2002 Factory Radio Upgrade Recommendations | Ford Thunderbird club group 1955-2005 T-Bird models

2002 Factory Radio Upgrade Recommendations

  • Thread starter Thread starter J.R. Coffman
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J.R. Coffman

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Thunderbird Year
2002
I'm looking to upgrade the head unit in my '02. I used to install and build sound systems back in the late 80s, but sadly I've been away from it for quite awhile. I'm not looking to do anything outlandish, such as amps, subwoofers and such. I just want an upgrade. I'm looking for bluetooth capability (just to send and recieve calls hands free, I don't text), CD player optional. I also do NOT want DVD. I defenitely want navigation and a back up camera. I've asked other members in other groups on facebook about their upgrades, but nobody wants to share any information. I'd like to know the models of a decent head unit and camera that works well together. I've looked at a couple Pioneer and Kenwood units on Crutchfield, but did'nt find compatable backup cameras. I'd like to keep my budget as low as possible considering the minimal time spent in the car. Thank you.

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Old threads with Double Din examples. Any Double Din should fit.
High End-
I

Thread '2004 Kenwood DNR1007XR Installation'

I acquired:

1 Kenwood DNR1007XR
1 iDatalink/Maestro SW (ADS-MSW) steering wheel control adapter
2 Kenwood CMOS-740HD cameras (MUST use REAR and FRONT/DASHCAM leads on headunit)
1 SiriusXM adapter (SXV300)
2 Metra harnesses (70-5521 [only works for 2004 & 2005] - cannibalized one for more pins/wires for steering wheel control - pin 18). DIFFERENT HARNESS FOR 02 & 03.
1 Metra relay (E-5000 - negative triggered on reverse light)
1 Axxess resistor (AFDI-5V - stop amplifier pop on startup)
1 USB3/HDMI Adapter (Willizter 26121600 - take over cigarette...
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Alpine-
mdpigroaster

Thread 'Alpine ILX-W650 touch screen- Android Auto- Bluetooth'

I completed an Alpine ILX-W650 touch screen/Android Auto install on my TBird. Bought it along with the harness kit including the steering wheel kit. I also bought a microbypass cable from Amazon to eliminate the parking brake problem. Took me a total of about 3 hours to remove and install. Just took my time. Just had the connect the microbypass cable and the steering wheel kit cable to the old radio harness. It all works great. The car looks like it has been updated to a 2019 model.

Moderator Note 2021: Below is what you need to purchase, you will need two separate...
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Pixelman backup camera-
Its compatible with most modern head units, and seems good quality. Note for the Tbird, you will need a relay to handle the wiring of the reverse light since Ford uses a different technique to power the light. This is well known and documented in numerous posts. I was able to gain access on the passenger side reverse light wiring, mount the relay, and pickup 12V from the trunk distribution box.

J.R. Coffman said:
I'm looking to upgrade the head unit in my '02. I used to install and build sound systems back in the late 80s, but sadly I've been away from it for quite awhile. I'm not looking to do anything outlandish, such as amps, subwoofers and such. I just want an upgrade. I'm looking for bluetooth capability (just to send and recieve calls hands free, I don't text), CD player optional. I also do NOT want DVD. I defenitely want navigation and a back up camera. I've asked other members in other groups on facebook about their upgrades, but nobody wants to share any information. I'd like to know the models of a decent head unit and camera that works well together. I've looked at a couple Pioneer and Kenwood units on Crutchfield, but did'nt find compatable backup cameras. I'd like to keep my budget as low as possible considering the minimal time spent in the car. Thank you.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The Sony double dins range from $300 to $1000. All the current ones are good for what they are. If it matters to you, the Sony's have outstanding FM/AM reception - better than OEM in most cases. Your phone will work fantastic The best feature though is that they are easy to use; very intuitive and simple - a chimp could operate even the top of the line ES series.
 
I recently got a Kenwood model. Phone connects for use as a phone by blue tooth. Backup camera - better screen than my 2017 Nissan. I wire connect the phone and can use Google maps (see it, enter destinations verbally or punch in), play my Sirius app through the sound system, make phone calls. I bought a wire connect versus full blue tooth so I could get a CD player (which I haven't used yet). No one makes a Full blue tooth with a CD player. Back up camera came with the unit.

When I went in the store, I said what I wanted (pretty much the same as the person who posted the question) and 2 minutes later he had a picture of a TBird dash with the unit installed on his screen. Total cost was about $1250.00 installed. Drove my TBird from South Jersey out to Valparaiso, IN, and back playing my Sirius and Google maps all the way!!! I do have trouble with screen and sunshine at times. And polarized prescription sunglasses do have problems with many video screens.
 
J.R. Coffman said:
I'm looking to upgrade the head unit in my '02. I used to install and build sound systems back in the late 80s, but sadly I've been away from it for quite awhile. I'm not looking to do anything outlandish, such as amps, subwoofers and such. I just want an upgrade. I'm looking for bluetooth capability (just to send and recieve calls hands free, I don't text), CD player optional. I also do NOT want DVD. I defenitely want navigation and a back up camera. I've asked other members in other groups on facebook about their upgrades, but nobody wants to share any information. I'd like to know the models of a decent head unit and camera that works well together. I've looked at a couple Pioneer and Kenwood units on Crutchfield, but did'nt find compatable backup cameras. I'd like to keep my budget as low as possible considering the minimal time spent in the car. Thank you.
Click to expand...
I just wanted to add a couple considerations, along the lines of what other comments that have been shared.
  1. I selected the Kenwood DMX958XR Excelon. As far as I could find, it had the best display capability for sunlit drives (i.e. the top down on a sunny day). It uses capacitive touch screen and is very clear and easy to read even in direct sunlight. The audio stats are hi fidelity as well so the sound isn't muddled when turning the volume up to overcome top-down wind noises. Maybe too much for what the original poster is looking for, but I wanted very high quality, and I prefer the top down here in Hawaii.
  2. The OEM speakers and amplifiers are trash. Especially now with 20 years of life in our Tbirds, heat, moisture, etc have taken their toll. But even in original purchase, they were low power speakers and amps, not befitting the term premium sound system. I'm not advocating you change them, but adding a new head unit with high fidelity capability and possibly new amps would be a waste on old sub-par speakers.
  3. This Kenwood also has the right processors to decode properly equipped smartphones and apps without losing quality. A key component here is the smartphone and the streaming service that is used to feed the head unit. Some streaming services deliver more "bits per second" of audio, which shows up as quality you can hear through the right head unit. So, its important to ensure the head unit, the smartphone, the bluetooth, and even the streaming service support the hi fidelity bit rates, if sound quality is very important to you.
  4. I took a different route than the original poster is thinking of. But since you have experience installing sound systems "in the late 80s" I'm sure you know that the outcome depends on the sum of the parts. Start with a head unit, then eventually if you notice a rattling or humming sound from those ancient speakers and underpowered amps, you will decide to do the rest. I am very satisfied by the outcome for my system, and proud I was able to accomplish it from my garage.
Aloha, Shawn
 
Been looking into this for our 02. Hanging out at Crutchfield and mulling over if I really car enough to spring for a reverse camera or should I not bother. After reading this thread now I need to chew on speakers also,, would be nice to upgrade those..... hmmmmm...

Choices choices, Android auto, reverse cam and speakers all in head unit. Amp setup also... Down the rabbit hole goes the wallet.
 
I installed a Auto-Vox wireless backup camera on my 2004 Thunderbird. I thought that the intallation was quite easy. In a normal situation you could power the camera by tapping off of one of the backup wires so the camera turns on when in reverse. However in a Thunderbird all of the rear lights have voltage and the rear electronic module supplies the ground to illuminate the lights. Because of this a relay has to be installed to supply voltage to the camera and to trigger the relay when in reverse, you have to tap into either the black/green wire coming out of driver side backup light or the black/red wire coming out of passenger side backup lamp.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue
 
doug7740 said:
I installed a Auto-Vox wireless backup camera on my 2004 Thunderbird. I thought that the intallation was quite easy. In a normal situation you could power the camera by tapping off of one of the backup wires so the camera turns on when in reverse. However in a Thunderbird all of the rear lights have voltage and the rear electronic module supplies the ground to illuminate the lights. Because of this a relay has to be installed to supply voltage to the camera and to trigger the relay when in reverse, you have to tap into either the black/green wire coming out of driver side backup light or the black/red wire coming out of passenger side backup lamp.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue
Click to expand...
You are correct... I chose to install a camera in the front in addition to rear. Helps in parking situations. There's an empty fuse slot in the passenger kick panel that I used with a fuse tap to get 12V when key ON. I had to clip some of the plastic from inside lid so that the fuse tap and wire would fit. Wire routed thru grommet thru side, then forward into engine bay in an existing gap, and forward to the front license plate holder. The pixelman camera has a wire loop that needs clipped to indicate the camera is being used in front so that it can reverse the image. Some head units allow that thru settings but my Kenwood does not.
 
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