Stock stereo - upgraded internals

[Freglin]

Hi there! I’m new here and I apologize if this had been asked before, but I’ve struggled to find it anywhere if it has.
I’ve got a 1993 F150 and I purchased it used with a JVC aftermarket stereo with the most intense tacky blue LED lights. The interior of my truck is in fantastic condition and the head unit sticks out lie a sore thumb.
I would like to take the old stock head unit and either upgrade the internals to get better sound/higher output so that I don’t loose the quality of sound but I also get the clean look for the stock face. My stock stereo isn’t an old analogue style one so classic stereo customizers won’t work on it but I’m determined. I’ll solder new circuit board in if I must. I just don’t know what’s what when it comes to what to replace and what to replace it with. I would be okay with something like an amp that takes the output of the stock head unit and allows for modern or preferably high quality sound.
please call me an idiot if there’s a simple solution I’m missing or if this is a lost cause. I’m open to the most extreme of suggestions as well.Any input is appreciated.

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[huberoy123 10+ year member]

Hi there! I’m new here and I apologize if this had been asked before, but I’ve struggled to find it anywhere if it has.
I’ve got a 1993 F150 and I purchased it used with a JVC aftermarket stereo with the most intense tacky blue LED lights. The interior of my truck is in fantastic condition and the head unit sticks out lie a sore thumb.
I would like to take the old stock head unit and either upgrade the internals to get better sound/higher output so that I don’t loose the quality of sound but I also get the clean look for the stock face. My stock stereo isn’t an old analogue style one so classic stereo customizers won’t work on it but I’m determined. I’ll solder new circuit board in if I must. I just don’t know what’s what when it comes to what to replace and what to replace it with. I would be okay with something like an amp that takes the output of the stock head unit and allows for modern or preferably high quality sound.
please call me an idiot if there’s a simple solution I’m missing or if this is a lost cause. I’m open to the most extreme of suggestions as well.Any input is appreciated.

Do a Google search for a company that replaces stock radios with something modern , but keep the original face plate. I recalled seeing them mentioned on a mustang site. Another option is to add a 4 channel amplifier and wire you soeakers to the amplifier. You get better sound and retain your stock headunit. Good luck.

 

[Freglin]

Do a Google search for a company that replaces stock radios with something modern , but keep the original face plate. I recalled seeing them mentioned on a mustang site. Another option is to add a 4 channel amplifier and wire you soeakers to the amplifier. You get better sound and retain your stock headunit. Good luck.

thank you for the reply. The only companies I have found that willdo that only do it for older analogue stereos. I will be going with an amp and maybe a DSP and/or DAC if you think it’s necessary. I have no idea what the output of my head unit is. Would I need a pre-amp as well? Is there a way to get a pre-EQ signal from a stock head unit like I have?

 

[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

I don't have an answer for you, but please follow up if you find one. Post some pictures of your pickup! Myself and at least one other guy on here are into that generation pickup. I have a 1993 F250 that i am building.

 

[Ridinhi 5,000+ posts]

I don't have an answer for you, but please follow up if you find one. Post some pictures of your pickup! Myself and at least one other guy on here are into that generation pickup. I have a 1993 F250 that i am building.

That would be me sir

 

[Popwarhomie 5,000+ posts]

Could always keep a stock headunit in it but run a DSP with Bluetooth to your phone.

The older Alpines green matched the OBS F series interior lights pretty well. I actually swapped all my green gauge bulbs to blue LEDs to match my newer Alpine.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

The only companies I have found that willdo that only do it for older analogue stereos.

I'd imagine that if your stock radio isn't found in a type of car that's very popular to restore/customize (like Mustangs) such a service probably wouldn't do much business.

The real issue is if you want "good" sound those old head units just are not fit for the job as they're basically built around the sole purpose of giving 3-4W into tiny paper stock speakers with a magnet the size of a pencil eraser. It is possible that little care was given to frequency response outside of the range that the stock speakers were capable of reproducing and it is also likely that noise floor wasn't considered at all and if you wanted to amplify the signal 10X to power even entry level modern aftermarket speakers there may be issues with the noise floor that nobody would have ever noticed 10dB earlier. I've actually noticed this just trying to use an entry level head unit from a reputable company (Pioneer IIRC) and the low end model was just noisy when you had 100W per channel amp on it.

Where there's a will there's a way, I'm sure, but the suggestion of just leaving the stock one in place and simply using a phone or tablet bluetooth connected to an amplifier or processor or whatever is probably the simplest solution to have good sound and original looks.

 

[Freglin]

Thanks for all the great suggestions! @Ridinhi @metalheadjoe I don’t have any good pics rn but I will post up soon for sure.
I’m fine with Bluetooth to a DSP/amp combo. Does anyone have suggestions on what to look at as far as brands and models? I know this kind of question has been asked a lot so where do I find out what specs I will need to match the output of my head unit? Every informational video or article I find either only gives broad statements or expects an expert viewer that knows all these in depth terms.
@Popwarhomie that’s a great idea but I like the green and stock look too much to find an oldAlpine.