| |
Very
often the power antenna on the MK2 Supra has quit working
after many years of service. The dealership still offers
mast and spool replacements that will sometimes make it work
again but it will cost $50 or more for those parts.
Installing a generic power antenna has had mixed results in
the past for owners due to the steep angle of the C pillar
where the power antenna extends from. I have found an
affordable aftermarket unit that I think works well
and can be installed cleanly with minimal modifications.
You will need a
few parts from your original factory antenna to complete this
project. The black plastic ferrule that mounts on the
outside of the car and the metal ferrule that goes inside
the car will be needed to maintain the proper angle.
Here is a photo of these two parts, you may still be able
to get them from the delear or a junkyard if you do not have
these parts.
I recommend
that you reuse the bottom metal bracket with stud from the
old antenna also if you have it. If you don't have
this you can use the bracket that comes in the antenna kit.
This is the bracket that I am talking about. You will
see why it is good to have this bracket in a moment.
Now
for the new antenna, it is a Metra Road Works AW-PW12
universal power antenna. Make sure you get the model
correct, if the parts guy looks it up by your car model
you will get the wrong antenna. I purchased this antenna
for $39.99 at Autozone.
Many other parts stores and stereo shops sell the Metra
brand so the antenna should not be too hard to locate.
Here is the AW-PW12 next to the factory power antenna.
Here
you see how your old original ferrules fit onto the new
Metra antenna using the new chrome nut from the Metra antenna
kit.
Next take the old metal bracket if you still have
it and bend it similar to the pictures shown below.
You will have to test fit the antenna on the car several times
probably to get the bends right. You need to have the
stud mount in the original hole on the car, the metal ferrule
flush with the underside of the body panel, and the mast itself
needs to be horizontal. As you see, the holes on the
old bracket also line up perfectly with the screw holes on
the bottom of the new antenna, use the screws provided in
the kit and screw it on. If you do not have the old
bracket you will have to use the bracket provided in the kit,
use the same test fit process to make sure the antenna is
supported correctly and is mounted in the proper orientation.
Once you have everything adjusted to your liking connect
the drain hose and the antenna cable. Next place the
ground terminal on the stud post of the bracket and install
the antenna into the car for the final time. Here is
a picture of the ground wire position I am talking about.
The last step is to connect the 2 leftover wires
to the factory harness. There are 2 ways I recommend
doing this, the least intrusive way would be to cut a plug
off of a broken or junkyard power antenaa and splice the
wires so the new antenna can be unplugged easily.
The second way is to use 3M taps to tap off of the 2 wires
you need. Both these could easily be removed and the
car put back to factory spec without any easily noticeable
trace. The red wire gets hooked to a constant
+12V source even with the key out of the ignition, on my
car it was the white wire with blue stripe. You will
need to connect the blue wire to a wire that has +12V only
when the head unit is turned on, on my car it was the red
wire with white stripe. I reccomend you use a multimeter
and verify the connections before crimping on your car so
you only have to do it once.
Tere are
a few final install pictures, it looks just like stock to
me and works perfectly, the new antenna should provide
many more years of service and Metra offers replacement
masts and cables if they are ever needed. Thats pretty
much all there is to it, an easy fix for a common
problem.
Any
questions or comments should be adressed to wjh@ufl.edu
|
