NELS GT

[align=center][align=center][/align][align=center][/align][/align][align=left][/align][align=left]Hey guys, NELS GT here. I'm going to walk you through how I created my custom antenna delete on my 07 GT.[/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left]This delete beats all of the aftermarket "antenna" little chrome stubs. It's barely noticable, and looks factory. It's made using your existing antenna mounting plastic component, bondo, primer, and finally, paint the color of your car (torch red).[/align][align=left][/align][align=left]I appologize that some of the photos are blurry, and crappy looking. A lot of the work I did on this was at night, so the flash made it look like crap, and a few photos are taken without flash that should've had flash turned on.[/align][align=left][/align][align=left]Additionally, I'm sorry if this tutorial isn't very thorough, I may come back later and clean it up a bit. But please feel free to ask me any questions you may have about the process.[/align][align=left][/align][align=left]This was a relatively inexpensive mod, and had great results. However, it's easy to screw up if you don't have enough patience![/align][align=left][/align][align=left]After I shopped around for antenna deletes, I found nothing I liked. Either shorty antennas, or ugly looking chrome "bullet" stumps that you insert into the antenna threaded hole. These alternatives may be the easy way out, but they're overpriced and don't look nearly as good as what I'm about to show you.[/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left]Unscrew your antenna from it's base.[/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left]Carefully pry the top portion of your antenna mount apart from the bottom piece. I used a butter knife.[/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left]After removing top portion, a metal plate will be visible. Unscrew the plate. (screw head requires star-shaped socket).[/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left]Separate the metal plate from the BOTTOM plastic piece pictured above. The plastic piece is what we will use as our custom delete. Now you will see holes used for the antenna. Disconnect the antenna wire. After disconnecting it, you will see a small hole that is just large enough to snugly fit a piece of 12 gauge wire. I pulled this rubber-coated wire from a piece of 12-2/WG home wiring that I had in the basement. After inserting inserting it, I wrapped it with electrical tape. Next, I tucked the wire down inside the fender. This was only a temporary fix, I never believed the reception would be good as-is. I drove around like this for a couple weeks and discovered that I didn't need to amplify it any more. AM is fuzzy, but FM is fine.[/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left]Observe the plastic piece you removed in step four. It has a large hole in the middle surrounded by smaller holes. We will fill this with body filler later, however, the plastic piece is designed to make the stock antenna level, which means that this piece has a slant to it. I sanded the top of the piece to make it match the contour of the fender more closely. Be cafeful not to sand too much. I held onto the nub of the plastic piece that goes into the car with needle nose while sanding the top of the piece.[/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left]Once satisfied with the angle of your antenna delete, fill all of the holes with Bondo (body filler compound) and let dry. Sand, and repeat process until the top is flat.[/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align][align=left][/align](This is the frustrating part) Coat with sandable primer, sand it, and repeat until smooth - very very smooth. Any mistakes visible on the antenna delete will be amplified x100 once it is finally painted and clear coated.

Don't rush. Get the surface perfect. Once smooth, spray paint the piece with a can of touchup paint of your color. I got a large can of Torch Red for $14.95 froma local automotive paint shop. It may take a couple coats. In my case, I even ended up sanding all of the torch red paint off to re-primer it for a smoother finish. Once you are satisfied with the appearance, you may want to give the antenna delete a spray of clearcoat. Most automotive paint shops will put gloss into your mixture, but in my case it wasn't shiny enough. I gave it two coats of gloss, and it looked as perfect as the car's paintjob.



Finally,I used clear silicone to adhere the delete to the car.

torch red

I dig it..well done..

157dB

Now thats a trick mod.
Did you use a hidden antenna to replace the deleted stock one?

NELS GT

Thanks dude.

It was frustrating at times but well worth it in the end.

NELS GT

Nope, just tucked the little wire into the fender. Like I said, I was pretty surprised my FM reception was just as good as with a giant antenna. AM doesnt come in well, but who needs it? ;-)

mlcrycc

VERY creative!! I love home made mods!! Looks good, my only concern, if I used local radio, would be the antenna inside the fender....as far as reception. However, since I do XM anyway, no issue.....

Thanks for sharing, nice job!!

Mike

NELS GT

Thanks, Mike, and nice car too!

To be honest I usually stick with the MP3 player, or Line-in, but radio's good to have.

157dB

Maybe this location could be used to mount the aftermarket Sat Radio antenna
instead of the trunk lid like OEM 07-08 Stangs with Sat Radio factory installed?

A_J

Awesome - cheap and clever

Dex

whoa man, i would market that shiz.