.If the plugs are different,then I'll just stick to looking for an 85-86 Radio.If I can't find nothing,then i'll have no choice other than to go out and find an aftermarket head unit.Thanks for the help guys.

 

You can use the mounting bracket out of a mid to late 90's F-600/F-900.

That can give you even more options on radios and adding newer Ford Radios etc.....

1999 F-800 Radio and heater controls and bezel



1998 F-800 Radio and Heater Controls

 

But don't those require radio removal tools to pull them out?Or are they newer radios that mount in the same way as the 7th gens?

 

The mounting brackets screw into the dash just like the 1980-1986, because the dash piece is the same.

On the newer radios, you will need the U shaped puller to remove the radio from the mounting bracket.

 

Okay,that helps alot.Thanks.

 

That 1998 radio looks like the one in my 1993 Mustang - you might have more options than just trucks.....

 

Alot of the radios interchange between cars and trucks.Sometimes the only difference is the sound package.But I still have limited options though,cause I need to get a radio that bolts into my truck the same way,because some of the newer radios(like the one in your mustang)might use the spring type fastening system,which my truck doesn't have.