Pictures of Antenna Shave Project

[BadAOD]

I am painting my LX and shaved my Antenna today. I saw another post about the same subject and thought I would take some pics for some of you fellas thinking of doing this.

Here is how I did it.....

 

[BadAOD]

First grind it all down.

 

[BadAOD]

Cut out a patch from 16 GA steel. I got this from Lowes.

 

[BadAOD]

Grind the patch into a circle that will fit into the antenna hole.

 

[BadAOD]

Get out the MIG and starting filling the holes and weld the patch in.

 

[BadAOD]

Grind it smooth.

 

[BadAOD]

Get out the body filler and fill it in.

 

[BadAOD]

Sand it smooth. Make sure you use a block to get the panel straight.

 

[BadAOD]

Put a guide coat of primer and check to make sure it's straight...it's almost done.

 

[BadAOD]

What do you guys think?

If someone tells me how to make the pictures smaller, I'll shrink them. I am using pix8net.

Thanks,
Rick

 

[89MustangGX]

Looks good to me. Is there any way to do work like that without any filler?

 

[BadAOD]

89 MustangGX: Sure. You could fill it all the way in weld and grind it smooth. It would take a little longer but if that's your preference, it would certainly work.

 

[89MustangGX]

89 MustangGX: Sure. You could fill it all the way in weld and grind it smooth. It would take a little longer but if that's your preference, it would certainly work.

Thanks, I'm just tossing ideas around in my head and I'd like to know what is possible and what isn't.

Do you do anything to the underneath side, maybe something to seal it from rusting?

 

[86T-Top]

Underside should be cleaned up, primed and painted to prevent it from rusting. If there is not metal over lapping each other, then there is no need to use a sealer.

Also it should be noted that when you weld patch panels into a body panel, the welding needs to be done in stages to prevent warping of the body panel. Weld a small section, let the metal cool than weld another small section, let it cool and so on.

Mario

 

[87GT 306]

Wow that turned out real good. I think Im definately going to be doing it

 

[mob]

i think it looks really good, id like to see it on the car, must look pretty clean, are not planning on have a radio? or is your antena somewhere else.....

 

[blackstangt]

You can easily warp the fender if you let it get too hot, also the surface must be clean for a good weld. You have to use a body filler to make sure it is smooth. You need to use a sealer over the bodywork and over the underside to prevent rust and If you are just going to have it painted at a shop you need to wetsand the whole panel with 800 + grit paper. AND DO NOT just use filler, it will not hold the curious person's poke, and will not last long. Hope that answers any questions.

 

[BadAOD]

Good advice by those who mention watch you're welding temp and go slow to avoid warping. I used the lowest temp setting on my mig welded a little then stopped for about 15 seconds and then got back into it.

I will shoot the underside with PPG epoxy primer to seal it to avoid rusting.

I am also going to keep the radio and go with a hidden antenna.

I am painting the car myself and have already welded and filled all the engine bay holes and painted the inside engine bay area.

 

[lxsteed]

Looks good. That is on my "To-do" list when I find a welder. That and the engine bay holes!

 

[BadAOD]

Here is my engine bay.