How to Mount a Basic Car Antenna

Car antennas that are old or broken will need to be replaced. You can take your car to a repair shop to have a new antenna installed or you can install it yourself. Before you can install a new car antenna you will need to remove the old antenna and mount from inside the engine or trunk compartment. First make sure that you have the tools necessary to complete the project.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• Wire Cutters

Instructions

Front Mount Antenna

1. Open the hood of your vehicle and locate where the antenna comes into the outer fender panel.

2. Look on the underside where the antenna comes through to locate the antenna mount.

3. Remove the screws that are securing the antenna base mount to the outer fender with a screwdriver. There should be one or two screws that are used to secure the mount to the outer fender.

4. Pull off the antenna base assembly from the outer fender.

5. Cut the antenna wire at the base and set the old antenna aside.

6. Place the new antenna base into the hole on the outer fender panel.

7. Insert a screw into the underside of the antenna base mount and tighten it with a screwdriver to secure it to the outer fender panel.

8. Tape the cut end of the old antenna cable to the end of the new antenna cable, so the old cable will act as a guide for the new one.

9. Remove the clamps, if any, that were used to secure the antenna cable to the inside of the engine compartment.

10. Pull the old wire out from inside the car. The new wire will follow the path of the old cable into the interior of the car.

11. Reattach the clamps, if any, to secure the antenna cable in the engine compartment.

12. Unplug the old antenna cable where it connects to your radio from under the dashboard and connect the new antenna cable.

Rear Mount Antenna

1. Open the trunk compartment of your vehicle and locate where the antenna comes into the fender panel. You may need to pull away the carpet to access the underside of the panel.

2. Remove the screws that are securing the antenna mount to the fender with a screwdriver. There should be one or two screws that are used to secure the mount to the fender.

3. Pull off the antenna base assembly from the fender. Unplug the antenna wire at the base and set the old antenna aside.

4. Place the new antenna base into the hole in the fender panel and re-connect the antenna cable.

5. Insert the screws into the underside of the antenna base mount and tighten with a screwdriver to secure them to the fender panel.

Tips & Warnings

• Using the antenna wire as a guide is easier than trying to fish the new antenna wire through the engine compartment.

• You can use a satellite radio antenna instead of a standard radio antenna.

• Antenna mounts may be hard to reach form inside the engine compartment and may require removing the entire outer fender panel.

• If the antenna wire does not detach from the antenna on the rear fender it will need to be cut and replaced with a new antenna cable.

References

• Installing a Car Antenna