Antenna installation in 41 Oldsmobile

[Doctor's Pontiac]

Like most cars back in 1941 my Oldsmobile came without a radio. It was a dealership available option and the installation procedure is described in the shop manual. Although I prefer everything as stock as possible, adding an original radio does not seem to alter much the stock qualification of this car.  I have to have a radio because most of my driving I do alone and I like the company of music or news coming from the vintage AM box. Since my car had no radio from factory it did not have a body hole for an antenna. For months I looked for any factory service template or service bulletin to know exactly where to drill the hole with no success. These are the steps I followed until I could complete the job yesterday.

 

1. Had to rely on original car photos found online to have a reference of location of the hole on the cowl, like the one below, which was very helpful

 

 

2. I found an old NOSR antenna on e bay about a year ago which is "period OK" until I can find an original stock antenna that might exist somewhere in the universe and which will be easy to replace.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234602111641

 

3. I estimated center of hole will be 1" behind the edge of the cowl and 3" from the L side. Just my guess based on photos and comparing with my car cowl

 

4. I gently punched a tiny dent on the cowl where the center of hole will be and used masking tape to cover a 2" x 2" area around the drilling area to protect the paint (sorry no photo)

 

5. Started drilling a pilot hole with a very thin bit and increased the size progressively until hole was 1/4".

 

6. The body steel is strong, don't know the gauge but seems about 1/16" thickness. I have never cut a hole in a car and was nervous to mess up, so I first practiced several times in a piece of scrap metal plate until I felt a bit more confident. First tried using a step drill but did a terrible job. Then used the hole saw and you can see got better results

 

     

 

7. Then I took a deep  breath and used a new Milwaukee 3/4" Hole Dozer hole saw with a pilot drill bit in the center and started drilling at very low RPM 250, adding periodically some WD-40 as a lubricant. After a few minutes the hole was cut clean. Big thigh of relief !  The antenna came with instructions to cut a hole of 13/16 diameter but when I practiced drilling I noticed that a 3/4 hole is exactly the size that is needed.

 

Distance from center of hole to cowl edge turned 1-1/8 inches

 

 

Distance from center of hole to L side of body turned to be 3-1/8 inches

 

Viewed from below the dash. The headlight switch bar removed to have better access to work under the dash

 

8. Removed all the masking tape and used a round file to smooth the edge of the hole

 

9. With a small brush applied some primer and then touch-up paint to the recently cut wall to protect from rust

 

10. Installed antenna mast from below the dash with the components arranged in the following order:

 

The tooth washer sits directly under the cam-shaped base which -thanks to this shape- permits adjusting the direction of the antenna. These 2 pieces, washer and base, are the only ones that go under the cowl. All others must be installed from the top and the nut is used to secure all components once a correct  vertical position is achieved.

 

 

11. Before tightening the nut, applied some clear silicone around hole under the large rubber gasket to help prevent any water leak

 

 

Installed antenna

 

 

 

My only regret is that there is still room to drill the hole more to the L to diminish any visual interference when driving. I did not appreciate that option in the middle of the battle but honestly, when I sat on the driver seat and moved the car around the block to test the radio, I was totally comfortable with the visuals and it looks in about the same location than the initial original photo. 

 

Antenna has excellent ground and reception is loud and clear and as good as AM can be in an 80 year old radio

 

Manuel

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GARY F]

Great job.

[Oldtech]

Excellent. My 47 Chevy has the same hole in the same place.

[NailheadBob]

Another great job in details and photos 

 Bob

[Doctor's Pontiac]

Thank you for your comments. When I bought the car I remember seeing the Motorola radio sitting on the floor at his barn. Previous owner intended to install it and actually had receipts of having the radio repaired (back in late 80s). I had the radio refurbished by Joe Cilluffo from joesclassiccarradios.com and he did a perfect job in function and cosmetics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The radio controls color matches the instrument cluster, glovebox door and transmission lever.