Upgraded the stereo in 3 phases: sharing what I have learned and completed.

[Wyoman]

I’m struggling to remove the brown 8 pin ISO connector from the back of the factory head unit.
Any tips on how to disconnect it? Can anyone confirm that the brown connector in the picture is correct one to disconnect?

 

[derek_zoolander]

Yes the brown one is right. The clips to the left of your pic in the middle of each connector push towards the center.

It was by far the hardest part, but you can eventually push the clip and pull and get it out. Alternatively if you remove the large trim piece below the steering wheel it exposes the head unit and you can remove it and slide forward getting you some more room to work

 

[Wyoman]

Thanks for the confirmation before I commit 100% to removing that connector. My solution was to detach the black brackets from the side of the factory headunit. Next I removed the heatsink from the left side of the headunit. This allowed me to push it towards the footwell enough that I could see the connector. Last I used a small channel lock tool to pull the connector free.

Thanks to Derek and Eric for outlining a way to upgrade the sound system.