Write-up: Rear Mount - Firestik II Antenna

[Seanz0rz]

ok so i finished my fab work today, well all except for painting. i have to say im extrememly pleased!!!

now time for pics.






so there you go, i had to modify the rubber piece with the arrow. shaved a bit off of the top. the flat piece has two sheet metal screws and fits under the 2 bolts that hold on the rubber pad.

the rear door only contacts it for a fraction of an inch when coming down or going up, its perfect!!!

now, go ahead, ask questions. if you want one, i can make one for you for a small price.

huge improvement over the firestick mount.

[slosurfer]

Very nice! The only problem I could foresee (sp?) is that with it that long, when you get the side to side motion going, it will be putting more twisting force on the flat piece that the screws go through. YOu may want to add additional screws. I have noticed this on mine, especially on rocky trails, that gets the side to side motion going. I couldn't tell how many screws you have in there, but other than that, great job and it looks killer too!

On a side note, has anyone tried to take one of the firestik brackets and mount it in the same place, but attached to the rear hatch itself rather than the body? Might have to do a custom bend, and I'm guessing the wiring may would have to come in up top where the brake light wiring comes in.

[garrett]

Do you drive around with the antenna on all the time? Why not just store it in the back so you dont have to deal with the antenna/hatch issue day to day...

[Seanz0rz]

as for the twisting and such. me and my friend gave it a pretty good beating, and being 1/8 inch steel, it didnt move much, especially with that spring. i chose to mount it under those existing bolts to hold it in better. as you can see, there are lots of screw holes in the body from previous mounting positions. i will add at least one more screw. you can see a hole, i was going to put a screw there but it was too close to the edge of the body.

problem with mounting it to the door is the edge of the door is like other doors, just a very thin edge, im not sure how you would mount anything and then get the wires down to the mount.

garret, i usually dont have the antenna there, but while offroading i need to get in the back to get stuff. i also like having it there while traveling, its nice to listen to trucker's convos. its a pain to have to remove it to get stuff in the hatch. for the small cost, and small amount of time building it. it was totally worth it! now i can drive with the antenna there MOST of the time.

[Seanz0rz]

also forgot to mention, i also keep a strap tied from the antenna to the surco to keep the antenna from whipping around too much.

i will also be adding a tennis ball to the lower part of the firestik.