1967 Antenna Mounting

[Larry M.]

I need some help with an antenna mounting problem on my 1967 convertible.

This winter I dropped the gas tank and rebuilt the trailing arms, etc. While I was under the rear of the car, I removed the antenna and the antenna mounting aluminum shield since the old one was pretty beat up. Ordered a new aluminum shield from Paragon.

Trying to install today, and I cannot get the chrome antenna nut to thread onto the antenna body piece. The body piece does not protrude far enough out past the body for the nut to grab the threads. This was marginal with the old antenna aluminum shield. It also didn't fit well and had only 1-2 threads on the nut holding everything together.

What I need to find out is if the chrome antenna spacer and the threaded antenna body piece are correct 1967 pieces, or if Bubba substituted a few things years ago.

My chrome antenna spacer is about 1/4 inch high at its lowest point and 1/2 inch high at the tallest point. The rubber insulator adds about 1/16 inch to these numbers. I think this is correct.

My cast and threaded antenna body piece is 2-3/4 inch overall length. The black vinyl covered top section is 3/4 inch long, and the threaded section below this is also about 3/4 inch. The length from the centerline of the two small mounting posts/ears to the top ot the black vinyl section is exactly 2 inchs. I am not sure about this piece.

Would appreciate any help before I take the Dremmel to the new aluminum mounting shield.

[Peter L.]

Re: 1967 Antenna Mounting

Larry - Usually the spacer and the nut have a part number cast on them on the underside. Have you checked them and if so do the part numbers agree with the 67 Corvette AIM? I'll take a look at mine and see what part numbers are on the pieces. Pete

[Larry M.]

Re: 1967 Antenna Mounting

Pete:

No part number on spacer or nut.....although both appear to be correct looking with good heavy chrome.

The cast/threaded antenna body piece has a very small Chevrolet bow-tie cast into it and the numbers A 1.

The car was updated and repainted in the late 1970's, and I am finding a lot of small appearance/mechanical stuff was replaced at that time. Almost all are GM Service replacements, as the owner worked at a Chevrolet Dealer at the time. But, then again you never know after 43 years...... Thanks

Larry

EDIT: I had my 4 cups of coffee, put on my reading glasses and used my wife's artist light with a magnifying glass. The nut has an "A" on the chrome base and a "6" or "9" inside below the threads. The spacer has the number 3921439. A quick check shows this spacer is listed for 68-69 cars. This may explain it.

[Peter L.]

Re: 1967 Antenna Mounting

Larry - Sorry it took a bit of time but I got a chance to check out the antenna mounting and the black plastic of the body is ~5/16" above the top of the nut, the nut is embossed w/ # 3863499 on the bottom, the spacer is embossed WARD-1 and 5-235 inside the rings on the bottom, and with the spacer in place there are 3 or 4 threads showing above the top of the spacer.

I saw your note on the spacer p/n. Hopefully, that's the problem. Also, my car is an early car (Sept 1966) and I know there was a p/n change shown in the AIM but I thought it was the same configuration.

Pete

[Nick C.]

Re: 1967 Antenna Mounting

A tale of 3 nuts

3 nuts.jpg

[Larry M.]

Re: 1967 Antenna Mounting

A tale of 3 nuts

[ATTACH]23723[/ATTACH]

Nick:

I got the one on the right. What year/etc is it from?? Is the configuration/fit on all three caps/nuts the same??

Thanks,

Larry

[Larry M.]

Re: 1967 Antenna Mounting

Larry - Sorry it took a bit of time but I got a chance to check out the antenna mounting and the black plastic of the body is ~5/16" above the top of the nut, the nut is embossed w/ # 3863499 on the bottom, the spacer is embossed WARD-1 and 5-235 inside the rings on the bottom, and with the spacer in place there are 3 or 4 threads showing above the top of the spacer.

I saw your note on the spacer p/n. Hopefully, that's the problem. Also, my car is an early car (Sept 1966) and I know there was a p/n change shown in the AIM but I thought it was the same configuration.

Pete

Pete:

Thank you very much for your help. Also note that I sent you a PM through the forum.

Larry

[Peter L.]

Re: 1967 Antenna Mounting

Larry - Got the note. I'll do some checking but I think the nut on the right is same configuration as the ones with the embossed part number and might well be used later in 67 production. I don't recall if the spacer piece below the nut is unique to 67 but I have been told finding it is a challenge but that was several years ago, so maybe there's a "correct" reproduction (there's an oxymoron because it seems like all reproduction items are advertised as "exact" or "correct." ) out there now. Pete

[Robert M.]

Re: 1967 Antenna Mounting

If all you replaced was the aluminum plate that's got to be the source of your problem, I had a similar problem a few years ago and had to remove some material from the hole in the plate.

[Nick C.]

Re: 1967 Antenna Mounting

Nick:

I got the one on the right. What year/etc is it from?? Is the configuration/fit on all three caps/nuts the same??

Thanks,

Larry

Larry,

The photos were taken to illustrate the subtle configuration differences between 2 believed originals on the left, and the believed later piece on the right.

Obviously the wrench flats are different, as well as the bottom flange. I believe the heights were very close.

Your issue seems to be with the other hardware involved.

[Mark F.]

Re: 1967 Antenna Mounting

I agree with Rob. I had the same issue last summer on my 67. I had to tweek the new ground plate holes. Just open them up (deeper) a little and every thing will go right back together.
Mark

[Alan D.]

Re: 1967 Antenna Mounting

While you're in there when you get ready to bolt the lower end of unit back take a careful look at the AIM for correct star washer locations.

Lost a point for not having a star washer on lower bolt (near ant base). Guess what, the AIM does not call for one there! If you look at the repo catalogs they however do show the star washer - they are wrong!!!!

Will need to keep a copy of the AIM for judging just in case you are about to get hit. Hope you can tell what I'm referring to. (do have pictures, but for a 64)

[Chris E.]

Re: 1967 Antenna Mounting

I had the same problem with my 67. I replaced everything except the mast, the nut and the spacer.

I just had to try really hard over multiple days, and it finally grabbed. But less than 1 full revolution worth.

[Neal K.]

Re: 1967 Antenna Mounting

All,
I just got to looking at the antenna mast, cap, bezel, body and cable from my early 67(sept 66) which I am restoring. I believe the mast assembly to be correct. I am not sure about the rest. The cap is the same as the one on the far right of Nicks pictures with the smaller flats and only the A embossed on the back.The AIM indicates that before Nov 1966 the cap should be the one on the left of the pictures with the part number 3863499 embossed on the bottom. My bezel(spacer) has no markings on it. The body is threaded with a black plastic piece at the top with a Chevrolet bowtie and A 2 embossed in it. It will accept a push in type cable. The cable is black with a braided appeareance and feel. It has a rubber boot which is crimped on with a metal band at the end that plugs into the antenna body. The other end that goes in the radio has a metal push in pin assembly that is bent at 90 degrees(looks factory bent to me but who knows)
I have owned the car since 1969 and don't recall changing out any of these parts but there have been a couple of paint jobs and mini restorations in between so anything is possible. I thought I had the " right stuff" but after looking at the AIM and reading your posts I am less certain.
I would appreciate your learned comments and any additional pictures.
Thanks
Neal

[Scott S.]

Re: 1967 Antenna Mounting

According to the 1967 AIM, the correct antenna bezel is GM 3903427 (U69-B1, item 2).
Has anyone ever actually seen a 1967 antenna bezel with this part number on it?

There were NINETEEN revisions to this page in the '67 assembly manual, but we only see revisions 16-19. My antenna bezel is missing, and I don't know if it was lost during disassembly or if it has been gone for years. There’s a guy on eBay who advertises NOS examples every few months, but in his own words (in reply to email questions) he says he doesn't know anything about these parts, and he sent me things that were not the same as pictured in his auctions twice, including an antenna cap embossed “A” that was advertised as GM # 3863499.

Tonight I was going through my father's fastener case in the garage (the old metal case type with rows of clear plastic drawers). I was looking for the original ’67 starter motor long bolt, because the one we removed from the car had a “Z” headmark, and the receipt file shows a service replacement starter bolt, GM 1941111, was purchased 6-22-77, so the original should have been in the garage. I found three. Two were grade 8 with “WB” headmark starter motor long bolts, and the third is a mystery headmark, because the head had been drilled out to remove it. I also found six original midyear headlamp pod bolts (indented hex washer face with attached external tooth washers, B&H headmark) that were missing from the car, which I would not have even recognized if I had stumbled across them a year or so ago. Same thing for the two original front sway bar link bolts ("WB" grade 2) with retainers and grommets I found this evening. Sometimes it’s like a treasure hunt, it’s a lot of fun to find these kinds of things every now and then.

I also found what I suspect is the original antenna cap, gasket and bezel. The cap has the expected "3863499" embossed on the bottom, and has lots of wrench marks on the flats, so it needed to be replaced. I have never seen or even heard of any antenna cap with the part number shown in the AIM, "3820674", that supposedly went into service on 11-23-66 or sometime thereafter. Has anyone ever actually seen this part?

Finally, the antenna BEZEL was found in the same bolt drawer with the 3863499 antenna cap and gasket (black gasket was still attached to the cap). On the inside groove of the antenna bezel is the number 3921439. As Larry mentioned above in post 3, the 3921439 bezel is called out in the 1968-69 AIMs. My father briefly owned an early 1966 Corvette (VIN 00567), and he owned a very early 1974 Corvette (VIN 00078) for several years, but he never owned a 1968 or 1969 Corvette, so unless this bezel was still being used in 1974, there is no reason for this bezel to be in the drawer with the old 3863499 antenna cap. Unless this bezel was also being used in 1967.

Has anyone ever actually seen the antenna bezel called out in the ’67 AIM, GM 3903427? Was any bezel with this number embossed on the part actually used in production, or is the 68-69 bezel correct for 1967 too?