Lol nice precautionary measure (literally) there.


I figured, as these have the hex fitting on the bottom to tighten/loosen. Just asking cuz I got one of the 13" universal ones referenced earlier for my old Mazda and had to cut the wiring with a samurai sword through the fender to get it out. Then I just ran the new wire to the radio and voila. I didn't wanna go through that again

 

If I think the truck is close to the top of a parking garage I get close, open the window and stick my arm up to see if I can reach it. If I can't I know its not going to hit.

 

I cut mine when I lifted my truck about 1" above the top so I could see if I could make it in parking garages. Put the ball back on and sprayed a little black on there, good as new

 

I just ordered one from Craven Speed. I used 10% off code TARIN10.

 

I have a Craven speed one with no issues. I got tired of the factory one whacking all the signs in my parking garage. Drives me crazy, plus it knocks dust/dirt off them onto the truck.

 

You can find black shorty antennaes on eBay for about 25$ that fit right on the truck and look awesome. I had one on my 05 after I used my OEM one to break into the truck (long story) and it was much better

 

LOL resourcefulness at its finest. Lock Pop-a-Lock closed??

 

Or you can buy the Craven one for $23 shipped.

 

Nice to know,been thinking about swapping mine aswell

 

IMHO they also look the best. They are flat black and match the base. The other stubbies out there are shiny black and the shapes don't look right.

 

I cut my '10 antenna too a couple years ago. I cut it 1/2 inch taller than the roof of my truck. If the antenna hits anything, I back the he11 up.

Find a old school set of wire strippers, the one with the different sized holes in them for stripping wire. Wrap a size larger than the antenna around it just below the ball. Use a hammer and tap on the strippers and pop the ball off. (this works best if you have someone there to help you see where the ball goes, or better yet, catch it when it pops off). Or, if you are real smart, simply tape the ball to the strippers. Measure the height of your roof, and transfer that height to the "new" antenna length, and mark with tape. Remove the antenna with a wrench, and using a hacksaw, cut the antenna. Use a bench grinder or even a file if you don't have one, and taper the end of the antenna a bit. Line up the ball, and tap the antenna upside down on a 2x4 to secure the ball back in place.

It's not hard, and I've yet to see any difference in reception.

 

How did you get the ball back on? What is it held on with? I want to cut mine but I think it will look stupid without the ball

 

My door lock remote broke off, so i threw it in the cup holder and managed ro also lock the keys in there.. but if u have a friend, one person can pry open the top of the door just enough to slide the antennae through and hit the door locks! It looked shady, and people gave me a few looks, but it worked!

 

It's easy to shorten it yourself -- you'll have no reception issues. Simply take a pair of wire strippers and choose the size that fits around the wire of the antenna but not over the 'ball' at the top.

Using a small amount of force, pop off the ball of the antenna by sliding the wire strippers up the antenna (obviously, once off the truck). Watch the ball -- it'll rocketship off of there and will bounce around if you're not careful.

Once off, using a Dremel tool or other type of cutoff tool, cut to length. Once off, reattach the ball with a dab of your favorite adhesive (I prefer an epoxy for metal).

Allow to dry... reattach. Done.

Like I said, I've done this SEVERAL times on various vehicles due to hitting the garage on the pull in... ZERO reception issues.

-RP-

 

I did the same thing as him on my 2002.

The ball is just held on with pressure it pops off with a little force. I closed my vice with enough room for the antenna to slide through, but not the ball. With one whack it went flying across the garage.

I used a dremel to make the hole in the ball a little bigger because the antenna wouldnt fit. When I put mine back together, I put the ball in a vice and heated it with a torch with some solder in the hole on the ball. Once the solder melted it put the antenna back in it. That was over a year ago and the ball is still on there.