Antenna hole repair?

[Vino]

Anyone here ever had an antenna hole filled on the fender?

The PO of my car, 87 carrera, decided that the reception on the radio was bad so the dealer installed an antenna on the fender.

Anyway, I hate looking at that thing on my car and wanted to hear experiences on how well some of the body shops did the repair. Can I assume they didn't need to paint a huge portion of the fender or car to make the 2 cm hole look right?

Also, how difficult is it to connect the antenna to the windshield? The metal wire is in the winshield showing the antenna but I wouldn't be suprised the connection on the windshield is broke since the PO got nervous when we discussed the issue.

Please feel free to mention the cost of repairing the antenna hole since I may get this done soon.

Thanks

[the]

You have to weld it up. That's the only way to do it right.

I think to make the paint blend in correctly, you'd have to paint a good part of the fender, at least. On a 20+ year old car, I think that would be the biggest challenge, making the paint match exactly.

[911st]

Did it on my 72 911S as I saw an E once that was a factory radio delete and it did not have a hole.

They welded in a plug.

Also had some rust in the light buckets so we painted the front front fenders.

Not worth the cost and now one will notice either way.

[JP911]

I put in a rubber body plug. My car is dark blue (almost black), so it's not that obvious. Not perfect, but it works for me.

[Vino]

I was thinking since the hole is so tiny it wouldn't be a big deal to repair

I read somewhere a while ago that somone had an antenna hole filled on a Gaurds Red SC and you couldn't see where the repair was done.

The color of my car is GP white with 46k on the clock, only one owner before me.
The paint is in very good shape.

I do agree, matching the paint could be a PITA and the skill of the body shop is my main issue since good shops come and go like the weather.

911st,

My car never suppose to have the antenna on the fender in the first place
It's not a pleasant feeling to see that eyesore on the fender when your shooting for originality and clean lines.

Are you willing to share what you paid to have the antenna hole painted.

If I see it becomes more hassle than its worth I will get a rubber plug and color match it so it will stand only a few .mm's like on the VW golf 2 and Jetta 2 models.

Now, how difficult is it to connect the antenna to the windshield, does the radio have to be removed or does the glass have to come out completely?

Thanks agin!

[Tigerrat]

The white should be easier to match than a metalic so that is a plus. There is a single wire from the windshield to a booster amp under the hood on the passenger side. Back under the hinge on that side... a little black box. A coax comes from there to the radio. Check if all that is intact. I'm working from memory on my '88. Ken

[ossiblue]

As stated, the repair itself is minor but matching the paint could be the PITA.
From a friend who is an auto painter, I was told the white is especially difficult to match especially if it is 20 years old. The reason he gave (paraphrasing) was that white is a mix of all colors and certain elements in the white--ie. reds and blues--fade at different rates. Bottom line, if you decide to repair the hole, be sure your paint shop is experienced and discuss with them their willingness to guarantee a match to your satisfaction.

[cgarr]

I also just used a plastic cap plug I got from McMaster-Carr but my car is black and so is the plug, but you could just paint the plastic too, I know its not the best way but you are really looking at a lot of work just to plug a hole with welding and then all the finish work.

[javadog]

I'd suggest that you make sure that the antenna in the windshield works well before you think of removing the other one. There has to be a reason they added the fender antenna.

As for the hole, mu suggestion is to have a patch welded into the fender and painted. I'd suggest painting the whole fender. It's not that hard. Do it right, do it once and never worry about it again. If you use the rubber plug, how is that any better than looking at the antenna? It will still bother you every time you get in the car.

Neither the radio or windshield need to come out to connect the antenna wiring.

JR

[Trotskyite]

On my old '71 I just took one of the plastic top caps from a set of metro chrome restaurant shelving and popped it on. It actually looked great.

[Vino]

Guys,

Thanks for all the info.

Sadly since the paint is about 95% perfect, repainting the fender is out of the question since I can't see how that will blend with the rest of the car.

I am going to take it here in a week or two and see what they say...
http://www.sveautobody.com/

They did a B5 S4 with RS4 flares and it came out amazing!! But that was years ago and paint shops either stay good or go to hell quickly.

I included a pic of the antenna, I took of the 12" mast, it was killing me
Says made in Germany BTW?
I will update!