Snapped aerial; fixable?

I managed to snap the aerial on my wife's 53 Almera 1.8 petrol. It snapped in side the housing, but below the screw to remove it for washing etc.

Is this fixable with reasonable effort?

I did this on my Focus.

I bought a 3mm tap for 3 or 4 quid. I drilled a 2.5mm hole in both parts of the detached aerial. I tapped both these holes with the tap. I sawed the head off a 3mm bolt. I then screwed all 3 pieces together, and it hasn't fallen off yet.

Gareth.

You want the bottoming tap.

Can you fish the broken bit out with fine nosed pliers maybe? If you've only lost a few cms of the aerial, cut the bent bit off and stick the rest in the hole and tighten the screw?

Why don't I see many wire coat hangers used for aerials any more?

FM

(The shortest answer I've ever typed!)

Chris

Shame you then spoilt it by adding that bit. :)

Thanks Gareth for the technique in your previous posting as well. I am sorry for the delay in answering, tough times.

I was not familiar with this method. The thing is that my aerial has snapped inside the pivot housing (it's on the roof). Also, the metal is not round (cylindrical) but rectangular (cuboid) with a minimum width of

Is there a tap-screw that would go that thin (I saw that there are 2mm things [1] but is that thin enough)? And will the roof support me (70kg) so I can use the tap inside the housing?

Is there no way I could replace the whole aerial? Is there a connector somewhere high?

Cheers,

Kostas

Thanks Gareth for the technique in your previous posting as well. I am sorry for the delay in answering, tough times.

I was not familiar with this method. The thing is that my aerial has snapped inside the pivot housing (it's on the roof). Also, the metal is not round (cylindrical) but rectangular (cuboid) with a minimum width of

Is there a tap-screw that would go that thin (I saw that there are 2mm things [1] but is that thin enough)? And will the roof support me (70kg) so I can use the tap inside the housing?

Is there no way I could replace the whole aerial? Is there a connector somewhere high?

Cheers,

Kostas

Hi Kostas, I don't know anything other than what I did on my Focus.

I did find out afterwards that the aerial could have been removed relatively easily, since the mounting bolts are accessible by removing the interior light cluster in the centre of the windscreen. This means I could have bought a new aerial and fitted it without removing the roof lining, though I seem to remember it was about £40, perhaps more. The connector to the radio just pushes on I believe.

I might also have been able to purchase, much cheaper and easier, a new aerial without the base unit, if I could have separated the broken stud from the threads, which I couldn't. This was further complicated by the fact that Focus' have two types of aerial, one where the stud is on the aerial, and another where the stud is on the base, and I couldn't tell which type I had as the broken stud was well seized into either aerial or base unit.

I don't weigh 70 Kg, but still wouldn't climb onto the roof of my Focus, but I managed to stand on the door sill and drill the hole instead.

I felt that a 3mm bolt was the absolute minimum I could get away with, there is no way I would have attempted a 2mm solution, unless perhaps I could have got the base unit onto a bench to drill the hole.

Gareth.