35th Anniversary Thunderbird Registry

JBL CD Combo Replacement Procedure
This procedure is for those who would like to keep their cars in close to original condition but preserve the integrity of the JBL CD Combo setup if the setup is still in good working condition. The 89 to 91 Ford Premium sound systems suffered miserably from bad capacitors on the printed circuit boards of these units and over time they leak onto the board and destoy the units. I have talked to many stereo repair shops over the last year and they have all told me these units are a disaster. The cheapest I have been quoted to repair these units is $300 each for a total of $600 for the radio and cd head units combined. (and that's IF they even want to attempt it.) A kind stereo technician took pity on me and showed me how to do this.

From what I have been told, you can do this with any Premium Sound radio unit that is CD compatible and fits in the DIN slot like the 89-97 Thunderbirds. There will be a black square jumper cap placed in the plug on the back of the radio where a CD jumper harness would plug into when used. Some cars had CD changers and this is where the harness plugged into. There are many different models of radios for different cars. I am not sure what year the Thunderbirds and Cougars went to the newer wiring and power source. The main thing to know is if you plug in a newer radio into your older harness and it powers but just doesn't have sound, then you need to modify the connector as I outline below. Be aware also that different radios have different faces and some have the sharp corners and some have the rounded corners. I can't even begin to tell you which radios went where. The Premium Sound was used in Thunderbirds, Cougars, Aerostars, and all sorts of Ford Vehicles. You will have to locate one that suits your needs and the look you desire.

So here is one way you can keep the original look of your radio setup and still preserve a good working radio/CD combo unit. I just packed mine away in storage for safe keeping. I used an AMFM Single CD unit from a 93 Ford with the premium sound. I then used one of those cupholder/coin holder units from Taurus's that are selling around the internet to replace the lower CD unit. I am not a radio guru and won't profess to be. This process worked though and I am happy with the result. My original amp and speakers are all working fine. I hope you find this a viable alternative to continue using the original units until they go bad. I did some searching on the internet for this procedure and hardly found anything about this. I don't know if this is some insider secret or not. I know most stereo places want to sell you an adapter harness to do this and they are not that expensive. It's up to you what you choose to do.

I found it easier to remove the lower CD unit first and unplug it. Then I had more of a stretch of harness when it came time to remove the radio above. These units are called DIN units and use either a special pair of curved metal tools or I used some heavy guage coat hanger and bent them into short pieces that worked fine for me.
To remove the radio cd combo setup:

1. Insert the tools into the small round pinholes on the face of the unit until you feel a slight give or resistance. Gently push the tools away from each other and pull the unit outward. You may have to work with it to finally get it to slide out a bit. Then pull the unit out enough to unplug the harnesses. Now you can pack that unit away.
2. Go to the upper radio unit and do the same. Pull the radio out enough to remove the harnesses and the antenna lead. Now pack that unit away. I found the jumper cable from the CD to the Radio taped to the radio harness so I just used electrical tape to tape it to the radio harness and keep things moving the way they were. There isn't much room inside there. I then pushed the lower end of the CD jumper into the opening toward the back to get it out of the way. I even taped the ends just to make sure things were insulated.
3. Now take a small pin, paper clip, or thin screw driver and go to the upper main radio connector. Use the tool you have chosen and go in from side of the connector and unlatch the little red plastic pin holder on each side and remove it from the connector.
4. Now remove the black plastic cover that fits on the back of the connector covering the pins.
5. Now with your tool go in from the back side of the connector and push down on the plastic pin retainer that is holding that end pin with the blue wire. Gently remove that pin from it's hole in the connector.
6. Now do the same with the pin with the orange and light blue stripe wire next to it.
7. Now switch the pins and insert each one into the hole the other pin was in and push until it clicks.
8. Now you can reinsert the red plastic pin retainer and replace the black connector cover.

Your connector is now modified to operate the later model radios and still power your JBL amp. The later model radio should have a small square black plastic jumper block that inserts where the CD jumper cable would go. Just connect the main harness, antenna lead, and speaker connector to the new radio and install it into the upper opening. As I said earlier, I installed one of those cupholders that fits right into the DIN slot where the CD unit was installed. Let me warn you that I had to work with this cupholder to get it into the slot. I had to remove the console top so I could move the holder up and down to maneuver it into the slot. Maybe you will have better luck installing it. I got it in however and it looks nice, just like it was supposed to be there.
Now you are ready to enjoy your radio. Just set the stations and whatever else you need to and know that your working JBL units are safely packed away and hopefully will be useable in later years if you want to reinstall them. Remember when you go to reinstall the original units, you have to switch the pins back on the main radio connector.

I hope I have been clear enough with this procedure. This is just one way to keep the look of the car closer to original than using an aftermarket radio that looks aftermarket. Happy Tunes.

L.M.

Here is the finished look, followed by the diagrams I made.

Another alternative would be to use a newer radio combo setup that has the newer capacitors but same design as the JBL. One such setup is a AMFMcassette radio and lower CD combo setup from a 1998 Mustang. You still modify the main radio connector as shown above and everything else just plugs into place. Then pack your old working setup away for posterity. The only problems I had was:
1. The bottom CD unit's face did not want to completely fit inside the original opening deep enough for the clips to engage. It will slide in enough to look fine but it may be necessary to wrap the extreme outer lip behind the face with electrical tape to make the fit more snug.
2. In the picture below of the back of the units, you will notice that the bottom CD unit has a white plastic slide that rides on an internal ramp similar to the tbird. The Mustang however has the slide mounted on the top of the CD unit. You need to pry one end of the plastic ramp and it slides off and you turn it around and slip it onto the bottom of the unit. Then it will slide in just as the old original unit did.
It sounds great and used the JBL amp system just perfectly. I hope either of these methods are helpful to you.
Disclaimer: This article is for personal use only and for assisting owners in maintaining their vehicle. No publishing or reprinting is allowed unless by permission by the author of this article. The author is not responsible for any damage that occurs from the use of this information.