2004-2008 Ford F-150 SuperCab

Overview of the Ford F-150 SuperCab

The F-150 SuperCab gives you more room for family, pets, stuff--and audio upgrades. The comfortable interior offers plenty of space for a new receiver, speakers, and even a subwoofer. You'll have plenty of great products to choose from, and the modular design takes the hassle out of installation.

Ford AM/FM radio with 6-disc changer (Crutchfield Research Photo)

The factory stereo system

The 2004-2008 F-150 SuperCab came with several receiver options. An AM/FM/CD receiver came standard, but Ford offered three other choices:

• an AM/FM/6-disc in-dash changer;
• AM/FM stereo/6-disc CD changer with Audiophile Sound System with MP3 (with factory sub);
• rear seat DVD entertainment system

Note: You will lose the use of the rear seat DVD system if you replace the factory radio.

Mounting kit installed in F-150 dash (Crutchfield Research Photo)

Replacing your factory radio

There's plenty of room behind the dash, so you can install just about any car stereo in this truck, including single-DIN (2" tall) and double-DIN (4" tall) receivers. You'll need a mounting kit to trim out the new radio, along with a wiring harness that allows you to connect your new radio without having to cut the factory wiring. Crutchfield includes these installation parts at a very nice discount with receiver orders, along with our free MasterSheet™ step-by-step instructions for your F-150.

Detailed stereo and speaker removal instructions

With step-by-step disassembly instructions and plenty of up-close, detailed photos, our exclusive Crutchfield MasterSheet™ takes the guesswork out of removing the factory stereo and speakers. It's free with your Crutchfield order, or you can purchase one separately for just $9.99.

You'll have no problem fitting accessory items like satellite radio tuners, iPod® adapters, navigation modules, or even small amps back behind your new stereo. Remove a couple of trim pieces, and you'll have all the access you need for the installation. You'll lose the factory Video Entertainment feature if you replace the Ford radio.

Tools needed: 7mm socket wrench, panel tool.

Read our Car Stereo Buying Guide for shopping tips and advice.

Steering wheel audio controls

In most cases, it's reasonably easy to retain your truck's steering wheel audio controls when you install a new stereo. When you enter your vehicle information, our database will choose the adapter you need to make your factory steering wheel controls work with a compatible aftermarket receiver.

Replacing your factory speakers

This truck will accept several speaker sizes: 6"x8" speakers drop right in, most 5"x7"s will also fit, and 5-1/4" speakers will fit in with mounting brackets. You'll find enough room in both locations that you can almost always buy matching speakers for front and back.

It's a good idea to get speaker harnesses for your new speakers. They'll allow you to attach the new speakers to the plugs that connect to the Ford factory speakers, and they make it easier to reinstall the factory speakers if you ever sell your truck The brackets and speaker wiring harnesses can be purchased at a deep discount with every speaker order.

Ford F-150 front door panel (Crutchfield Research Photo)

Front doors

You don't have to pry off the entire door panel; there's a pop-out panel that covers the speaker location. Since the SuperCab offered advanced audio options, you should find factory tweeter openings in the front door panels in addition to the oval 6"x8" openings. If you're handy with tools, you can fashion a plate to hold aftermarket tweeters in those openings.

Since the speaker openings are high up in the front doors, you'll get great sound from a nice set of component speakers. You can also install kick panel enclosures that hold 6-1/2" speakers and tweeters in this truck if you prefer that option.

The F-150 SuperCab's rear door panel (Crutchfield Research Photo)

Rear doors

You will have to remove the rear door panels to access the speakers. Again, there's plenty of room for most 6"x8" speakers, or you can also use 5-1/4" speakers in brackets.

Tools needed: panel tool, socket wrench, 5.5mm, 8mm, 10mm, 1/4", and 7/32" sockets

Read our Car Speakers Buying Guide for more information

The factory subwoofer enclosure is under the SuperCab's rear seat (Crutchfield Research Photo)

Bass in your F-150

Adding some extra thump to your F-150 isn't hard, but the amount of effort involved depends on how your truck was equipped when it rolled out of the factory.

With factory sub

This Ford truck offered a factory sub as an option. If you have the factory enclosure under the rear seat, you can replace the 8" DVC sub with any aftermarket sub that has a mounting depth less than 3.6 inches. If you pick a high-performance sub, you'll want to replace the factory amp too.

The factory stereo only sends 5 volts to the sub amp, which can cause a turn on/off pop from the subwoofer when an aftermarket stereo is installed. To avoid this, a 12V-to-5V regulator can be installed on the remote lead. This regulator produces a large amount of heat for its size and should be bolted or screwed to a clean metal surface that will act as a heat sink.

Without factory sub

If you don't have the Ford factory sub (or if you want to replace yours), you'll find a bunch of subwoofer options available. Your best bet would be vehicle-specific enclosures from manufacturers like JL Audio, Q-Logic, or MTX, available in unloaded, loaded, and amplified versions. They'll give you powerful bass without wasting much (if any) space. There's also room under the rear seat for a compact Class D amp that will deliver some serious bass power.

Tools needed: socket wrench, 10mm socket, Torx T20 driver.

Learn more about building a bass system in our Car Subwoofer Buying Guide.

Here's another look at the factory subwoofer/amp combo (Crutchfield Research Photo)

Other options for your F-150

With a vehicle like the F-150 SuperCab, there are lots of ways to upgrade your entertainment and security.

Enjoy your iPod® and add video

iPod users, you'll find a great spot for an iPod connection next to the 12-volt port that's situated low in your console, and the pocket just below that port is a great place to stash your player. Also, if you're thinking about installing an overhead video screen, the JCI rail system in your headliner contains power and ground leads that you can tap into, making that job much, much easier. Give us a call and talk to one of our Advisors about the gear you need.

Protect the interior with floor mats

No matter how much you pamper your truck, you're eventually going to get involved in some sort of truck-like activity that gets you and/or it dirty. When that happens, it's a good idea to have a set of WeatherTech Floor Mats in your truck. These incredibly durable mats trap moisture, contain dirt, and keep your factory carpets looking good.

More security

Installing a security system in your F-150 SuperCab isn't exactly easy (security systems rarely are), but it's definitely a good idea. Our Crutchfield Advisors can help figure out what you need to get the job done, but we usually recommend taking your car and new gear to a professional installer.

Let's get started!

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