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That 'Disposable' D-Pillar Wagon Antenna.....Fixed! 200

posted by  Bradley on  Mon Feb 24 08:49 CST 2014
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last visit: Fri Oct 24 12:56 CST 2014
[RELATED]

If, like me, you're becoming extremely tired of the kids saying: "Daddy, I broke the antenna......again. There's no music!" every time they forget to unscrew it before entering a car wash, I have found the solution!

After ordering my THIRD antenna kit....at $60/per (making the total cost of these car washes quite astronmical), I took a good look at the unit. First, kudos to Volvo for FINALLY ditching that soft brass mast stud, in favor of steel. One issue solved. So I decided that the mast, itself, was just too tall.....making the leverage point the base of the stud. Measured the thread pitch of the stud at 6x1.0 and started looking around.

Ah Ha! I found that AMI/All Sales makes their 'Stubbie' antenna series in either polished stainless or black powder coat. They range in length from 3" to 21" in 3" increments. I bought the black 3" model 6203. Cost varies wildly. Anywhere from $11.50 incl shipping to $34.00 plus! Quality piece. Looks fantastic. Great reception. Highly recommended.

But wait! For $5.99 shipped, I also took a chance on a 3" carbon fiber mast made by iCBEAMER. You need to order the one for Ford cars which, apparently, use the same 6mm stud as our wagons. This one, too, looks totally cool, though less elegant than the AMI Stubbie. Good performance. Great price.

All in all, I was able to add to the car's 'Street Cred' with the kids, AND save myself a few bucks in the future. Happy guy, I am!


B








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    posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

    Two things I'd feel remiss for not mentioning:

    1. The threads on both of these units are female 6mm with a 1.0 pitch to match the threads on the antenna stud on the factory unit. However, I noticed that on EACH of them, it seemed that the manufacturer had a bit of difficulty cutting the threads cleanly. This makes the initial install seem like the masts do not fit. They do. I strongly suggest the use of a slightly oiled 6 x 1.0 tap to clean out the crud inside each of them.

    2. The consensus is strongly in favor of the looks of the carbon fiber mast. 100 high school kids can't be wrong, after all. A small rubber spacer, supplied with the CF mast takes up the slight gap between the bottom of the mast and the adjusting nut on the OEM unit. Use it. It's the finishing touch.

    B



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    posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

    Thanks for posting this. It's ~$13 at amazon, and can ship for free.

    My antenna is tall enough to get caught in the garage door, so I need to remember to grab it every time I pull the car in. It's not a garage queen, so it only comes in for work, but it's only a matter of time before I forget and break it off (again). No kids involved here.



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    posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

    6" 10gauge copper wire with black covering(or whatever)soldered to acorn nut.
    Can be bent back to place after car wash.I think I may also have used a large
    maybe 6 gauge multistrand on one.
    --
    Rene



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      posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

      Sounds totally adequate. But in the world of High School Girls, where image is ...like...totally everything, it simply will not do. Hey, it took some cute guy to remark: "Wow! Cool car, Emily!" for her to be even caught dead in it, initially.

      B



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    posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

    I'm glad you made that post since I'll need to deal with the antenna issue when I get my '93 245V8 on the road --- but --- what's with the --- "Daddy I broke the antenna again--there's no music" --- seems like paying for it once could have been educational to keep it from happening a second time.
    It makes me think of the TV ad for Bounty paper towels - a great product btw - recently run during the Olympic broadcasts. A young woman soccer player kicks a ball indoors and knocks over a bottle filled with liquid and then says "all Mom has to do is reach for the Bounty towels"-------huh,WHAT? -- Dave



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      posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

      Dave: In the Real World, you'd be very correct. In the World-Of-Marginally-Employed-High-School-Daughters, repairs and maintenance default to Dad--especially of he wants to keep the car around for awhile after they get through with it.

      B



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        posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

        I hear ya :-) -- We've raised three--oldest son totally disinterested in cars. Son #2 total car guy like me and my dad. Daughter (the baby) interested enough to crawl around under a '68 Barracuda replacing rusted brake lines so she could drive what she liked for a first car (that lasted three months when she asked if we could sell it and find a 144 instead). Now 20 years later she drives an XC90. -- Dave



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    posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

    any links to these?
    Dan



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      posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

      Dan: Now that I've bought them, I see that they're all over the place. Your best bet is to go to eBay and search under '6203K Stubbie' for the AMI antenna, and '3" Carbon Fiber Antenna' for the cheaper one. A hint relative to the AMI antenna is that the model number codes the one you're going to get. Last two digits of the model is the length, and the suffix K is for the black one and P is for the stainless one. So: 6203K is the 62 Stubbie, 03 inches in length and blacK finish.

      Now that I saw both installed, the CF one looks more badass. The Girls like it better, as well.

      B



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