New antenna installation how to

[Mister-B]

First off, thanks to others for your input prior to installing the antenna. I am going to combine some of your ideas here, along with some of my own, and then add some before and after photos.

The best price I could find for an original looking antenna, was Manes. With shipping, it came to $47.90. Speaking of original, my truck has an AM only radio, which technically calls for a telescoping giant antenna that easily snaps off if you drive under a tree, or something else brushes against it. A solid mast is what was used for AM/FM radios, but can still be used for AM only radios, and is much more sturdy.

I decided to remove the entire cowl for assembly of the antenna. You might be able to get away with just undoing the bolts and screws on the of the cowl where the antenna goes, but I went with removing it altogether. It's pretty easy. Two bolts on either side, and like 10 screws.

Next, just feed the cable through the holes into the cab, affix the rubber plug, and then attach the assembly hardware as per the instructions. It's pretty fool proof.

Here's the before shot



After






One question though. Does it look like it is sitting at the right angle? For some reason, I thought it might be more angled towards the rear of the truck.
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[54blackhornet]

I like the fact that you are running the correct ANCO wiper blade assembly too ! I just had to repair my antenna also, but got away with just new mast, I felt better keeping my 42 year old stainless base, it's perfect ?
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[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by 54blackhornet

I like the fact that you are running the correct ANCO wiper blade assembly too ! I just had to repair my antenna also, but got away with just new mast, I felt better keeping my 42 year old stainless base, it's perfect ?
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Thanks! I'm trying to stay as original as possible

I wish I could have kept my base, but it was rusted badly, and it had been hay bailed with a hose clamp, and a nut welded to the top
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[54blackhornet]

I am doing my best to go "stock" on my 71 GMC, I have a 68 GMC that I did not and I wish I had now .....
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[JOJABOY]

Looks great. It's my truck's brother of another color. Some clown (PO) painted my truck red. It was originally light green with green interior. When the PO did the paint, he used body filler over the factory mirror bracket holes and antenna hole. No welding or patch shaving. Just Bondo. So now I have an antenna mast mounted under my dash and cracks in paint where factory mirrors would be. I have no intentions of restoring or trying to achieve any kind of factory orignallity with my truck. I just want it to be what it is (a man's truck) for years to come. Kinda jealous of what you have. Love the patina and the untouched proof that Chevy Runs Deep.

[terry b]

I think it looks good.

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by JOJABOY

Looks great. It's my truck's brother of another color. Some clown (PO) painted my truck red. It was originally light green with green interior. When the PO did the paint, he used body filler over the factory mirror bracket holes and antenna hole. No welding or patch shaving. Just Bondo. So now I have an antenna mast mounted under my dash and cracks in paint where factory mirrors would be. I have no intentions of restoring or trying to achieve any kind of factory orignallity with my truck. I just want it to be what it is (a man's truck) for years to come. Kinda jealous of what you have. Love the patina and the untouched proof that Chevy Runs Deep.

Thank you! I appreciate that. I had no idea what I had when I bought this, as far as the patina goes. I just saw it as needing a paint job. I didn't know what this "patina" word meant, until others on the forum clued me in. I have no intentions of painting it now. With what a paint job would cost, I could easily buy a couple more trucks of this vintage. Besides, It'll only be original once, so I'll just leave it for the cool factor of seeing the battle wounds over the years. When the truck came out, Nixon was president, and Led Zeppelin's "Good Times Bad Times" made its debut. Pretty cool

I like your truck too, by the way. Very clean looking.

Here's a pic I took earlier this week at the car wash, prior to installing the antenna, that turned out pretty good


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[JOJABOY]

I'm just an old soul. Truck's actually older than me by 5 years. I once heard someone say that a new car (truck) is only new while it's still on the lot. Once you take it off the shelf it becomes used. He also said that it's something that you are going to pay alot of money for just to drive it down the road at 75mph and park next to some idiot at Winn-Dixie. So if one thinks that his "new" car is going to remain scratchless.... With that mindset I now appreciate how things were made back when they were made to last. "Patina" as some like to call it, is just "Character". I totally understand fixing cancerous rust. I plan to let my PO's "Earl Shive paint job" fade and do what ever cheap paint jobs do. I doesn't mean that much to me. What I desire most is having it in a daily driver state that works and functions well and has a reliability second to none.

[JOJABOY]

I have been pondering over throwing a shop logo on the side. "Shade Tree Garage" or something. Was thinking of doing something with my home town and state on there since I have been transplanted into SoCal.

Now that I have officially pirated your thread......

Have you thought of puting a period correct AM/FM in yours or just jamming to some NPR on the Amplitude Modulations? I'm a radio/telecommunications guy in the military. Kinda my wheel house.

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by JOJABOY

I have been pondering over throwing a shop logo on the side. "Shade Tree Garage" or something. Was thinking of doing something with my home town and state on there since I have been transplanted into SoCal.

Now that I have officially pirated your thread......

Have you thought of puting a period correct AM/FM in yours or just jamming to some NPR on the Amplitude Modulations? I'm a radio/telecommunications guy in the military. Kinda my wheel house.

Sweet. Yeah, I have an original period correct AM radio in it. The PO put in a cheesy tape deck, so I removed it and bought an original off eBay and installed it. I love the look. Still need to wire it up, but I've been waiting on the antenna and now I can do it

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[69GWC]

Dang so what my antenna is going to break off..? lol Just dont run it up so high and it is just fine..

It looks way much better with a good one on it that broken one needed to go. its the little things.

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by 69GWC

Dang so what my antenna is going to break off..? lol Just dont run it up so high and it is just fine..

It looks way much better with a good one on it that broken one needed to go. its the little things.

Lol, well judging from how many of these I see that have broken antennas, it's just a matter of time before the 400 lb lady at Walmart parks right next to you, and takes it out with her shoulder as she tries to squeeze in her car

Yeah, it's a definite improvement over what I had
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[69GWC]

LMAO, she wont park out where I park that would be to far to walk..

the front of your truck looks real nice now that was good work that made a huge difference on it.

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by 69GWC

LMAO, she wont park out where I park that would be to far to walk..

the front of your truck looks real nice now that was good work that made a huge difference on it.

Lol. Good point

Check out these two gems that were in front of us in line. Had to snap a pic. Did you notice what they're buying? Lol. Maybe I should submit it to that people of Walmart site


Thanks for the compliment on the front end. It was cool how it all came together
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[special-K]

Hey,didn't you have to remove the wipers? Just messing with you. But,just to be accurate,that has to be done to remove the cowl cover. This is a good time to dig down and vacuum/blow out debris from your cowl cavities

All the AM radio trucks I've had came with solid masts. I think telescoping was an accessory. The ideal length for FM is 31" and that's why anything with AM/FM will have a solid mast 30-32"

[JOJABOY]

Originally Posted by 69GWC

LMAO, she wont park out where I park that would be to far to walk..

the front of your truck looks real nice now that was good work that made a huge difference on it.

As said above. "It's the little things". I think the best think I have done to my truck so far is all new door and widow rubber. Now I can hear my radio. LOL Still have to do windshield and back slider. But those little things make it what it is.

And I don't have to worry about folks at the local Walmart. I don't go there anymore. (Walmart stores here scare me) Boy do I miss GA

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by special-K

Hey,didn't you have to remove the wipers? Just messing with you. But,just to be accurate,that has to be done to remove the cowl cover. This is a good time to dig down and vacuum/blow out debris from your cowl cavities

All the AM radio trucks I've had came with solid masts. I think telescoping was an accessory. The ideal length for FM is 31" and that's why anything with AM/FM will have a solid mast 30-32"

Brothers has a different take on it, but I suppose they could be wrong
http://www.brotherstrucks.com/prodin...number=ANT6772
"
This is an excellent reproduction of the original telescoping mast antennas that were used on the AM radio equipped trucks. Trucks with AM/FM radios used the solid mast."
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[JOJABOY]

Originally Posted by special-K

Hey,didn't you have to remove the wipers? Just messing with you. But,just to be accurate,that has to be done to remove the cowl cover. This is a good time to dig down and vacuum/blow out debris from your cowl cavities

All the AM radio trucks I've had came with solid masts. I think telescoping was an accessory. The ideal length for FM is 31" and that's why anything with AM/FM will have a solid mast 30-32"

Rule 468

The scientific answer to antennas is 468. 468 devided by your frequency (101.5) will give you a half wave. Which works fantastic for things like in home stereos. However, devide that number by 2 and you get a quarter wave. So 468/101.5/2 = 2.305 feet or 27.66 inches to tune in perfectly. the 31" antennas will cover up to 108mhz or the top of the FM scale for vehicles.

This is more for Frequency Modulation not Amplitude Modulation. I mean scale is same for both but 1/4 wave antenna isn't the ideal for AM. There are ways of tweaking both. (different methods)

[pritch]

Looks like a good job, Mr B!

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by special-K

Hey,didn't you have to remove the wipers? Just messing with you. But,just to be accurate,that has to be done to remove the cowl cover. This is a good time to dig down and vacuum/blow out debris from your cowl cavities

All the AM radio trucks I've had came with solid masts. I think telescoping was an accessory. The ideal length for FM is 31" and that's why anything with AM/FM will have a solid mast 30-32"

Good point about the wipers and cleaning out debris. I did both, and forgot to mention it. I'll edit my original post.

Edit...for some reason it won't let me edit my original post, but you've made the point. Thanks
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[JOJABOY]

Originally Posted by Mister-B

Brothers has a different take on it, but I suppose they could be wrong
http://www.brotherstrucks.com/prodin...number=ANT6772
"
This is an excellent reproduction of the original telescoping mast antennas that were used on the AM radio equipped trucks. Trucks with AM/FM radios used the solid mast."
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They were telescoping so you could increase or decrease the length to tune the receiver in better. Like I said above 1/4 length, middle of the scale (98 mhz) is ideal for FM. FM is up and down, up and down like waves on the water. AM is like a rainbow. AM bounces off the ionosphere. So at night when the "D" and "E" layers combine the signal will travel further and increase your reception.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by Mister-B

Brothers has a different take on it, but I suppose they could be wrong
http://www.brotherstrucks.com/prodin...number=ANT6772
"
This is an excellent reproduction of the original telescoping mast antennas that were used on the AM radio equipped trucks. Trucks with AM/FM radios used the solid mast."
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Yeah,that's wrong. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has owned several (or even one) original trucks with AM radios with solid mast antennas. I've never had a truck with a telescoping mast that was factory. Lots of aftermarket,though,and usually with the spring.

[JOJABOY]

Note from my encyclopedia of usless information. AM truck radio is in KHz not MHz. Your face reads 5.5 to 16 megahertz but stations will give their sation identification in kilohertz (i.e. 750 or 1020) So you can imagine how long your antenna would be to tune in a quater wave.

Since Amplitude Modulation will travel further. It is not an issue. You could probably tune any AM station with a gum wrapper. All my nerd chat....

BLUF: You truck looks fantastic. Antenna looks great and solid mast is way more durable than hollow telescoping type.

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by JOJABOY

Note from my encyclopedia of usless information. AM truck radio is in KHz not MHz. Your face reads 5.5 to 16 megahertz but stations will give their sation identification in kilohertz (i.e. 750 or 1020) So you can imagine how long your antenna would be to tune in a quater wave.

Since Amplitude Modulation will travel further. It is not an issue. You could probably tune any AM station with a gum wrapper. All my nerd chat....

BLUF: You truck looks fantastic. Antenna looks great and solid mast is way more durable than hollow telescoping type.

You and my late grandfather sound a lot alike. He served in WWII, and did something with radios. I remember him talking about AM traveling longer at night too. He used to pull in a station from Los Angeles, all the way to Northern Utah at night
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[pritch]

We used to be able to get those hi-power Mexican stations at night. That's how Castro's signal used to get all the way to Utah. I've made the switch completely to XM, so I don't really know what's on the airways lately.