My antenna is broken off near the base, so I’ll be replacing it eventually but I won’t need the bezel or base gasket as those bits are still there.
My antenna has a square base, telescoping (3 section total), and a round shaft with a “tear drop” shaped black nubbin at the base of the shaft. I believe it was replaced at some time in the past, so I’m wondering what is “correct” as I’ve seen a few variations…
I believe for '69 / '70;
square base is correct.
telescoping - 2 sections telescope down into 1 fixed / base section, for a total of 3 segments.
What I am unsure of;
should the bottom metal section of the antenna be round or “tear drop” / “aerodynamic” shaped? See pic below…
if the entire metal of the antenna is supposed to be round, should the black nubbin at the base also be round or should it be “tear drop” shaped?
The top picture you posted is a replacement antenna, you can tell that because rather than the terdrop plastic at the base it has a chrome nut with two flats (I have one if you want to buy one!). The original type has the teardrop plastic insulator at the base as you said your “nub” does. Not sure if the mast should be round or teardrop, the original on my '69 is round as I recall but it has the teardrop plastic at the bottom.
On the question of antennas, my 67 XR7 got one as expected but its not telescopic, I had to cut a hole in my car cover to accommodate. Were the first gen Cougar antennas solid whips?
Looks like my antenna USED to be correct, before it was broken :-/
Next question; the description for the WCCC repro says “a very close reproduction”. What part of the repro is not correct?
On the repro is the black nubbin the correct shape?
I know I may be nit picking, but the more things I can make right the first time the better, IMO.
Oh, one more… Is the cable removable at the base of the antenna? So, could I just replace the mast portion without having to pull and route cables?
Inferring from the description, it’s the gasket. You can’t tell from the picture, but the gasket is wedge-shaped to fit the contour of a Mustang fender and keep the antenna vertical. I’m guessing the Cougar fender profile is different enough that the wedge puts the antenna at an angle with respect to vertical.
The reproductions don’t have the wire clips installed and will not have the metal clamps for holding them. In addition the reproduction has a once piece cable that goes all the way to the radio. The NOS has a short cable from the antenna and an additional cable to reach the radio. I have the reproduction antennas like WCCC but I install the wire holders in the correct positions before shipping. I do not have the metal clamps so I use then wire ties.
This was a pain when I was working on my car and needed to remove the fender after everything had been buttoned up. Had to remove the dash pad to disconnect the antenna. If I ever need to do that again, I’ll figure out how to splice in connectors to make the antenna cable a two-piece unit.
