Hey there C3 Gurus,

Thinking about replacing my stock antenna with a power operated one..
Can it be done without having to get into the console where the radio is installed as in easy out easy in???
I did check out the Willcox site and it showed a what seems like a copy of an AIM page but it's not very complete!!

javajolt78

 

No! Essentially, you would not only be removing the radio but the driver's console and side panels would have to be loosened and perhaps removed. There is a power antenna relay under the driver's console. Wires run from the radio to the relay and then to the back under the rear carpet. Typically the power antenna body mounts to the driver's side wheel well, up under the fender. I believe the relay gets its power from the fuse box...clock, actually the CLK LTR ANT fuse circuit. You might even have to punch a while in the rear compartment to get wires through.

Now having said all that, after market units may have simplified some of the factory process, such as the relay. That's the research you'll have to figure out and I'm sure others here have done the same.

Hope that helps!

 

Tx for the info..
From my lack of experience etc I'll keep the mast antenna!!

javajolt78

 

Aftermarket power antenna don't use the external relay setup like OEM so that's one thing you don't have to worry about.

Presuming you have a '78 you might be able to install one by removing very little. Remove the carpeted transmission tunnel side trim pieces (I also suggest removing the seats as it's easy and it makes access FAR easier).

Look around for a small yellow wire leading to the rear of the console near the emergency brake. This is the factory power antenna trigger lead and it's the only small yellow wire anywhere near there. The power antenna was a very common option and it (unlike the speaker wiring both front and rear) is included in the main cabin wiring harness in my '79 along with the basic radio wiring as a radio was standard. All of the OEM radios and nearly every aftermarket radio I've ever seen have a power antenna lead.

If you find that yellow wire you need only run it plus power and ground to the rear. Easiest to pick up power and ground in/near the center console. Get power from an orange wire and ground from a black one. If you don't find the yellow wire you should be able to remove the electrical connector on even a factory radio without digging further into the console/dash. A factory radio with have two or three four-conductor connections (three if rear speakers were factory installed) and you're looking for the one with two yellow, one grey and one black wire. One of those yellow wires is power (engine ON only) to the radio and the other is the lead to the power antenna. Make sure you use a test light or meter to verify which is which! One will have power with the ignition on, the other won't.

Any radio made in the last couple decades is FAR smaller than factory so provided the installer did a decent job you can easily access the wiring without removing the radio. Yellow is pretty much the standard color for a power antenna trigger.

The wiring route for the power antenna in '78+ is easy. It leads through the center console (the OEM relay is in the console behind the parking brake) and then under carpet and behind trim on the rear driver side to exit the cabin via a hole (with grommet) behind the driver side rear speaker location. You definitely want to remove the driver seat and some side trim in the rear area but it's easy. Again, given the popularity of the power antenna it wouldn't surprise me if both the hole and grommet are installed in all--if not it's no big deal to drill a hole and install a grommet and I'm 99% sure that the hole location is indicated by an indent in the metal.

The only tool you'll need beyond your basic socket set and screwdrivers is a long socket extension to access the rear seat mounting bolts. BTW, if you've never removed the seats the mounting bolts are NOT what you see beneath the seat cushion--those hold the seat body to the fore-aft adjusting mechanism. Move the seat all the way back and you'll find a bolt at each side of the seat front directly into the floor pan. Move the seat fully forward and there are two at the rear--that's where you need a long socket extension

 

Swampeast, just wanted to compliment your response - although unaffected by the insights its always fun to learn new stuff. Thanks -

DV

 

FYI. When I replaced my oem power antenna I installed a small rocker switch in the yellow trigger wire on the side of the console to control when it goes up or down.