Power antenna not working

[DB87442]

I found a NOS antenna that bought for an 88 Cutlass Supreme Classic and never installed. PN is 22065474, does this fit? Also, I remember reading somewhere that GM made some in later years that had the metal cable instead of the plastic one. If that is true, is there a way to tell which this would have? If this does have the nylon cable is it difficult to change it out to the steel one?

 

[69hurstolds]

Look at the videos. It'll show you how to change the mast cable.

Never heard of an OEM power antenna for a G-body having a metal cable. All have been nylon, even the mast repair kits.

It's not hard. At least I don't think so. The hard part is getting the old one out and the new one back in.

I've had the antenna housings apart for that very reason, although at the time nobody was doing metal cable and I was using the Delco mast repair cable (nylon) 22038195.

 

[69hurstolds]

I found a NOS antenna that bought for an 88 Cutlass Supreme Classic and never installed. PN is 22065474, does this fit? Also, I remember reading somewhere that GM made some in later years that had the metal cable instead of the plastic one. If that is true, is there a way to tell which this would have? If this does have the nylon cable is it difficult to change it out to the steel one?

That part number isn't for a G-body. Any 81-88 G-body 2 door power antenna should work.

The 22065474 doesn't have a crush zone at the top of the mast and nibs to bite into the underside of the fender.

22048604 is the electric antenna for the Oldsmobile 80s genre. Well, most G-bodies in the 80s.

Good news is the motors/housings are the same, so you can take your tube/mast and swap it to the new motor. You're going to need that mounting bracket on there anyway. I think the factory ones are welded on, and the replacements may come in the box or could be bought separate and screws onto the tube. Bracket is GM p/n 22038589.

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[88hurstolds]

I repair power antennas and replace the masts with steel push pull cables and not the braided steel cable from Kirban, I've actually opened up broken antennas with those steel braided cables in them and the workmanship was poor to where the cable seperated from the mast.

 

[69hurstolds]

I just took out an NOS G-body power antenna out of the box. Build date for the antenna portion was March 31, 1990. Motor assembly was built April 12, 1990. It's only 33 years old. 😆

My goal was to put a metal antenna cable in it BEFORE I ever used it. A bolt in and go deal. I got a cable from 88hurstolds (Mike M.) and went to take the old one apart.

I took some pics coming apart and will likely do a little writeup on how to do it soon.

I sh*t you not. I popped the cover off of the motor/cable components and I lifted the antenna/cable/reel gear out as a unit and the cable fell apart in 3 places. W....T....F....There is no way that antenna would have worked having gone through the trouble to install a new Olds G47 antenna. Talk about being ultra-pizzed off. This is one of the reasons I tell everyone to plug in the antenna and operate it BEFORE you stick it in the fender to ensure it's going to work.

So yeah, spend a bunch of money on an NOS antenna if you want, but if you don't get some sort of metal cable for it, you're going to run the risk of the nylon cable snapping at the most inconvenient time.

Just tossing that out there.

 

[88hurstolds]

Ever NOS antenna Ive touched was like that, it drove me to find a solution after seeing replacement masts fail not to much longer after install.