Aftermarket Stereo With Mach 460

If it sounds good then you should only have to replace with a unit comparable to that one. Can't say for sure though until you tear into it. The equalizer is in the head unit stock so you have to buy a replacement head unit with a good adjustable equalizer built in or the sound is like crap with all the frequencies mixed up. Mine sounded this way when I bought my '03 GT and I found an article about it (thank goodness) and with the right harness and help from Crutchfield it sounds really good. I can tailor the sound to my liking with the adjustable equalizer.

Without knowing exactly what the previous owner did, it's hard to say but it does seem like it's a safe bet that you can just swap out the head unit.

I've had a few Kenwood head units in my 2003 GT with the Mach 460. I left all of the Mach 460 components in there and the only "special" thing I had to do to install the head unit was buy the appropriate wiring harness adapter from Metra.

There are many audiophiles out there that have completely gutted the Mach 460 system and replaced everything related to that system. I've read that it's just wired up so strangely and changing everything out produces better results. I don't care enough to go that far into the system...I just initially needed a new head unit since the factory one started eating CDs.

I'd say if the lower door speakers and rear speakers are working, PO did things right. In that instance, you can swap the head unit to whatever you would like. If not, you're going to need a particular wiring harness. Swapping the 460 HU for an aftermarket one is actually really easy, but you have to have the right harness.

I have a Pioneer head unit in my 2003 GT. I bought it from Crutchfeild, so it came with the necessary harness and plate to fit in the opening. It’s a little tight behind the radio so just make sure you tuck the wires in carefully so as not to pinch the wires.

dyland said:

Hey guys, just got my '99 GT a couple days ago and I'm looking to replace the stereo. I know there are some certain requirements for installing an aftermarket radio with Mach 460, but where I get confused is the fact that the previous owner installed an aftermarket radio himself.

So, does this mean he's already done the hard stuff and I can simply toss on a new wiring harness to my radio and be done? or is there more to it then that. Any help is greatly appreciated.

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Just completed the Mach 460 "upgrade" on my 2004 Mustang coupe, The Mach 460 is a strange bird to say the least. You can't just replace the head and expect decent results. Here is what I did:

1) replace the head unit with a modern receiver using the adapter cable that is standard for the Mach 460.
2) lower the rear seats and remove the three 8mm bolts that hold the plastic housing that covers the edge of the rear deck carpet
3) there are two plastic push pins holding the rear carpet piece in place. Remove them.
4) remove the rear speaker carpet and grill covers by lifting in the middle and prying out the left and right edges. It takes some real effort, but it will come out once the ends are pried loose,.
5) locate the six studs sticking up through the rear deck. Someone will need to hold the huge plastic speaker compartment while you remove the six nuts securing the speaker box.
6) remove all the connectors attached to the speaker box.
7) I replaced all four speakers with 6 x 8 three ways.
8) you can reuse the wires going to the left and right front tweeters, but they should be extended to reach the 6 x 8 compartment below and attached to the new 6 x 8 speaker door speakers. Follow the videos available to remove the door panels.
9) new wires will need to be run to the two rear speakers from your head unit,
10) I removed and discarded the awkward speaker box along with the two amplifiers under the rear deck
11) in my application I tapped out the 4 speaker holes for 8-32 screws on the rear deck. The ones closes to the rear windshield were tapped from beneath as there is more space
12) the new speakers are installed from the top using 1/2" 8-32 screws. A very stubby screwdriver is needed for the screws near the rear window.
13) Replace all the removed pieces reversing the process
14) An amplified subwoofer can be added If desired

I respectfully disagree. The output of your head unit is likely speaker level and the feeds going to the amps are line level (unless you use preamp outputs on your head unit). Also the lower front door speakers are wired in parallel meaning you have no stereo at all except for tweeters in the upper doors. To make matters worse, the rear deck speakers are also wired in parallel so no stereo there either. I guess it depends on what we each call excellent. I wired my head unit to the existing amps and couldn't understand why the bass was so awfully "boomy" . After reading some articles from serious audiophiles on the Mach 460 and after researching the schematics, I went ahead and did the above replacement. There is no comparison in a closed vehicle to have stereo the way it was meant to be with three way speakers installed in all four positions... but it is a PITA for sure... especially having to run new wires.

You are disagreeing that I think it sounds good? Crutchfield sells hundreds of these kits and the reviews are positive. You went the extra mile and that is a good thing, just not necessary for me, I also suspect the quality of your new speakers is better than the stock Ford thereby helping the sound. Yes I can overdrive my speakers with this set up but I can work around that quite easily. Honestly this car is so noisy inside I cannot appreciate the nuances, I save that for the home system.

I have a Pioneer AVH-4200NEX touchscreen stereo in my 2002 GT coupe, tied into the stock Mach 460 speakers/amps with the Metra adapter, and it actually sounds pretty good (I almost exclusively listen to music on my cell phone, connected using the USB cable - I use Android Auto a lot, and I have it "hacked" to allow me to use Poweramp to listen to my music). I have the listening position set on the stereo to the front left seat, and I'm using one of the EQ presets (I think it's "Powerful").

I hope to completely replace the Mach 460 speakers/amps, eventually. But, I'm not rich & I've got other, more important things I want to do to my Mustang first - I want to have the entire car wrapped in a matte vinyl; I want a Borla Stinger exhaust; I want to completely rebuild my suspension, etc. I can live with the stereo as it is, for a while.