missing antenna part

[tsanborn]

I apologize for asking something so basic but here goes. I foolishly ran my '56 Ford Country Sedan through the local car wash and (of course) broke off my antenna mast. I ordered a new mast but I now realize that I'm missing the part that threads on the bottom of the mast. Maybe if I knew what the part looks like, I'd have an easier time locating it. Note the fine threads on the bottom of the mast (attached image below) but nothing that would spin onto it to hold the mast in place without grounding it. Does anyone have a picture of what I need? If not, I'll just order a complete antenna and call it good.
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/hamb/attach/jpg.gif

[KULTULZ]

No. 1 there is no need to apologize.

The mast screws into the fitting on the end of the cable. There is an insulator there. Is that what you are describing?

[miker98038]

Doesn’t the chrome ring come off, slide down the mast, then the fitting installs from underneath, the black ring goes on, and the chrome rings screws things together? The mast being retained by the small black grommet being held by the chrome ring? It helps if you have a second person or really long arms. Been some years since I did one.

[tsanborn]

In the picture with all my parts laid out on the fender of my car, you can see the fine threads on the bottom of the mast as well as the insulator that the mast plugs into. But when I put the assembly together, there is nothing that has the reciprocal threads for those on the end of the mast. As a result, I can lift the mast straight up and out of the assembly. I think there must be something that screws onto the mast from below the fender that holds it down.

[KULTULZ]

I think there must be something that screws onto the mast from below the fender that holds it down.

The part shown -



It mounts under the fender and is help by the outer retainer, correct? That retainer (bottom) has a stop that catches the bottom of the fender, or am I looking at a twisted seal/washer?

If that is not it, any piece that held the base steady may have broken off and may be laying on the bottom of the fender.

EDIT -

Here is a NOS antennae -

[KULTULZ]

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How did it turn out?

[rotorwrench]

I've looked at the photo of the separate parts but I can't tell if the mast has threads on it or not. The rubber insulator for the mast is also like a packing that should grip the bottom of the mast pretty well when the main nut it tightened to the mount. The mast is insulated from the mount that way. The bottom of the mast should fit the coax connection which will stabilize the coax to the mast when the coax connector nut is tightened on the bottom.

If the mast does screw into something in the mount base then that part should be insulated from the rest of the mount base as well. I can't tell if it should be that way or not due to the limited information provided.

On the many aircraft antennas I've maintained and replaced over the years, they have an insulated shielding mesh wire around the antenna wire center core that makes a connection to the antenna base to form a ground plane on the body of the vehicle along with the RF shield built in to the coax cable. The other end of the ground shield is connected to the radio ground plane by the connector that fits into the radio. There is no connection between the antenna center wire or mast to the grounding shield or ground plane since they are insulated from each other. This is to prevent RF noise generated by the car from being picked up by the radio receiver.

The mount has an integral gripper that fits inside the body of the car and then the plastic piece that fits against the body on the outside that should hold the mount steady after the main mast nut is tightened against it.

[KULTULZ]

Originally Posted by KULTULZ

How did it turn out?

... hmm ...

He must be out of range. If it won't pull-in the WOLFMAN, I would sell it ...

[tsanborn]

Sorry for my slow response. I tried to order a new complete antenna just so I could identify the missing (?) part. But, of course, Carpenter and Rubber The Right Way tell me that they are back ordered. So, let me briefly review what I see in the picture I originally posted. Starting on the left, there is the large knurled nut that slides on the coax cable and is captured by the insulator. That knurled nut has large female threads that allow it to be screwed to the bottom of the cast component next to it. Both these parts live under the fenderwell when assembled. The rubber pad and large black plastic mount sit on top of the fender with the chromed nut (shown attached to the cast element in the picture) holding the whole thing together when correctly mounted. That leaves us with two additional pieces shown in the picture; the mast and the small black escutcheon. That black escutcheon slides onto the bottom of the mast but the hole in its center is not large enough to allow it to slide further up the stainless part of the antenna. I assumed that the hold down nut that (in my mind) is suppose to thread onto the bottom of the mast would sandwich the black escutcheon between the chromed nut below and the stainless part of the mast above. When fully assembled with just the parts shown in the picture, it all looks right but there is nothing that securily holds the mast down. I can drop the mast into the hole created by the rest of the assembly and push the insulator onto the bottom of the the mast but I believe that there still needs to be something that holds the mast in place.

Sorry to be beating this subject to death but I need my tunes!

Tom

[51504bat]

Try Concours Auto in Carson City, NV.
Also fits Mercury
1952-1956
Item# 18813-AR

CONCOURS PARTS & ACCESSORIES (parts123.com)

[KULTULZ]

Originally Posted by tsanborn

In the picture with all my parts laid out on the fender of my car, you can see the fine threads on the bottom of the mast as well as the insulator that the mast plugs into.

But when I put the assembly together, there is nothing that has the reciprocal threads for those on the end of the mast.

As a result, I can lift the mast straight up and out of the assembly. I think there must be something that screws onto the mast from below the fender that holds it down.

Is it possible the threads were damaged (in retainer @ end of cable) when the mast was pulled out?

[rotorwrench]

The rubber or plastic part on the mast in the photo should fit into the mast base and the mast nut would hold all that inside the base after the mast and the rubber or plastic packing are inserted in there.

All we have to go by is the photo so my interpretation is drawn from that. I can't tell if the piece on the mast in the photo is rubber, hard rubber, or plastic but I assume it will fit down into the mast base along with the mast. The large plastic ring with rubber gasket would then be installed down over the mast followed by the nut to secure it all to the body. That piece on the mast should expand and grip the mast like a collet. I've been wrong plenty of times but that's the way it looks to me.

If the mast is threaded, get you a thread pitch gauge and find out what thread it is. If a nut goes on there then a person may be able to find one that would work if that is the way it's supposed to be. A long bushing may also be needed to make up the distance between the threads and that small black insulator piece. Where there is a will there is a way.