A friend purchased an 88 Electra Estate Wagon, and the power antenna is kaput. I'm hearing from a mechanic that the only way to swap it out is to remove the fender. True? Anyone know where we can purchase one?
They are just about impossible to get out without removing the fender, or at least taking it loose. I don't remember the persons name, but he advertises on eBay a lot. He sells rebuilt power antenna's and will also rebuild your old core. No dollar saving if he rebuilds yours, so if he has a rebuilt, then buy that one, and keep your old one in case you ever need parts.
He would be correct. The most common failure mode in these antennas is the nylon drive cable inside the mast breaks. A year or so ago you could still buy a new mast kit from GM. This basic antenna was used for at least 10 years on various GM cars. I usually get them out of the trunks of the FWD B-body cars at wrecking yards for $15. You might have to swap the mounting brackets to fit your application.
"AntennaMastsRUs" also has a lot of the old mast kits. Used one on my 84 Eldo recently - worked great! http://www.antennamastsrus.com/index.htm Parent company is Bridgewood Motorsports.
Access is a bi***. If you're lucky, you might be able to get your hand up inside an access cut-out on the upper rear part of the fender, after moving anything in that area that's in the way - up next to the hood hinge. If you can get access, you'll be doing it by 'feel' only. A body shop that works on a lot of old cars may have some experience with this. If your local Buick dealer has been in business a long time, and has their own body shop, that's where I'd go. They've probably got a tech around that's taken off a zillion of these fenders.
The FSM probably shows all the steps to replace it. No big deal if you follow the destructions. Those antennas are available all over, just over a 100 to 280 bucks, but it looks like the AC Delco replacement is a universal replacement antenna in a Delco labeled box. Better off repairing the original or finding a good working one IMO. Power antennas are cool, like little submarine periscopes, dual powerful antennas would be twice as cool, I wonder? They would have to be perfectly synchronized going up and down or it would blow the cool factor.
Years ago GM sold a patch panel to be applied over a hole that was cut in the inner fender to expedite this job. As I recall the inner fender had dimples or some sort of mark to outline the area to cut. I'm going back a long way and this may not apply to your car but it's perhaps worth investigating.
Pull your right front wheel and then you can start working on the inner wheelwell. At most, IIRC, You may have to undo the very bottom fender bolt and carefully gain some more access if you have really big hands. I replaced a ton of these on the Caprice/Parisienne/Estate Wagon. I bent and beat alot of wheelwells, but never had to remove a fender.
