This is my first post in this Forum so I hope I'm doing this correctly lol. I have 09 Ford Ranger Sport and I'm planning on replacing my stock radio with a double din Apple CarPlay stereo, with a backup camera as well which I'm going to mount just to help me when lining up trailers by myself. My question is: do I need to buy a double din install kit? Or can I get away with slightly modifying the existing stock opening? This is my first time doing a stereo install, I am pretty handy, but it being my first time I don't know if I can get away with not buying an install kit.

If your wondering, the unit i'll be putting in is a: Power Acoustik CP-650. I am also getting a wiring harness adapter because I don't want to be cutting the factory harness. I know this particular stereo may not be the greatest but for the time being its budget friendly and does what I need it to do. May upgrade to a high end one down the road.

Would really appreciate any advice and even tips or tricks to help me make this install go as smoothly as possible

 

Hey did you ever get any help with the install? I'm in the same boat, trying to install a new double din stereo, I sorted out the mod to the dash but I'm having issues figuring out the wires to attach the back up camera to as well as the revers light wire and park brake or a regular hot wire as I never use my park brake unless parking on a steep hill. also not sure if I can wire my back up camera hot and ground to the same hot and ground on the stereo wire harness that the stereo is using as well. any suggestions if you figured it out.

 

Back up camera can be wired one of 2 ways. You can either have it come on with the reverse lights or on all the time and just use the reverse lights to switch to the camera output when backing up. The first way you be to tie the camera to a constant hot when the radio is on such as the head unit switched power. And then tie the reverse wire off the unit into the reverse light circuit either in the dash or somewhere else I. the harness.

The second method would be to splice the camera power wires into the reverse light socket wires and then tie the reverse wire off the radio into the reverse light circuit either I. the cab or somewhere else in the harness.

IMO, the best way is the first one because you can always go through the unit menus to operate the camera whenever you want.

As far as your emergency brake wire goes, look up a parking brake bypass on Google and you will see what most people do for that. Some units you just tie the wire to ground and others you use a relay to switch the wire to ground after the unit turns on via the amp turn on wire off the back of the unit. You just need to research your specific unit to see which option works best.

 

Hey thanks for the advice. I think I'll go with the first option. I was told the wire for the reverse sensing was brown with a yellow strip. this was the guys at Crutchfield that said this. I connected it and doesn't seem to be the right one. camera works fine but only when I select it from the menu on the deck.

 

LOL

Your reverse wire should be black with a pink stripe. If you tie into the harness after the rear connection (the part of the harness that Y's to the tail lights) there will be two of these wires. One for the reverse lights and one for the brake lights. Not sure why they used the same color wire, at least that is how it was on my 02.

 

I would really suggest purchasing a wiring diagram for your truck, you can follow wires from connector to connector very easily with it. I have one for each of my trucks and they've been a life saver