Antennas ???

[55 Fargo]

Hi all, I bought this universal antenna from NAPA for the coupe a while back. It requires a 1 inch hole, should I make the original 5/8 or 3/4 inch hole bigger:confused: to accomodate this antenna.

I am not sure if I should look for another antenna or not, would like an OEM stock type, but where do I find that, and I am not crazy about paying big bucks:p for an antenna.

What have a lot of yall done for your antennas, OEM or aftermarket, I hate to make the antenna hole on my cowl bigger:o if I can get myself the right antenna.................Thanx Fred

[Norm's Coupe]

Fred,

I bought a new NOS antenna for my coupe several years ago at a swap meet. Only paid $20 for it at the time. There are a lot of old car vendors selling them. I've also seen them on ebay. In fact there is a company someplace in Florida that makes and sells new reproduction type old style antenna's as well as modern ones. Just run a search on antenna's on ebay and you should find them. Theirs are also reasonably priced because they are reproductions.

As an added note. If you plan on someday installing an original style antenna on your car, I would not enlarge that hole now. If you do, you'll just have to fill it and re drill it again to make the original style fit later.

[RHDSP15C]

My Dad would never have an external antenna on his Plymouths. His answer was

to instal an under floor horizontal rig something like the early ADF antennas on airplanes. It works real well unless you run over tram lines, then the static is unbearable.

[builtfercomfort]

My '39 Chrysler has antennas under each rocker, just inside of the floorboard, isolated from the frame by stiff rubber strips. They are two rods each side, a little thicker than a pencil and about 3 feet long each. This is the factory setup for some 1930s cars where the radio might cost half as much as the car. Works fine for AM but probably worthless for FM.

I'm looking for a two-part (base and another mounting point) antenna I can hook up to a more modern radio - have not found one I'm happy with yet. I might go with an early VW Bug antenna.

[Normspeed]

Fred, if it were me I wouldn't cut a hole that big unless it were my last resort. AM radio is pretty sorry these days, at least it is down here. Hardly worth the damage to your car.

On my P15 the antenna got broken so I put a little cap on it and installed a nice side mount antenna on the flat area in front of the door. On the 53, I have an XM satellite boombox running off a 6-12 volt converter. Ugly but works good.

My 53 came with two factory style top of fender antennas, similar to P15 units. Both had slight bends near the base. I ruined both of them trying to fix 'em but at least I kept the bases for a rainy day.

[BobT-47P15]

This is probably the original type antenna that would have been on your

chrysler.

It has the tube and a strap to secure it to the inner fender.

I have one just like it on the 54 Plymouth......so you probably can find

one on newer cars than yours - at least up to 54.....likely on all MoPar

makes.

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[BobT-47P15]

Fred, is your antenna on the curve of the cowl?

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Think I got this one at a swap meet several years ago....seems like maybe

it was for an older Buick. Goes down real short. Fit the hole,

[55 Fargo]

Bob, the antenna hole is just as yours is in the picture, my after market antenna is similar to yours, except it is in 3 sections instead of 4 as yours looks to be. I do not need to make a new hole, I only need to enlarge the hole slightly to get this antenna to go into it, not that big a deal. On my car there were 2 holes in the cowl, not sure why, maybe for another type of antenna, there is also a hole in the top of the fender, the front fenders on my car were from another Chrysler, so I still need to weld in these 2 extra holes.

I plan to install the OEM radio, but also want to run a cd player stereo with an auxilary 12 volt battery, not sure how I am going to do this yet. I also have a new boom box cd am/fm stereo I can use......................Fred

[BobT-47P15]

Sounds as if you have plenty of mounting holes available....

Sometimes in the old days people would put those antennas wherever

they thought would be convenient. One reason I wanted one that goes

down short is in case I wanted to use my car cover....it would not be

a problem. However, someone stole my cover off the 54 Plym a few

weeks ago - where it sits beside my house next to the street. I had

failed to use the cable that runs beneath the car to secure it. Ah well...

(It was a sort of synthetic material, bought at walmart several years ago,

and actually never used on the convert.....decided to beautify the 54

by covering it.)

[JerseyHarold]

Fred,

Is there enough room to feed the antenna up through the hole from inside the car? That way, you don't have to enlarge the hole that's already there.

Harold

[55 Fargo]

Harold you are a thinkin man, will go and try this now...........Fred

[blueskies]

I used a universal power antenna from NAPA. (I'm running 12v negative ground, and my stock radio was rebuilt with a power antenna lead).

The hole in my fender where the original antenna was was just a hair too small, so I enlarged it with a round file till the new antenna fit.

The new antenna came with a variety of plastic escutcheons, to fit different angles. I used my file to shape the bottom of the platic a bit to fit the shape of the fender. Looks nearly stock, but it goes all the way down and out of the way for a car cover.

Pete

[Robin (UK)]

I also fitted a modern telescopic antenna, fitted through the original hole.

[Young Ed]

So far I fitted a plastic body plug for my antenna to keep water out of the hole Hopefully this summer my radio will be done being restored and I will have to hunt for an antenna. Robin does yours compress down all the way? Looks like a good one to me