Mounting Power antenna

e3photo · 03-25-2009, 05:51 PM

I tried a search and could not find an answer. I have an 88 coupe, and it appears the PO stuck a cheap manual antenna on the right fender. I bought a Hirschman to install, but am not sure about the details. Do you bolt it to the fender well somehow, or does it just hang from the top bolt. I looked for some sign of where one had been previously mounted, but found nothing.
Thanks for any help.

Cheers,
Emerald

RSTarga · 03-25-2009, 05:56 PM

I don't think any power antenna fits. Almost all came with manual until they put it in the windshield

ossiblue · 06:18 PM

Power antennae were always put in the right fender due to the fuel tank pipe in the left side, and you should have room in your 88 coupe, afaik. As to if it is mounted to the fender well, I can't answer that except to say that on the cars I've owned with a power antenna, they were secured by more than just the mounting hole in the fender.

e3photo · 03-25-2009, 06:19 PM

Thanks for the replies. It is a power unit. I read that manual ones were on the left, and power ones on the right, so I figured it should have a power one since it is on the right.
Maybe it never had a power antenna.

Cheers,
Emerald

Hugh R · 03-25-2009, 06:19 PM

I got some plumbers tape (strip pliable metal with holes drilled in it) and secured it to the body by unscrewing a fender washer, I think. I'm traveling so I can't look at the car. Not a biggie as I remember.

e3photo · 03-25-2009, 06:26 PM

Thanks Hugh,
I'll have to take a closer look under the fender. I am probably making this harder than it has to be.

Cheers,
Emerald

dipso · 03-25-2009, 06:39 PM

I put a power antenna in my 75. Left side original spot.
I took off the door, put the antenna in and then realized it needed some fine tuning in order for the door to close.
I removed the tire.
I cut a hole in my wheel well so the power antenna would fit slightly into the wheel well in order to get the proper angle and motor to fit.
Then I went to Pep Boys, bought a hump console and cut that into the pieces I needed and fit that over the antenna from inside the wheel well. Kind of like an upside down, rectangular bowl.

Mounted that over the antenna, sealed it all the way around, sprayed the whole thing with undercoat, put tire back on, re-mounted door.

It's perfect, you cant even tell. A lot of work but I like it.

Cooper911SC · 03-25-2009, 06:39 PM

The antenna should have a bottom bracket or mount strap which will be fastened to the inner wheel well with a sheetmetal screw.

The pic is from my '81SC which has a 'replacement' Hirschman antenna. The original Hirschman antennas had a much larger square drive gear box. They were mounted with a 90deg. 'L' bracket at the bottom which utilized one of the sheet screws holding on the front fender.

Have fun with you install.

Cooper

ossiblue · 03-25-2009, 06:46 PM

Note that Cooper911SC has the antenna mounted in the wheel well area, not in the area further back behind the fender bulkhead. If you already have a hole in the fender, it's most likely above the area between the door jamb and fender bulkhead. Door removal is required.

LM3929 · 03-25-2009, 06:59 PM

85 and newer 911 had the antenna built into the windshield.

Lorne m.

e3photo · 03-25-2009, 07:17 PM

Thanks for the picture. That looks about like the orientation of mine.
Lorne, that was the other point I read that confused me. I ran across that in my search, and even saw a picture of the antenna booster, and my car has the booster as well. I do not know why I would have the booster, and an antenna. Maybe the right front fender was replaced sometime, and it came with an antenna hole. I assume that with an antenna I can ignore the booster.

Cheers,
Emerald

frankc · 07:34 PM

My '77 still has the original Hirschmann power antenna in it with the OEM mounting brackets. If this is what you are looking for, I can post pictures of how everything mounts in the back of the right fender.

Frank

efhughes3 · efhughes3's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by ossiblue

Note that Cooper911SC has the antenna mounted in the wheel well area, not in the area further back behind the fender bulkhead. If you already have a hole in the fender, it's most likely above the area between the door jamb and fender bulkhead. Door removal is required.

Cooper's is in the same exact location as my '84.

Mitch Leland · Mitch Leland's Garage

I have an "84" and it had a Hirshman power antenna mounted on the right fender and I believe it was original to the car. Whether or not is not our question. I replaced the Hirschman that was not working with a high grade new HARADA Amplified Universal Power Antenna Nissan BMW for $50 off of e-bay about 2 years ago. It looked just about like the Hirshman. While driving to the PCA Escape in Albuquerque last year I heard this terrible clunking noise. The antenna had fallen down in between the tire and the fender well and was hanging on by the electrical cables. It wasn't pretty...

Long story short, when I installed the antenna I forgot to install the bottom bracket back to the fender attachment bolts. I guess the fender mounting nut had vibrated off after about a year. So you need to tie off the bottom of the antenna with a bracket. There are existing sheet metal screws in the area so you don't have to drill new holes.

frankc · 03-25-2009, 08:20 PM

On my 77 there is a bracket that is bolted to the rear of the fender using two of the existing fender bolts. There is another piece that bolts to the bottom of the antenna. These two pieces are then bolted together to stabilize the bottom of the unit.

This is much easier to describe with a photo, so here you go. Sorry about the focus, but you can see the two brackets and where the rear bracket is attached via the two fender bolts.

Hope this helps,
Frank

tomphot · 03-26-2009, 03:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LM3929

85 and newer 911 had the antenna built into the windshield.

Lorne m.

This is not the case for RoW cars - my '85 Euro came with an external antenna.

e3photo · 03-26-2009, 04:55 AM

Thanks for the help guys. The pictures really help. I will look for an existing bolt to use, and if I can't find one I'll just attach the bracket with a sheet metal screw. I will try and add a before and after to give this thread closure for future interests.

Cheers,
Emerald

Cooper911SC · 03-26-2009, 08:32 AM

For further clarification for others who might later search this thread...

frankc's pictured Hirschman is an original version as fitted by Porsche. It is supported by the brackets I mentioned that use the fender mounting screws.

Most aftermarket or replacement Hirschman antenneas come with the mounting strap with multiple holes and are most easily mounted using a sheetmetal screw and new hole into the inner wheel house.

To my knowledge Porsche never fitted an antenna behind the wheel well in the door jam/closure area. The fender in this area is double walled. Drilling here would create a nice area/pocket to get rust going.

Cooper

ossiblue · 03-26-2009, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ossiblue

Note that Cooper911SC has the antenna mounted in the wheel well area, not in the area further back behind the fender bulkhead. If you already have a hole in the fender, it's most likely above the area between the door jamb and fender bulkhead. Door removal is required.

I didn't mean to cloud the issue with my comment, only to point out the possibility the PO put a hole in the fender behind the bulkhead which is the typical location for a manual antenna on the left side (due to the gas filler door and plumbing).

rgrimm · rgrimm's Garage

You car would have had an antenna in the windshield, with a booster to compensate. If you've priced antenna vs non-antenna windshields, you'll get an idea of how your car got it's fender mount.

It's not that bad...feed it through and use the nuts to secure it to the fender, and do a little bending of the lower mounting strap and secure the bottom. Powering it may be the most difficult, but if your radio has a power feed, I'd recommend using that--don't know but the booster is probably switched. You could probably get a stereo shop to hook up the power for next to nothing. When I replaced mine in the '84, I also took the opportunity to replace an old after-market dash unit, so I just mounted the antenna, ran the cable and power wires into the cabin and had a shop install the new deck using the "supplied" antenna--just a thought.

The antenna install...about 30 minutes sitting on the driveway with a cold beer, if I recall--maybe less...