Just picked up my 05 scab FX4 on Wednesday. Lovin' it ...15,000 miles black everything and going to get blacker. Got a couple questions: It has what I would call a vinyl sticker doing the job of a bra. This stock? Can ya get one for the bumpers? These blackout headlights from Hella, do they diminish visibility? Anybody find a cheaper way to do the job of the FRD-04 adapter for MP3 players? If anyone has the specs on the pin-out in the back of the HU I could do this job for under 10 bux.(vs 89.00)

Thanks in advance guys & girls.

 

You can't splice into the wire bundle and connect an MP3 player. Hence, we have the FRD04. The darn things are pretty problem-matic, so I don't know if I'd bother spending $89 on one when you can get an aftermarket HU with front panel Ipod/MP3 input and USB/SD card input for just over $100. Splurge and get a Clarion double-din HU with Ipod input and SD card input for $250 on-line. Those FM transmitters work OK to broadcast your MP3's over the radio (if you buy a decent one). But, there again, you could just buy a new HU for a few bucks more.

Black F-150's look great when they're clean. After owning four black trucks in a row. I gave up. Too hard to keep looking good and every last one of them had windshield/rear window leaks (too hot in the summer?).

 

Thanks Worland. I wasn't looking to splice though. What I did with my car was get the specs on the pinout that wasn't being used and just add a plug to it and connect to the L&R audio lines. Cost was about two bucks. But anyway I'm thinking along the same lines as you, get a new HU. I'm not going to crazy on the audio system I just like having 40gig of songs available in my ride rather than messing with CD's.
I'm already feeling the pain with this black paintjob but I knew what I was getting myself into. It's still warm enough here to keep it clean.
Thanks

 

On the big plug, the speaker wires are as follows:

Left Front + (white): Pin 8
Left Front - (white/black): Pin 21

Left Rear + (green): Pin 9
Left Rear - (green/black); Pin 22

Right Rear + (purple): Pin 10
Right Rear - (purple/black): Pin 23

Right Front + (gray): Pin 11
Right Front - (gray/black): Pin 12

I think CD players are slowly dying out. Why bother when you can use your ipod or SD/USB input on the HU? Without the moving parts associated with the CD player, the HU should last darn near forever.

I recently discovered the clear synthetic waxes. Wish they had been available (or at least in my price range) back when I had a black truck. If you keep it in good shape, black trucks often get you more for trade-in allowance than say colors such as the golds/browns/white/silvers. Some colors are just more popular than others.

 

Hey thanks that's what I was looking for. I'll get my radio out tomorrow and if I can match the plug I'll be running my MP3 player for pennies. I'll follow up. I'll also check on that syn wax, I was using Mother's from last year. Thanks again.

 

Simoniz, Turtle, etc all make clear synthetic waxes. They don't give you that glassy finish that you get from buffing a good carnuba wax though. The synthetic finish looks more like a clear coat. I normally put one coat a week on for 4-6 weeks (just wipe it on, no need to buff). The synthetic wax will look a little dull until you wash it a few more times. The neat factor is nothing seems to stick to it. Every time it rains, the dirt on the truck just drips away with no dingy/dirty residue like you get with carnuba. Put a few coats on your rims and brake dust won't stick.

 

Hey Worland thanks for the advise on the wax. I picked up some synthetic the other day but been working so much no time to play. I decided against the direct IPOD application to the factory HU. After dealing with it a while I realized I hate the thing. I just received a couple Kenwoods from Crutchfield for my 150 and my wifes Exped. and I'll be installing them as soon as I get a break. The Kenwoods come with an adapter free that connects directly to the HU. I can't believe how quickly I got used to that MPS player(40gb) and just don't want anything to do with CD's anymore.

 

I believe that you can add a clear bra to the chrome bumpers, but not too sure. It's not cheap in costs however.

The clear bra usually would cover the headlights, front end (including painted bumpers), but I haven't seen this added for any plastic bumpers (black) or plastic trim.