Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

just a very strange idea is to make a copy of the 1936 Cord 810 antenna, wich was hidden under the floor just to preserve the stylisch body from a mast (scroll down here)

acdclub.org/forum/cord-810-812-acd-forums/7978-crosley-radio

otherwise I offer to give you the position of the original mast on my unrestored 1949 2362

on air
Michael

I have a lot of experience making my 1950 Series 23 Deluxe 8 touring sedan into an nice driver/show car. My car came with a radio and has a roof top antenna. My strong advice is to NOT install a roof antenna. It is a bad design with very hard or impossible to restore details. After trying to restore the original antenna and spending hundreds of dollars I finally gave up and bought a restored one. It looks OK and almost works as designed but I always move it by hand and do not try to extend and retract it using the knob. The design is fragile and almost impossible to fix.

I wish I had your problem. If I did I would try to find the correct manual antenna and mount it on the fender in the correct spot. There are lots of parts out there for a series 23 and probably you can find a decent used one. You could also have fun with researching the mounting location and appearance of the antenna. The hole size in the fender needs to be researched and perhaps you could stick a new one of a similar appearance to get the radio working when trying to find the correct antenna.

The vacuum operated antenna is a gadget that is not needed to drive the car and use the radio. It just adds cost and give the antenna additional ways to fail. I would use one only if it came on the car when new.

My Packard gets authentic parts if possible because that is the fun I have of owning an old car. I would never use a modern antenna if I could get the correct one.

Another little question I'll throw out there: I've reinstalled the radio but want to make sure I connect the power cable to the right place. Elsewhere someone posted the original installation instructions and they state to connect to the terminal on the ignition switch marked "Rad". Well, I got my head up further under the dash than I previously thought possible...but still didn't see any such label. I would guess it would be connected to the accessory terminal on the switch & that would be very easy, but I don't want to overload it.

I don't recall seeing a RAD label on the ign switch. Postwar thru 53 they have been labeled COIL, AM, and GA. For 54-6 they went with the standard BAT, IGN, ACC and STArt. AM is the same as BAT, GA is the same as ACC, and COIL corresponds to IGN on the more typical switches.

GA is typically the long terminal on the switch and would be where the radio would best connect on the 23rd series if you want the radio switched off by the ign sw. A closer point to the radio would be the same as the 22nd series instructions recommended in using the terminal on the gauges where the metal jumper bar connects.

Thanks, HH56-I went ahead and used the crossbar and it was the perfect location for the wire!