Antenna Mod

[4XLGator]

Here's a simple mod I did to Big Girl's antenna today.
http://i1000.photobucket.com/albums/af127/klsellers/Big%20Girl%20Antenna%20Mod%20092911/36720fda.jpg
http://i1000.photobucket.com/albums/af127/klsellers/Big%20Girl%20Antenna%20Mod%20092911/845cf48f.jpg

Credit to Jeremy/Tampa Jax Wax and Kevin/Ramstrat for the know how. It's quite simple actually.

remove antenna
use vise and claw hammer to remove bead/ball
cut antenna to desired length
use grinder to taper new end (top) of cut antenna
super glue bead/ball on
paint, if desired
re-install

And with that, I now have an $38 AMI Big Stick Shorty antenna to return for credit/refund.

[ramthis9501]

Nice, I was going to do that but just got one at the parts store instead. Now if I want to ever go back to stock, I got it.

[4XLGator]

Well, I order a nice one. But, it is bigger around at the base than the base on the truck, which I didn't think would look good. So, I did this. It doesn't take long at all. Matter of fact, the longest part is waiting for the paint to dry.

[ramthis9501]

Looks really good man, did a nice job on it

[4XLGator]

thanks bud

[LB3711]

thats cool

[txbass06]

Doesn't look like it's been cut apart and put back together at all. Looks good Lee. That reminds me though, I need to figure out what I'm gonna do with mine lol


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[ramthis9501]

Here's mine, it's just 13"

http://i887.photobucket.com/albums/ac78/ramthis9501/2011-09-14_19-33-58_915.jpg

[4XLGator]

Thanks Matt and Mark. Yes Mark, that is one of the best parts...it still looks factory, only shorter.

[4XLGator]

Have any reception problems, Colton? I did mine 15" because I read where guys were having some issues with reception around 12" or 13" inches.

[ramthis9501]

No problems for me, been working just fine

[SmokedRam]

That looks slicker than snot on a door knob.

[4XLGator]

No problems for me, been working just fine

Cool beans!

That looks slicker than snot on a door knob.

Alrighty then! Thanks. LOL

[AWE Daniel]

Who needs reception?????

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r74/cadillac360/IMG_20110217_173010.jpg

Looks good there lee!

[4XLGator]

Thanks D!

[BAD HABIT]

Did mine this morning, I should have taken enough pics to do a DIY for the site...took all but 10m here at work and got paid to do it, 5 coats of paint dried in front of a exhaust for our giant compressor at about 190 degrees...still sitting in front of it as I type...

Sent from my badass EVO on TapaTalk....

[BAD HABIT]

Oh yeah mines 12"....

Sent from my badass EVO on TapaTalk....

[BAD HABIT]

So using the heat to dry it backfired so I stopped it down and will use 2 good coats and let it just air dry...

Sent from my badass EVO on TapaTalk....

[03 Rammer]

Sweet, I've been wanting to do a stubby antenna for awhile but dont want those cheap ones. Might give this a try. Although I have the stainless one . Thanks Lee

[03 Rammer]

Do you think Plasti Dip would work on the antenna lol Just had to ask

[4XLGator]

Sweet, I've been wanting to do a stubby antenna for awhile but dont want those cheap ones. Might give this a try. Although I have the stainless one . Thanks Lee

Do you think Plasti Dip would work on the antenna lol Just had to ask

Aaron, mine is the factory stainless antenna.

And yes, plasti-dip would work fine IMO.

[03 Rammer]

Cool, might give it a try tomorrow.

Lee, It finally fixed itself let me finally reset the password and everything is good to go

Thanks for you help again.

[DrewRam]

Thanks for this! I was just thinking the other day about painting mine with plasti dip when i do my wheels but now I want to hack it off a little too :)

[4XLGator]

^ It is quite simple to do, Drew. Just use a piece of tape on the bead/ball and claw hammer when you pull it off. Or, at least have someone watch for it when it flies off...lol.

^^ No problem Aaron, glad you got it working.

[BAD HABIT]

Mine didn't fly, just use slow even pressure, mines painted and reinstalled

Sent from my badass EVO on TapaTalk....

[4XLGator]

Mine flew because I had to clamp the antenna (part I cut off) in a bench vise and use both hands on the hammer because it didn't want to come off...without persuasion.

[BAD HABIT]

i did the same thing, vise, claw hammer slow even pressure so it didnt fly, sharpened spot to get ball back on, used super glue and tapped it hard on the ball and let dy and painted it....

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i79/JUSJAY727/IMAG0211.jpg

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i79/JUSJAY727/IMAG0210.jpg

[Tampa Wax Slingers]

So using the heat to dry it backfired so I stopped it down and will use 2 good coats and let it just air dry...

Sent from my badass EVO on TapaTalk....

You and spray paint don't get along to well..

[Tampa Wax Slingers]

Mine flew because I had to clamp the antenna (part I cut off) in a bench vise and use both hands on the hammer because it didn't want to come off...without persuasion.

Wrap the ball with tape first so when it flies you can find it.

[4XLGator]

Yes Jeremy, you told me that...but I'm hard-headed and didn't...actually remember saying to myself "self, you don't need no stinkin' tape!". You were right, it went flying but I still found it. :D

[BAD HABIT]

Haha Jeremy usually I do pretty good with paint, but I thought heat would help it...

Sent from my badass EVO on TapaTalk....

[ramthis9501]

I used plastidip on my antenna and it's holding up fine and looks pretty good

[03 Rammer]

Lee, how the heck did you get the ball off. I tried for like an hour all different sort of ways. After failing countless times, I just went ahead and painted the antenna.

[BAD HABIT]

Put the antenna in a vice just like it was mounted to the truck, straight up and down, leave the ball above the vice about a half inch, use the claw of a hammer slide it in like your pulling a nail out and POP that ball off...

Sent from my badass EVO on TapaTalk....

[03 Rammer]

Well theres my problem lol havent bought a vise yet. Guess thats next tool on my list to buy. :) Thanks Jay

[BAD HABIT]

Can you do it at work? That's where I had to do mine cause I don't have a vise, might try vise grips just below ball and then pry it off with claw hammer...

Sent from my badass EVO on TapaTalk....

[03 Rammer]

I'll have to look around and see if we have a vise.

[4XLGator]

Just like jay said


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[SmokedRam]

I might try this on Sunday, after I bolt my new ass end on.

[4XLGator]

^ Do it!

[DrewRam]

Just to clarify... Nobody is experiencing any reception problems right?

via DroidX (Tapatalk)

[4XLGator]

No problems for me, Drew.


And Aaron, did you ever get the ball to come off yours?

[DrewRam]

Just did it! Don't have a vice but 2 vice grips work just as well. Took 2 turns and it popped right off. Just gotta paint it now :-)

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy74/DrewFDavis/2011-10-08_19-08-20_129.jpg

And incase anyone is curious I took 15" off leaving the new antenna at 17" including the base.

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[4XLGator]

Cool beans Drew!


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[SmokedRam]

Way to go Drew...

[ramthis9501]

Mines 13" and it's getting prefect reception.

[BAD HABIT]

I can't say if I'm getting good reception or not cause I use internet radio more than anything, as I think my head unit is taking a dump I'm just buying time...

[03 Rammer]

No problems for me, Drew.


And Aaron, did you ever get the ball to come off yours?


Lee, haven't even tried yet lol. :Grenade:

[03 Rammer]

Drew, so all you did was clamp one to the antenna and one to the ball and it broke off?

[4XLGator]

^ No "broke off"...it pulls off.

[SmokedRam]

They must have changed the antenna design sometime in the 2nd gen era...I was looking at doing mine, but mine is a two piece antenna.

[4XLGator]

Two piece how?

[SmokedRam]

it is collapsable, like the old boom box type antennas...I should say telescopic maybe...

[4XLGator]

Yeah, telescopic would've worked. So this means that your shawty antenna mod will be much easier than the rest of us. :D

[SmokedRam]

Yeah, telescopic would've worked. So this means that your shawty antenna mod will be much easier than the rest of us. :D


Looks that way...when I installed my headunit I actully almost bought a stubby antenna. But the guy at Champagne sound actually talked me out of it...(isnt that weird, a salesman talking you OUT of buying something from him)

[Preston2291]

(isnt that weird, a salesman talking you OUT of buying something from him)

funny thing about that statement adam...i do that all the time at work when i am feeling lazy, LOL

[SmokedRam]

Lol....

[DrewRam]

^ No "broke off"...it pulls off.

Exactly. Just clamp it and twist and it should come right off.

O and clamp it with a rag or somethin so you don't chew up the ball like i did lol.

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[03 Rammer]

^ No "broke off"...it pulls off.

Same Difference lol Your breaking something to get it to come off lol

Exactly. Just clamp it and twist and it should come right off.

O and clamp it with a rag or somethin so you don't chew up the ball like i did lol.

via DroidX (Tapatalk)

Cool that I can do, since I have like 5 pairs of vise grips.

[Silverbullet08]

My bad I just got ur txt. Lol I don't get pic messages that well on my phone ha anyways shoot me a txt if u still need help on this

[4XLGator]

^ My text? Dude, that was 12 days ago! I texted you because I thought I remember a thread by your where you painted your antenna base and thought you might've taken it off the truck to paint. And that maybe you would remember how it comes off.

But, I got it done!

[SmokedRam]

^^^hahahahahaha

[4XLGator]

BTW Nick, I'll try to remember in 12 days to send you a "thanks for offering to help" text.

[Silverbullet08]

like i said u sent the text info in the picture message. i didnt have the internet on bc it drains my battery and obviously didnt know the number so i ignored it. yes my phone sucks lol

[Silverbullet08]

next time a pm would be better than pulling the fb creep on me ahaha ;)

[4XLGator]

Your should unpublish your number on FB then. :D And the first sentence of my text was "hey nick, it's lee from SEM" LOL. I was in the middle of it and ran into the issue and thought a text would reach you faster since you're on here every couple days or so.

But again, I got it done...no worries.

[Silverbullet08]

I know but my phone is weird all the txt was in the picture message. So with no Internet on all I got was the number and a data image. No info about who it was. Purpose of this is that I was just trying to say I didn't flat out ignore u....

[BAD HABIT]

damn iphones do that to us droid users all the time...texts come thru as pics...

[Silverbullet08]

exactly.

[SmokedRam]

atleast ya'lls phones dont hold texts in que, then decide to release like 15 of them all at once...

[4XLGator]

Nick, relax dude I said it was all good. And I sent a pic, it wasn't just a text...u iPhone haters!

Adam has a jitterbug!

LOL

[Silverbullet08]

im good. i just hate my phone!!!!! it blows but ive got wait to the bday for the galaxy 2

adam i have u beat. ive got 4grand of txts from one conversation and it takes a good 30 mins to open up the thread...

[SmokedRam]

damn duder...I have become a text a holic...right now I am averaging about 150 texts a day...

[4XLGator]

My thumbs have turned into twin texting turbines! LOL


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[SmokedRam]

My thumbs have turned into twin texting turbines! LOL


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no shit...I think 120 of my 150 a day are to you...LMAOOOOOO

[Silverbullet08]

^ bromance??? :D

[AWE Daniel]

Damn am i old fashioned or something, just call if you are gonna send a zillion texts!

[SmokedRam]

^ bromance??? :D


negative ghost rider

[SmokedRam]

Damn am i old fashioned or something, just call if you are gonna send a zillion texts!


it's easier to end a converstion through text...LOL

[LB3711]

lol. iphone makes texting too easy. good think you guys dont have my number lol

[SmokedRam]

lol. iphone makes texting too easy. good think you guys dont have my number lol


We have connections...we can get it...bwahahahahahahaha

[4XLGator]

^ bromance??? :D

uhh...NO!


Damn am i old fashioned or something, just call if you are gonna send a zillion texts!

Nope, I don't like to talk on the phone.


it's easier to end a converstion through text...LOL

absolutely....just stop responding lol

[AWE Daniel]

Ohh jeez kids these days lmao

[garner]

What's calling??

[4XLGator]

Lol

[LB3711]

We have connections...we can get it...bwahahahahahahaha

ill be waiting lol :pedobear: No one on SEM has it

[4XLGator]

We have connections outside of SEM, Matt. :D

[LB3711]

its blocked on FB and I don't think anyone on RF has it LOL your running out of options LOL

still waiting LOL

[SmokedRam]

I have already contacted the FCC and am now awaiting a text with your number...LMAO

[DrewRam]

Here it is PD'd

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy74/DrewFDavis/2011-10-12_17-07-37_522.jpg

Did any of you paint that chrome ring at the base? Can I take that off and spray it or should I just mask the truck go for it?

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[SmokedRam]

YOu can mask it and spray it Drew.

[DrewRam]

I may just leave it for a while. If it really starts to bother me I will do it. Now what to spray with the rest of this can!

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[SmokedRam]

Go spray your neighbors mailbox!!!

[DrewRam]

I would but i don't if i will have enough left after doing mine lol

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[SmokedRam]

Hahaha

[03 Rammer]

Finally did it and boy it was super easy. I just kept twisting it until it popped off. 15 inches and strong lol

[03 Rammer]

So Far gotten about 3 compliments about the antenna, without even talking about it lol.

[4XLGator]

Nice Drew and Aaron.

Drew, I didn't paint the chrome ring but I thought about it....didn't think it was a big enough deal to take off. Masking off the truck would be easier as long as there is absolutely no breeze.

I asked Nick/Silverbullet to chime in on it because I know he color-matched his antenna base to his truck when he had it. But, he never chimed in.

[Silverbullet08]

i didnt paint it either
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj70/nlorenzo08/IMG_3482.jpg

[4XLGator]

^ You painted the base though. Did u remove it from the truck to paint, or mask off the truck around it to paint?


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