My JBL Swap(In Progress)

[MattsLincoln]

so i am looking to swap my whole audio systemf or the ford jbl system from a 1988 to 1992 Lincoln Mark VII. So far i have the speakers in i have the amplifier all i need now is the headunit, the speaker cover grills for the back and the whole wiring harness. will pay the members good money who can get me these items.

current pics of my progress











pic of the amplifier








i need this headunit and all of its complete wiring harness from speakers, amp and radio.

[MattsLincoln]

also if this had a cd changer i would like that too.

[MattsLincoln]

today i acquired the jbl headunit. next week i am getting the complete harness and cd changer. pics later.

[MattsLincoln]

today i hooked up the jbl setup. though i have a problem with the amp or the headunit or both. there is no am/fm radio and the antenna is hooked up. the cassette player works but volume output is so low and fuzzy, the volume is on max. wtf is the problem. i have a video coming soon.

[gadget73]

the radios tend to do that when they need to be rebuilt. Its a 20+ year old stereo, this isn't uncommon. I know a dude who rebuilds them if you're interested. I think he charges $125 or $150 for the job. I had my stock CD player done, works great.

[86VickyLX]

the radios tend to do that when they need to be rebuilt. Its a 20+ year old stereo, this isn't uncommon. I know a dude who rebuilds them if you're interested. I think he charges $125 or $150 for the job. I had my stock CD player done, works great.

He also wired in an auxiliary jack too didn't he?

[MattsLincoln]

the radios tend to do that when they need to be rebuilt. Its a 20+ year old stereo, this isn't uncommon. I know a dude who rebuilds them if you're interested. I think he charges $125 or $150 for the job. I had my stock CD player done, works great.

throw me his number in pm i would like to have the headunit rebuilt.



on other note i wired up all six speakers today and i have to get another gray coaxial speaker cable from a mark 7. the one i pulled off the plastic backing on the plug ripped off and the copper metal inside was lost and the ground sheild wire ripped off the metal slides on the plug. this could also be a problem why there is so much static when the music plays. so off to the junkyard to look for another.

[tjc78]

This all sounds like a lot of work for a 20 year old factory car stereo. I am not trying to sound like a dick, but, with the prices of aftermarket gear you could probably have had a decent performing rig in there already without breaking the bank and without having to pull wiring harnesses out of the yard.

If it was a factory option and you were going for a stock look fine, but no box body GM had JBL available.

It does sound good, but IMHO no better than a $100.00 CD player, a decent 4 x 50 amp and "whatever looked good on Ebay/craigslist" speakers.

[MattsLincoln]

This all sounds like a lot of work for a 20 year old factory car stereo. I am not trying to sound like a dick, but, with the prices of aftermarket gear you could probably have had a decent performing rig in there already without breaking the bank and without having to pull wiring harnesses out of the yard.

If it was a factory option and you were going for a stock look fine, but no box body GM had JBL available.

It does sound good, but IMHO no better than a $100.00 CD player, a decent 4 x 50 amp and "whatever looked good on Ebay/craigslist" speakers.

box town cars had them so why not make a first with a box gm. and yes i want to keep it stock looking but my old premium sound was shit the quality was crap and the amp was toast too. so this one i got from a 1990 mark vii will be fine. i totally want to do this setup with the 10 disc cd changer too. it is totally worth all the trouble. i dont mind spending money on to rebuilding the head unit. i have the money. money is not an issue for me at the moment i have 2 jobs and make about $100 a week.


I also do not like aftermarket stuff. i just looks so corny in old cars. i prefer restoring cars not with aftermarket radios. i dont like aftermarket radios. plus i work at the junkyard so i can get the wiring harness for free.

[tjc78]

box town cars had them so why not make a first with a box gm. and yes i want to keep it stock looking but my old premium sound was shit the quality was crap and the amp was toast too. so this one i got from a 1990 mark vii will be fine. i totally want to do this setup with the 10 disc cd changer too. it is totally worth all the trouble. i dont mind spending money on to rebuilding the head unit. i have the money. money is not an issue for me at the moment i have 2 jobs and make about $100 a week.


I also do not like aftermarket stuff. i just looks so corny in old cars. i prefer restoring cars not with aftermarket radios. i dont like aftermarket radios. plus i work at the junkyard so i can get the wiring harness for free.

I respect what you are doing it was just my opinion. One thing to note, and please someone correct me if I am wrong I do not believe the headunit you pictured will control a cd changer. The only thing I am aware that plugged into that head was the optional CD player (under dash) the townies had. That CD player had all its own controls. I believe the oldest head that can control a cd changer is from a 93 Mark VIII

[gadget73]

There are a couple slightly different head units that have nearly no visual distinction. The one that went with a cd changer has 2 jumpers on the back in that third unused socket. The controls were on a pendant, not on the face of the radio. The 90s radios in Mark VIIIs and some Tbirds look different, but will control a changer. They're a direct electrical plug-in but you have to do a little work on the mounting brackets since the 90s radios were push-in instead of bolt in. Basically take the side brackets off the 80s radio and attatch them to the 90s one. if you want a cd changer, I'd go with the 1990s radio. Chances of finding the original 1980s changer with the control pendant is very very slim. The 90s Mark VII JBL CD head unit cannot control a cd changer.


and yes, my cd player has aux inputs now. Dude's name is Paul Protos, email is polyscroll at hotmail dot com.

http://thelincolnmarkviiclub.org/php...it=+JBL#p36815 has the most complete description of the various factory JBL systems that I know of.

[MattsLincoln]

There are a couple slightly different head units that have nearly no visual distinction. The one that went with a cd changer has 2 jumpers on the back in that third unused socket. The controls were on a pendant, not on the face of the radio. The 90s radios in Mark VIIIs and some Tbirds look different, but will control a changer. They're a direct electrical plug-in but you have to do a little work on the mounting brackets since the 90s radios were push-in instead of bolt in. Basically take the side brackets off the 80s radio and attatch them to the 90s one. if you want a cd changer, I'd go with the 1990s radio. Chances of finding the original 1980s changer with the control pendant is very very slim. The 90s Mark VII JBL CD head unit cannot control a cd changer.


and yes, my cd player has aux inputs now. Dude's name is Paul Protos, email is polyscroll at hotmail dot com.

http://thelincolnmarkviiclub.org/php...it=+JBL#p36815 has the most complete description of the various factory JBL systems that I know of.

precisely i am looking for the cd changer and control pendant. that will allow me to play cd's. i will still be looking for the single cd player jbl unit i just dont know what year cars had them.

[87gtVIC]

I think it is cool what you are doing. Even cooler that this type of stuff existed back then and that people still like the quality of it.

[86VickyLX]

Hey Thain, you have an 86 Town Car evtm correct? Does it have any diagrams on the 86 JBL premium sound set up. I have an '87 Town Car premium sound wiring diagram (doesn't specify if JBL or not). The amplifier has it's own power feed from the starter solenoid (which I'm pretty sure that's not the football amp kind). It also shows a red wire that comes from the amp and is grounded to the case of the radio. For whatever strange reason. I'm trying to compare this with actual ford literature, if it exists. The wiring in the radio matches that amplifier minus the red wire.

[MattsLincoln]

Hey Thain, you have an 86 Town Car evtm correct? Does it have any diagrams on the 86 JBL premium sound set up. I have an '87 Town Car premium sound wiring diagram (doesn't specify if JBL or not). The amplifier has it's own power feed from the starter solenoid (which I'm pretty sure that's not the football amp kind). It also shows a red wire that comes from the amp and is grounded to the case of the radio. For whatever strange reason. I'm trying to compare this with actual ford literature, if it exists. The wiring in the radio matches that amplifier minus the red wire.

exactly the way my jbl amp is hooked up. the power feed runs to the starter solenoid. the red wire is a ground which you directly splice into the red wire on the back of the radio. the amp is not football shaped but more rectangular. the jbl system i will pull for you will have this wiring. alos it will use the same type of coaxial speaker cable that goes directly from the back of the headunit to the amplifier directly to power the speakers. heres a pic. you need that red wire hooked up or the amp will not work.