Paster

I have the exhaust out of the car so I could pull the diff for a rebuild. The antenna has always bothered me since it has the wrong mast so I decided to replace it with the Paragon "Concours" antenna. It's not 100% correct but at $200 it's a lot easier to swallow than a restored original. The problem is - it doesn't fit, it sits too low and hits the frame. I've been working with the guys at Paragon and they have been very helpful in troubleshooting the issue. What we found is that my original antenna spacer has been cut down to reduce the length of the motor assembly to approx 8.5 inches. The factory antenna and the reproduction both measure 9". What I find strange is that the car is very original, no hits or panel replacement in the back, the frame is solid and straight, body bushings good, etc. I can't figure out why the original antenna spacer would have needed to be cut down in order to fit. I took a few pics and I'm hoping that the collective wisdom here can offer some guidance. 1 picture is what the antenna spacer should look like and the others are side by side of the orig/replacement antenna.

Thanks all,


-Michael





is what the antenna spacer should look like and the others are side by side of the orig/replacement antenna.

Thanks all,


-Michael

1snake

Are you sure you're installing it correctly. Here's a couple pics. of my 65 with the original antenna before and after the body drop. As you can see in the second picture, the antenna is outboard of the frame and several inches above it.

Paster

Wow your car is clean!. Here's a few more pics. The slotted hole on the antenna is supposed to line up with the factory antenna bracket but the antenna hits the frame before the holes align.








-Michael

1snake

In your first pic., is the antenna all the way up and seated against the underside of the body?

Paster

Yes it is. I've even tried without the grounding plane in place and it still hits the frame. It's odd indeed.

1snake

You have me stumped. I can't imagine a scenario that would require the spacer to be shortened like yours unless there was major damage in the past and the repair was done incorrectly. As you can see in my second pic., the antenna is way above and outboard of the frame and that's using a NOS spacer. I can slide my hand between the two. I have side exhaust so it's easy to take any measurements you may need. Good luck.

Paster

Thank you sir. I'm stumped as well. The car is very original, never been off the frame or hit in the back.

1snake

If/when you find the solution, please post what the issue was. This indeed is very strange. Good luck.

Tiros

I had a similar aftermarket antenna that hit the frame like that. I shortened the aluminum tube just below the cable connection. It required separation of the mast from the power unit, but it was not too difficult.

Paster

Well I figured it out. The shortened antenna spacer was somewhat of a red herring, I put the factory antenna back in and observed it's position to be just like Snake's pictures although slightly higher because of the cut down spacer. The antenna would fit just fine with a correct length space so why it was cut is a mystery. Bubba strikes again.

I removed the factory antenna and measured with a T square the distance from the antenna shaft to the lower mount hole on each. I found that the factory antenna was 1.5" outboard of the shaft and the "concours" antenna was 1.75". The hole is in the wrong spot! Once I drilled the hole in the correct spot and ground off the nub on the bottom it fits just fine.

The reason it's close to the frame is because of the shape of the inboard side of the replacement. The factory unit has a nice curve that sits far from the frame and the replacement is squared off and hangs lower than an original .


Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions!

-Michael