98kandystang
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- Jul 29, 2009
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insted of paying alot for a shorty antenna shorten yours. You can do it easily with only the most basic tools. You'll need something to cut the antenna with and a wrench, a file and a grinder/sander/dremel.
1. Remove antenna. This is the place to use the wrench. It unscrews counter-clockwise (lefty loosey.) Put a piece of masking tape on the jaws to prevent paint chipping. If you are having trouble with this step get a friend to help, or just go back to eating lead paint chips.
2. Remove the ball on the antenna. It is pressed on from the factory, not welded, screwed or any other means attached. To do this take something hard that has a gap bigger than the shaft but smaller than the ball. I had a vise, but you can use vise grips, a piece of wood with a split in it, or anything hard enough to hold up to the task. Take the antenna and put it into your improvised ball puller, with the ball pointing up, and yank down. You may have to do it once or twice to get your technique right. If you use a metal object to do this you will scratch the ball and shaft. Krylon makes a super cover up called cheap old black paint. Now dig around and find the ball. It's probably under the very hardest spot in the garage to reach.
3. Shorten the antenna. Mark the antenna at the height you want it to be and use your prefeered cutting implement to hack it off. I used my handy dandy Dremel, but a good pair of side cutters will do it. You can hacksaw it also. You get the idea, make the extra go bye-bye.
4. Re-fit the ball. The ball will not fit back onto the shaft because the shaft tapers as it goes down. Make a slight bevel on the newly shortened shaft with something the removes metal in slow increments. If you overdo it you will have to cut a little more off the shaft and do it again, so go slow. You're looking to make it look like a new pencil that you just started in the sharpener. A belt sander, Dremel, grinding wheels, or a plain hand file will do the job. You could even scrape it against the concrete if you happen to be a guest of the state at the time. Take off just enough that the ball fits over the end , but does not go all the way back down onto the shaft.
5. Press the ball. Put the ball on the shaft and press as hard as you can with your finger. Put a piece of tape on the shaft just a little bit under the ball and measure the gap between tape and ball or find a little piece of something that you can use as a reference for the distance. Turn the newly shortened antenna upside-down and drop it on the floor a couple times from about a foot high to seat the ball. Use the tape to gauge how far down the ball has been pressed. Look at the top of the original antenna to see how deep it can be pressed.
6. Paint and polish. If you were extremely careful you didn't chip the ball, scratch the shaft, or grind off some paint. If you did, take the ever trusty Krylon and touch up any blemishes.
7. Put the antenna back on, dummy.
1. Remove antenna. This is the place to use the wrench. It unscrews counter-clockwise (lefty loosey.) Put a piece of masking tape on the jaws to prevent paint chipping. If you are having trouble with this step get a friend to help, or just go back to eating lead paint chips.
2. Remove the ball on the antenna. It is pressed on from the factory, not welded, screwed or any other means attached. To do this take something hard that has a gap bigger than the shaft but smaller than the ball. I had a vise, but you can use vise grips, a piece of wood with a split in it, or anything hard enough to hold up to the task. Take the antenna and put it into your improvised ball puller, with the ball pointing up, and yank down. You may have to do it once or twice to get your technique right. If you use a metal object to do this you will scratch the ball and shaft. Krylon makes a super cover up called cheap old black paint. Now dig around and find the ball. It's probably under the very hardest spot in the garage to reach.
3. Shorten the antenna. Mark the antenna at the height you want it to be and use your prefeered cutting implement to hack it off. I used my handy dandy Dremel, but a good pair of side cutters will do it. You can hacksaw it also. You get the idea, make the extra go bye-bye.
4. Re-fit the ball. The ball will not fit back onto the shaft because the shaft tapers as it goes down. Make a slight bevel on the newly shortened shaft with something the removes metal in slow increments. If you overdo it you will have to cut a little more off the shaft and do it again, so go slow. You're looking to make it look like a new pencil that you just started in the sharpener. A belt sander, Dremel, grinding wheels, or a plain hand file will do the job. You could even scrape it against the concrete if you happen to be a guest of the state at the time. Take off just enough that the ball fits over the end , but does not go all the way back down onto the shaft.
5. Press the ball. Put the ball on the shaft and press as hard as you can with your finger. Put a piece of tape on the shaft just a little bit under the ball and measure the gap between tape and ball or find a little piece of something that you can use as a reference for the distance. Turn the newly shortened antenna upside-down and drop it on the floor a couple times from about a foot high to seat the ball. Use the tape to gauge how far down the ball has been pressed. Look at the top of the original antenna to see how deep it can be pressed.
6. Paint and polish. If you were extremely careful you didn't chip the ball, scratch the shaft, or grind off some paint. If you did, take the ever trusty Krylon and touch up any blemishes.
7. Put the antenna back on, dummy.
