Radio antenna's and the Caddy Club

Val
Val Member
in HUDSON
I posted awhile back about needing an under running board antenna and I recall someone saying something about someone in the Cadillac Club making them. So I reached out to the Cadillac LaSalle Club. I will post any reply I get here for those interested. I do have instructions from Steve (our radio man) on how to build one. So if all else fails I can go that route.      

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  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    Have you researched the type of antenna your car would have had originally?  

    My guess is that the Cadillac may have had a framework of rods under the runningboard, while the '39 Hudson may have simple had bare cables strung back and forth between brackets with holes in them; that is the system my '37 had, and I actually replicated it years ago.  (It never got very good reception so I ended up using a side-cowl antenna, which was NOT originally used, and got marginally better reception.)  

    Actually, didn't 1939 offer the first vacuum antennas, coming out the top of the cowl (where they would be located eventually on every car)?  Or even manually telescoping antennas, on top of the cowl?   
  • Val
    Val Member
    Jon My car had the under running board type. But not sure if Cadillac had the exact same type. Yes 39 did offer a side mounted antenna but my car wasn't set up that way. Steves instructions say something about steel tubing so my guess is that it wasn't simply bare cables. But I cant say for sure. Maybe some other 39 owners will jump in with a little more info???
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    I know that the '34-39 shop manual has a "radio" section that illustrates (partially) my antenna and I believe it has a section for the '39 ones as well.  Again: this is just a drawing and only shows part of the antenna but it might be helpful.  There's a '34-39 shop manual in the H-E-T on-line library, if you don't have one.
  • Val
    Val Member
    Thanks Jon but I do have print of that and I would rather not put holes in the car to mount a side mount antenna. Plan on using redi rad anyway so the AM radio wouldn't need to get great reception but rather just want the original look for the car

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