Antenna disconnection and cable

[my66cruiser]

Good afternoon.

Every now and then I have to use a car cover on my '66. I don't want to make the antenna hole in the cover this time (I have been doing that for years) as it is time for a new cover.

Not having the antenna present will save me lots of time of always having to put the antenna through the hole.

I have loosened the antenna's nut in the past and lifted out the antenna but the cable appears to be permanently attached to it at the antenna end. Is the disconnection point at the radio or is it a two-part cable with some midstream male/female connector?

Any suggestions on how to cover the hole once I pull out the antenna? I was thinking on buying a used base with broken antenna as I don't want to seal up the hole. Does someone sell a "dummy"?

Also, I don't need this antenna to function in case you were wondering. I have the original AM radio and 8 track still in the car which I will restore in the future as the radio is intermittent, but right now I have another stereo system in mind that won't interfere with the original. Thanks.

[rzcrisis]

Mine may or may not be the original but the antenna portion comes off the base on the fender by loosening a small Allen screw. The base is then just a stub and I can then put my cover on without cutting a hole.

Maybe you can find one like this?

Good luck

Randy

[boaterbob]

I put a antenna on one of my 66 that just unscrews at the base. You can get them in places like Pep Boys and such. If you have a original antenna it unplugs at the radio and the clamp under the fender will not come up through the hole. You have to pull the inner rear fender well off to get that out of there. If its after market it should still have to be unplugged at the radio. You can attach a string to it when you pull it through so you can pull the new one back some times

[my66cruiser]

Thank you boaterbob and rzcrisis. Ideally one where you can remove the mast and leave the base in is what I am looking for. I will check to see if there is an Allen screw on the original or if the mast just unscrews. It looks to be an original antenna but I am not 100% sure. If it is not original, I'll just cut it down since I don't use it. But I won't cut an original part down even if I am not using it for obvious reasons.

They make these little stubby antennas that are only a few inches in length. Those may be able to be left in place with the cover on, but can be unscrewed. I wonder what kind of reception one gets with such an antenna...

I have also found these hidden antennas that plug in but then you mount it somewhere so you don't need an external antenna.

Thank you for your help. If I cannot remove my mast without removing the base, then I may have to pull the wire through.

Is it difficult to remove the inner fender well to free the wire?

[redbird1]

I am a bit confused here.
Doesn't your 66 have a power antenna?
Why would you need to unscrew it at the base so you can use a car cover?
If it isn't a power antenna, I could understand it.
I assumed all 66 birds had a power antenna.
Bob.

[my66cruiser]

Originally Posted by redbird1

I am a bit confused here.
Doesn't your 66 have a power antenna?
Why would you need to unscrew it at the base so you can use a car cover?
If it isn't a power antenna, I could understand it.
I assumed all 66 birds had a power antenna.
Bob.

Hi Bob, my '66 has the 8 track tape player and the AM radio but it has a non powered antenna in the right front fender. But I am not the original owner so I don't know if this is the original antenna. It looks like it could be but it could be an aftermarket antenna. I am going to attempt to unscrew the mast as most are made that way.Thanks.

[boaterbob]

Nope I have two 66 Birds-No power antennas

[sseebart]

Originally Posted by my66cruiser

Thank you for your help. If I cannot remove my mast without removing the base, then I may have to pull the wire through.

Is it difficult to remove the inner fender well to free the wire?

The inner fender well is ungainly to get in and out, but there are no special tricks or hidden 'gotchas'. You may not have to remove it completely to get the antenna out. I just r&r'd the left side to replace the brake line and plan to replace the antenna on my 64 this afternoon.

Unless you plan to cut the cable, you will also need access to the back of the radio to unplug the other end.

~Steve

[redbird1]

Originally Posted by boaterbob

Nope I have two 66 Birds-No power antennas

Do you have the lever for a power antenna on the upper consol?
Bob.

[sseebart]

Originally Posted by sseebart

no special tricks or hidden 'gotchas'.

I lied about this. Doing this job yesterday, I was reminded that one of the nuts is attached to a stud (a carriage bolt, actually) that may spin. In my case the stud finally sheared off, after about a 30 minute struggle. Also, keep both front wheels off the ground--you may need to move the steering linkage to get the inner fender out. It has to come out completely to get to the antenna.

~Steve

[my66cruiser]

Hi fellow TBirders. Yesterday I attempted to unscrew my antenna mast from its base. Well, the thing just kept turning and turning and turning and never getting looser and never backing out. Just turning and turning.

I then removed the base to see if it was spinning and it wasn't. The cable just goes in there. Too bad they did not have a nice coaxial screw on fitting. Maybe they did it this way to prevent theft? Who knows. I don't even know if this is the original antenna.

Also, the cable coming off of my antenna is not secured inside the fender. It goes through the metal via a rubber or plastic grommet about a inch in diameter with a small hole in it for the wire. So I guess I got lucky there since I don't have to remove the inner fender well. I removed the kick panel and can see the antenna wire disappear behind the big round, black plastic vent.

I reached behind the radio and the male end must have just popped out so easily that I did not even know it. But there may be a different one still plugged into the radio as I felt what appeared to be another coax cable going to the radio. But I cannot see what I am doing, next time I get in there I will use a mirror, then I can see without having to remove any trim panels.

[my66cruiser]

Good afternoon,

This weekend I discovered that my antenna was not an original antenna (due to the fact that there was a bundled up length of antenna cable under the dash held together with a twist tie). There is a another antenna cable under the dash that may be the original one but that one was cut somewhere in the fender I think since it does go through a grommet.

So I learned where this new antenna cable was routed. Folks this is not a bad way to route a new aftermarket antenna if you need to install a new one on your 1966's right fender.

See the pictures I attached. You can see the end of my cable right under a small hole. This is the hole I pulled my cable out of. This seems to be a good way to route an aftermarket antenna if you need to.

Since my cable was kinked, I decided to cut of my antennas mast so I can use my car cover without making the antenna hole. This just makes things easy for me. I still have the antenna mount in place so it looks good and seals the hole.

[Tmarchuk]

Seems odd for a 66. I removed my mast for the exact same reason, a cover, and all I had to do was unscrew it from the base. I couldn't just retract it because my electrical is screwed but I had no trouble removing it at all :-) sounds like you might have an aftermarket already