aftermarket radio

i have a 97 windstar gl 3.8. there is a tuner in the bback seat to change the station and control the volume. do i need to get a specific radio to still be able to use that, or is that possible with all after market radios

You might want to contact Crutchfield, www.crutchfield,com . They have been around for many years and I have dealt with them for 20 years myself. I find their staff to be pretty knowledgeable when I have questions concerning automotive, or any other audio and home electronics questions. They might even be able to recommend certain radios to fit your needs.

goldslaugh
Ihave a 96 LX and it also had rear controls. However I was unable to find a radio that could use these connections. I purchased an after market Pioneer from Crutchfields with an Ipod adapter and it works good. The display is a little hard to read in bright light. I wish I had waited another 6 months because now you can integrate your Bluetooth phone into the radio it will interupt the radio and announce through the speakers. Also you have a built in amplifier and you have to purchase a special wiring if your going to use tha adapter it is a pain to adjust. I think If I wer to do it again I would use an after market amp and mount it in the console or under the seat. Do yourself a favor and solder and heat shrink all connections. They give you te tool to remove the factory radio. All in all about a 3 hour job.

you can buy the DIN radio removal tools (prongs, really) on eBay, too, or you can just do it with bent coathangers. you need to make a U shape and poke it down the two holes on each side (assuming you have the same radio fitting as mine).

that crutchfield site seems like it has a really good wizard for working out exactly which stock Ford fittings you might have, what's compatible, and which adaptors you might need/can use.

thanks for all the help i sent an e-mail to crutchfiel and they said they did not have an adapter to make the rear controls to work with an aftermarket radio. i checked into it some more and found a product called a iniverdal steering control by pac http://www.autotoys.com/x/cust/product.php?productid=597. it is a learning remote and erequires a aftermarket radio with a wireless remote. not sure if it's worth the trouble, plus it's 60 bucks. i might give it a try not sure. thanks again for all the help

Ditto on the recommendation for Crutchfield.
They have good information online to help you find a good fit for your specific vehicle....and I'm sure that their phone support is great also.
Pay attention to the dimensions that Crutchfield lists as far as what is a "direct fit", and buy a radio that fits within those dimensions.

I would stay away from the chain stores that sell stuff as far as advice goes.....as they do NOT know...... They are fine as far as you knowing exactly what you want...but not on advice.
They will also sell you the removal tool to take the original radio out.
One thing that I did find out.....the hard way..... An aftermarket radio is a magnet for thieves........catches their eye. Even if it is a cheapie........

I will add another warning. In the center console.......at the bottom, near the floor, is a small 1" x 4" x 6" box......approximate measure.....with some wires going to it........out of a wire harness near the factory radio....
THIS IS NOT PART OF THE SOUND SYSTEM....... It is the air bag controller.....so you MUST not mess with it.......
Also, you MUST be very carefull about what wires you mess with.......so that you don't have a airbag deployment situation.....which could be fatal.

To be safe......work ONLY with the wires that connect to the connectors that connect to the Factory radio.