Power Antenna Replacement
Replacing the Power Antenna in a C2 Corvette would have to be one of the worst jobs there is. It sounded so simple, remove one bolt, unscrew a bezel and, voila, you're done.
The problem is gaining access to that one bolt — it’s hidden above the muffler on the driver’s side. The Chevrolet service bulletin says to simply remove the chrome tip, unbolt the muffler and swing it to the side. In my case the chrome tip had been welded to the muffler, so it wasn’t coming off. To cut a long story short, I was able to remove the rear valance panel without taking the chrome tips off, and this allowed me to swing the muffler aside just enough to get access to that single bolt.
The antenna was replaced with one from Zip Corvette. From the outside this antenna looks great, but from underneath it looks nothing like the original (see the image above). It was also a real hassle to fit, the mounting plate supplied doesn't seem to fit the original mounting bracket at all. I suspect this is a generic Chinese antenna that has had a concours-correct mast fitted to it. But once it’s in and connected it works well, and is much quieter than the old one.
Despite getting a clean bill of health on the radio, the reception was still dropping out. I decided to replace the antenna cable to see if this helped. The antenna cable fitted to the car was not original, it was much too long (perhaps from a later model Corvette) which meant it was coiled up under the dash.
I purchased a new cable from Zip Corvette, and fitted it at the same time as the blower motor cable (given that both cables run along much the same path).
I also installed a new grommet where the cable goes through in to the wheel well. The original grommet was missing entirely, so the cabin was not sealed in this location.
