86 premium sound radio - green to red?

[mich_427_cobra]

How do you change the radio backlight color from green to red?
Thanks!

[teddy1500]

didnt know that you could change colors, it should be red. Any chance that it was changed ?

[Gemini1999]

You're going to have to open up the head unit (don't ask me how...) to change the light source for the display. It's either just changing the bulb itself, or the bulb color filter.

[tbirdman]

Which radio are you talking about? The one with the two knobs, or the radio with the LED display?

[mich_427_cobra]

the radio with the led display.... 86 premium sound.
i got it out of a lincoln, but they had green backlighting.
I thought there was a bulb cover or something you could buy????

[tbirdman]

The lens in the faceplate is what gives the display it's color. The actual LED display itself has a white readout.

The Mustangs and Capris were the only Ford/Mercury cars that got the red displays. All other cars that had the same radios had the green displays. Other than the lens color, the faceplate is the same. The lens is not easy to remove. I tried removing one of the green lenses and basically ruined the faceplate. There is a seller on Ebay who sells a replacement red lens that supposedly you can use to replace the green lens. Here's a link to the sellers auction page...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/85-86-Ford-M...item460c181625

There is another backlight bulb behind the faceplate that you may need to change out to get the red color. I'm not too sure how this bulb gets it's color though. I think it might be from a red filter that goes over the bulb. Maybe someone else can chime in on that one.

Two other things that you will need to remember about using the radio from the Lincoln. You will need the front and rear mounting brackets for the Mustang. The brackets that are on the Lincoln radio will not work. You will also have to check the rear harness connectors (speaker and power) on the radio and see if they are compatible with the Mustang harness connectors.

[mich_427_cobra]

Great info.
Thank you for all the info...

[grabbergreen84]

You have to deal with the LED readout, and then you have to deal with the illumination of the faceplate itself.

[TheWizard]

IIRC when I took my radio appart to clean and service, I think that one bulb pretty much takes care of most if not all of the backlighting
I'm not 100% sure, but maybe swapping That one green to a red LED could do the trick.