Power antenna disection and rebuild.
- Thread starter commando1
- Start date
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
Dunno. Now I have to reassemble it.
300rag
It's Not Going to Shift Itself
I hope you are going to finish "Julianizing" the assembly first.Dunno. Now I have to reassemble it.
65sporty
Old Man with a Hat
Please finish it, I am curious as how it's going to work.
live4theking
Old Man with a Hat
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Okay, what does "Julianizing" refer to, a serious upgrade from factory?
300rag
It's Not Going to Shift Itself
A reference to Julian (vdk2010), and his meticulous restoration or rebuilding of all the parts for his Imperial.
65sporty
Old Man with a Hat
If you haven't read vdk2010's thread on his imperial resto you need to his name is Julian you will get the reference when you see the quality of his work and attention to detail
Patrick Slegers
Member
Hello,
I'm also rebuilding the power antenna of my 72 Imperial because the nylon cord is broken.
Because I cannot find the original/NOS nylon cord anywhere I was very hopeful when I saw this tread, using weed wacker line looked like a pretty good alternative.
I tried .085 and .130 weed wacker lines, both not working correctly, the nylon cord always jams (don't know if that's the correct word).
Is there anyone who can help me with this please?
What's the correct thickness of weed wacker line I should use? Can you give me a brand I should purchase? Is there another solution to replace the nylon cord with?
Thank you,
Patrick Slegers
Braambessenstraat 46 | 2400 Mol | Belgium
slegers.patrick@telenet.be | +32478235996
I'm also rebuilding the power antenna of my 72 Imperial because the nylon cord is broken.
Because I cannot find the original/NOS nylon cord anywhere I was very hopeful when I saw this tread, using weed wacker line looked like a pretty good alternative.
I tried .085 and .130 weed wacker lines, both not working correctly, the nylon cord always jams (don't know if that's the correct word).
Is there anyone who can help me with this please?
What's the correct thickness of weed wacker line I should use? Can you give me a brand I should purchase? Is there another solution to replace the nylon cord with?
Thank you,
Patrick Slegers
Braambessenstraat 46 | 2400 Mol | Belgium
slegers.patrick@telenet.be | +32478235996
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
"Jam" is correct.
I just checked again the old cable and it was indeed .085.
Can you raise/lower antenna manually with ease?
Stan: I can't tell from this thread whether or not you ever got your rebuilt antenna to work after the rebuild. Didja?!?
Carmine
Old Man with a Hat
How about some white lithium lube on the nylon weed-wacker string?
Are there Home Depots in Belgium, lol?
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
Midway through, I found a good working antenna so project was put on hiatus.
Patrick Slegers
Member
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
Give Carmine's suggestion a try.
Also try a heavy duty line.
Rino-Tuff Universal 0.080 in. x 175 ft. Heavy-Duty Twist Trimmer Line-16931 - The Home Depot
Patrick Slegers
Member
I found a 67 mast. Would this fit into my 72 power antenna?
Thank you,
Patrick Slegers
Braambessenstraat 46 | 2400 Mol | Belgium
slegers.patrick@telenet.be | +32478235996
Thank you,
Patrick Slegers
Braambessenstraat 46 | 2400 Mol | Belgium
slegers.patrick@telenet.be | +32478235996
Patrick Slegers
Member
I think I might have found an alternative, please give me your thoughts.
Yesterday I visited several home depot stores and checked different weed wacker lines. For none of the trimmer lines they could assure me they were nylon, we think they are all plastic.
Via ebay I found these nylon round bars rods. What do you think, would this be a good alternative for the original nylon cord? What would you choose, Nylon 6 or Nylon 66? And what would be the best diameter to use?
NYLON 6 & NYLON 66 ROUND BARS ROD IN NATURAL & BLACK 200MM TO 600MM LONG LENGTHS | eBay
I also found this 67 mast. Strange thing though, the seller says Mopar part # 2771994 is not available anymore but he has this 67 mast for sale. When I check part # 2771994 I see this is for a 67-73 C-body.
What would you recommend?
Thank you,
Patrick Slegers
Braambessenstraat 46 | 2400 Mol | Belgium
slegers.patrick@telenet.be | +32478235996
Yesterday I visited several home depot stores and checked different weed wacker lines. For none of the trimmer lines they could assure me they were nylon, we think they are all plastic.
Via ebay I found these nylon round bars rods. What do you think, would this be a good alternative for the original nylon cord? What would you choose, Nylon 6 or Nylon 66? And what would be the best diameter to use?
NYLON 6 & NYLON 66 ROUND BARS ROD IN NATURAL & BLACK 200MM TO 600MM LONG LENGTHS | eBay
I also found this 67 mast. Strange thing though, the seller says Mopar part # 2771994 is not available anymore but he has this 67 mast for sale. When I check part # 2771994 I see this is for a 67-73 C-body.
What would you recommend?
Thank you,
Patrick Slegers
Braambessenstraat 46 | 2400 Mol | Belgium
slegers.patrick@telenet.be | +32478235996
I think that the word "nylon" might be tripping you up. The word is often used generically for plastics of all types, especially for flexible plastics.
IMHO, the nylon shown on the eBay add is probably going to be too rigid for your use.
I'm afraid it might be trail and error to find the right line, but I would say that you have to stay around the same diameter and the shape is going to be important. Much of string trimmer line I've seen has been extruded into a more aggressive shape to cut grass and weeds better.
If you think about it, the line has to push, pull and not bind against itself. It has to be strong enough to pull the antenna back in and push it back out. At the same time, it has to be flexible enough to wind around a ~2" diameter spool.
I would revisit the string trimmer line. I would be sure it's round and near the size needed. Possibly a little smaller. I would also measure the piece of line being used with a micrometer every inch or so. Remember, this stuff is manufactured to cut grass. Inconsistencies in diameter might not bother a string trimmer, but it may not pull through the antenna correctly or jam if it's a little "fat" for a couple inches. In other words, don't just grab a length, be selective and inspect it before assembling it.
I did a quick search and found this. It's round and .080" in diameter. I have no idea if it would work, but it illustrates what I would be looking at.
https://www.amazon.com/Oregon-21-38...&qid=1518880875&sr=8-15&keywords=Trimmer+Line
IMHO, the nylon shown on the eBay add is probably going to be too rigid for your use.
I'm afraid it might be trail and error to find the right line, but I would say that you have to stay around the same diameter and the shape is going to be important. Much of string trimmer line I've seen has been extruded into a more aggressive shape to cut grass and weeds better.
If you think about it, the line has to push, pull and not bind against itself. It has to be strong enough to pull the antenna back in and push it back out. At the same time, it has to be flexible enough to wind around a ~2" diameter spool.
I would revisit the string trimmer line. I would be sure it's round and near the size needed. Possibly a little smaller. I would also measure the piece of line being used with a micrometer every inch or so. Remember, this stuff is manufactured to cut grass. Inconsistencies in diameter might not bother a string trimmer, but it may not pull through the antenna correctly or jam if it's a little "fat" for a couple inches. In other words, don't just grab a length, be selective and inspect it before assembling it.
I did a quick search and found this. It's round and .080" in diameter. I have no idea if it would work, but it illustrates what I would be looking at.
https://www.amazon.com/Oregon-21-38...&qid=1518880875&sr=8-15&keywords=Trimmer+Line
Given the things I've noticed about Chrysler accessories, like the power vent windows are Delco pieces and the same as used on early sixties Cadillacs and power window motors being the same as a lot of Ford products, I did a little more digging around and found this:
1960 Cadillac Antenna Rebuild - Rebuilding the antenna...
That looks very similar in construction to the antenna Stan disassembled.
Perhaps there is knowledge/parts out there in the vintage Caddy world... I know I can get parts for my power vents from a Caddy repop vendor, so it seems logical that the solution might take some time with google and doing some online reading. The guys that restore some of these old Cads might be pretty resourceful.
1960 Cadillac Antenna Rebuild - Rebuilding the antenna...
That looks very similar in construction to the antenna Stan disassembled.
Perhaps there is knowledge/parts out there in the vintage Caddy world... I know I can get parts for my power vents from a Caddy repop vendor, so it seems logical that the solution might take some time with google and doing some online reading. The guys that restore some of these old Cads might be pretty resourceful.
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