1987 Lincoln Towncar radio question (1 Viewer)

[Ben Menix]

I have a base edition (cloth seats, analog gauges, etc) 1987 Lincoln Towncar. It currently has the original AM/FM casette stereo with 6 speakers. I know that a cd player was available as an add-on unit; the instruction manual for the radio depicts a unit that fits under the standard radio utilizing a different dash panel.
Does anyone know if this unit can be added to a base model Towncar that did not originally come with this option, how difficult it is if you can, and if it's worth it anyway? It would probably be more effective to just buy a new am/fm cd player, but I love the sleek styling of the towncar, and don't want to throw the looks off by putting a curved, metallic trimmed, red-glow illuminated, multi-colored display atrocity right in the middle of my dash!
Any comments or recommendations welcome,
Ben Menix
[email protected]

 

[Kevin Farley]

There are so many options in car audio looks (see Crutchfield.com) that it may be very easy to find one that matches your interior. You might want to look at the McIntosh, Nakamichi, and other high end car recievers; They can be refined looking. (not to mention really great sounding!). An aftermarket unit will blow the doors off of the stock unit; As with everything, auto manufacturers like to keep costs down, and this means scrimping in audio componentry.

 

[Nathan*W]

Componentry????

 

[Kevin Farley]

sorry.:wink:

 

[Jason Wilcox]

the nakamichi head units look like a stock black head unit. they won't interfere with your car's interior at all. the big plus for me is that because they don't stand out...they are less likely to be stolen. oh...they sound wonderful too.

 

[Ben Menix]

Where can I find the Nakamichi units?
Ben Menix
[email protected]

 

[Kevin Farley]

You can search online for Nakamichi car audio, but I'm not sure if they're all authorized to carry them. Call your local car audio dealers, and ask around.

 

[Ben Menix]

Found some. Thanks for your help.
Ben Menix
[email protected]

 

[Ben Menix]

The nakamichi units look great! Thanks for suggesting them!
Ben Menix
[email protected]

 

[Ben Menix]

After looking at the Nakamichi head units; my only complaint would be the lack of mp3 support. I'm looking at McIntosh now; if anyone has any other suggestions please chime in. The requirements are:
Must complement (not necessarily match) the clean lines and conservative styling of a 1987 Lincoln Towncar.
Strong emphasis on playing mp3s, or at least cd-r/cd-rw.
Would like good (doesn't have to be best in show, but not crap) AM and FM reception.
Thanks,
Ben Menix
[email protected]

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

After looking at the Nakamichi head units; my only complaint would be the lack of mp3 support.

Huh?! I’m sure the stock CD player you were originally in didn’t support MP-3!

My wife has a 1985 Town Car and I found the installation of an aftermarket unit tricky. I got an adapter frame from Crutchfield so that it could be mounted where the stock radio was. The dash panel wouldn’t fit with it in place, so I had to do some creative adjustments.

Also, with the dash panel in place I had kind of a weird situation. The radio didn’t stick far enough out of the hole to use its trim bezel.

Good luck with your project.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Ben Menix]

Yes, but if I'm going to add and after-market unit, might as well get one that does everything I would like it do!
Still looking,
Ben Menix
[email protected]