Power Antenna Replacement: ..

1985 4Runner: Repairing a stock power antenna and if you get tired of that, put in an unbreakable rubber antenna!

 
  To remove antenna, loosen the round retaining nut at the base of the antenna. Then remove the plastic wheel well liner inside the fender and the 10mm bolt that holds the antenna motor in place. Unclip the power plug and cut the antenna cable free of the sealant and remove it from the base of the antenna. One the antenna unit is free, loosen the clamp that holds the antenna to the base to the motor assembly and pull it up and off of the antenna itself. I use a replacement antenna mast kit to repair my '85 4Runner power antenna, p/n: 86353-89127. Remove the retaining nut in the center and the mounting screws on the side of the cap that covers the retracting drum. Pull the drum off and work the old antenna core free of the friction clip in the edge of the drum. Then discard the old antenna and slip the end of the core of the new antenna into the drum. Do not trim the core. The replace the drum and cover, reinstall the screws and the center nut and then slide the antenna base over the new antenna, slip it into the clamp and tighten. Make sure to replace the plastic drip cover over the motor. Replace the power connector and antenna cable, sealing the junction with silicone sealant. Then slip the antenna up through the hole, install the lower retaining bolt, then the upper trim pieces and finally tighten the top retaining nut. Test the antenna for proper operation and then replace the plastic wheel well liner. Test the antenna extension and retraction, should see a raised height of approx. 30  
 

 
  So, after a broken limb on a dark city street took out my power antenna for the 2nd time, I decided I wanted to go with a more rugged antenna setup. I found a nice flexible antenna (Metra 44-US07R), but it would not fit in the stock mounting hole. With the hole in the angled fender and the inner fender right behind the hole, the rigid bottom of the antenna would not go in far enough. First step was to grind off the toggle clamps from the sides of the antenna base, since they would not work with the antenna mounted in a vertical hole into the angled fender. Then I fabricated a spacer out of some 1 Next I turned down the plastic bottom part of the antenna base to match the OD of the aluminum piece and painted the aluminum to match the plastic. Then insert the end of the antenna into the bottom half of the spacer, up through the hole in the fender, and then slide on the upper spacer half. Finally the plastic base and the pivot piece and insert and tighten the base screw to hold the base tight in the fender. Then attach the antenna to the base pivot and hook up the stock antenna cable to the new antenna cable (stock has a female plug, new antenna has a male plug). This antenna should not break! It seems to pick up stations at least as good at the stock power antenna. Since my after market radio had a power antenna output signal, what I did was install a small in-line antenna signal amplifier, using the power antenna signal from the radio to turn the amplifier on with the radio, boosting reception in fringe areas.  
 

 
  If you are interested in a similar setup, 4Crawler Offroad can set you up. If you want just the mounting adapter, sized 2  
 

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