1965coupe Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 I'm going through my photos and came across my Sirius to XM conversion pictures. Since the head unit in my car has XM, and the factory antenna is Sirius, I decided to gut it, and hide an XM antenna inside. You'll need: a small XM antenna (eBay), torx bits, zip ties for wiring, a wrench/socket to remove the antenna, and an air grinder. Here it goes: Remove this bolt to release the antenna. Here it is... in all of its Siriusness. I mean glory. I mean worthlessness. I'm no audiophole, but Sirius sucks compared to XM (yes, same company, I know). Follow the wiring on the trunklid to find the connectors - this is a common sense step that I don't have pictures of. Sirius guts on the right, versus the entire XM antenna. You see how that aluminum base has a four-sided protrusion? That's where the grinder comes into play. If you're going to 'gut' the XM antenna, you probably won't need to grind the base plate. I did just for the heck of it. Remove the torx screws on the bottom of the antenna - I don't remember the size. Heck, I don't even remember what I had for breakfast. And I'm 25. So, to remember the exact size of a torx bit, sorry. Just do what I do.. try a bunch until you find the right one. Once you remove the screws, cover, rubber seal, and factory guts, this is what you're left with. See how one of the sides is now flat? Use your grinder to make yours look like mine! Now, drill a larger hole in the center of the base plate to run the XM plug: Here's the XM antenna again. I went a step farther and 'gutted' the XM antenna - I stripped it down to the vital parts. It might not be necessary, but what the heck; taking things apart is fun! Some double-sided 3m tape will hold the new guts in place. See how the wiring loops out, then underneath the guts? That's how it should be routed. Route the XM plug to your radio or receiver. Reassemble the antenna and then reinstall it! All done! Took me about an hour. I ALMOST decided to paint it black (plastic fades) while it was off.. but I got over my 'while I'm at its' when I restored my '65 Mustang.. it drains your wallet too quickly. Any questions, let me know! If you need info on installing the stereo, I can help you with that as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FordRocks1 Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 Nice detailed write up. Thanks for posting. I want to change out my stock speakers but kind of undecided what's a good all around speaker. I have the shaker 1000 so I think my front and rear speakers are pretty much toast because they rattle and sound like crap at higher volumes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redlinetoys Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 I enjoy my factory Sirius and have had XM in the past. Don't really have any preference either way as I have also experienced plenty of long drives without Satellite radio (driving 50K miles per year for business). Satellite in general is pretty great in my opinion, though I enjoy Pandora through my Iphone as well. I really like your idea to do this though as it is a nice clean invisible install that is done well. Congrats on the conversion and I am sure there are others that will take advantage of your detailed writeup and photos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseygator Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 I'd like to remove it entirely. And can not understand why Ford would agree to let a third party cut a hole in the trunk? Especially for a product some consumers will not use. Me being one. Just saying... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965coupe Posted March 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 Nice detailed write up. Thanks for posting. I want to change out my stock speakers but kind of undecided what's a good all around speaker. I have the shaker 1000 so I think my front and rear speakers are pretty much toast because they rattle and sound like crap at higher volumes. Yeah, I'd say those are ready to be replaced! I have Sonys in my '65 and Pioneers in the truck - the Pioneers, for the price, have really crisp/clear sound - and that's in a diesel truck! Watch the Sunday ads for Best Buy sales, or find the speakers you like elsewhere and see if they'll match the price. Otherwise, I like Crutchfield - they give you all of the instructions you need to tear into your car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965coupe Posted March 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 I enjoy my factory Sirius and have had XM in the past. Don't really have any preference either way as I have also experienced plenty of long drives without Satellite radio (driving 50K miles per year for business). Satellite in general is pretty great in my opinion, though I enjoy Pandora through my Iphone as well. Now that they've merged, I've gotten used to some of the same programming between both companies - the channel numbers are different, however. I've had so many portable XM radios over the years: in an '04 Mustang, an '81 diesel mercedes, the Shelby, and the f350.. The truck had a Sony unit hard-wired into the head unit, and the Shelby now has it hard-wired into the Pioneer unit - sounds like CDs to me. Sirius, on the other hand - the Shelby came with it with the factory radio, my brother has it in his Ranger, I used to hear it at my job, and my parents/relatives have it. For me, the only thing I notice is that it sounds 'tinny', as if it's being played through an FM modulator. Price-wise, I get 5 months of service, on 3 radios, for $63. Total. Not bad if you ask me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965coupe Posted March 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 I'd like to remove it entirely. And can not understand why Ford would agree to let a third party cut a hole in the trunk? Especially for a product some consumers will not use. Me being one. Just saying... I hear ya! I thought about finding a non-Sirius trunklid, but it came on so many cars that I wouldn't have had much luck. What also baffles me is the fact that you can get really creative with these antennas and still get reception - I've had them inside of cars on dashes/back window trays, underneath the plastic cowl panels, underneath bug deflectors on trucks, etc.. Your best bet is to have it on the driver's side of the vehicle - say you're going down a 2-lane road that's lined with trees.. there will most likely be a view of the sky from the middle of the road, between the trees - which will always line up with the driver's side of the vehicle, regardless of your direction of travel. Even though I could have painted/striped the antenna to blend with the car, it still has the thick piece of rubber that would be beyond obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdreed1265 Posted March 4, 2011 Report Share Posted March 4, 2011 Sirius, on the other hand - the Shelby came with it with the factory radio, my brother has it in his Ranger, I used to hear it at my job, and my parents/relatives have it. For me, the only thing I notice is that it sounds 'tinny', as if it's being played through an FM modulator. I agree that it sounds tinny. The only explanation I can think of is that it's highly compressed so that they can offer more channels. I would be willing to do with far less channels with better fidelity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07SGT5687 Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Cool mod, but I wish I could find a NON-Sirius, White SGT trunk lid. I have my actual XM antenna, the Pioneer provided magnetic one, mounting between the trunk lid and one of the cross members (underneath and out of sight), and I've never had a reception issue. So my gigantic Sirius top mounted one is just dead... and ugly as hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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