LONO100
Explorer Addict
- Joined
- March 23, 2011
- Messages
- 2,915
- Reaction score
- 25
- City, State
- Bay Area CA
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 03 sport trac XLT
hey all, after squeezing in a few minutes here and a few minutes there in a busy work week, here are pictures of my CB radio install on my 2003 ST with my new roof rack that ive been dying to get. my goal was to make it as clean an install as possible without having to drill any holes or alter the actual truck in any permanent way. i also wanted to make the cba radio look as unnoticable as possible. any suggestions or ideas would be great. thanks everyone, the forum rules.
i started by mounting the magnet mount antenna on the roof right above the third brake light, then passing the coax to the passenger side, under the roof rail and down to the door.
i then passed the coax tucked under the rubber door seal all the way to the bottom
i then removed the door jam trim and passed the coax along the door jam
i did have to punch a small hole in the bottom of the rubber door seal to pass the coax into the cabin
this is the front passenger seat where the coax passed through. you can also take the door jam trim here too just by pulling on it
this is right under the glove box, you can see the coax finding its way to the center of the dash right under the ash tray
this is where the ash tray was, i pulled it out and decided to place my cobra 19 dxIII radio where that ash tray was. again, this in a 03 sport trac. my coax was 15' and landed perfectly at the ash tray
this is how i powered the radio. i tapped into fuse #16 which powers down when the key is in the off position, so you dont have to worry about turning the radio off every time you leave the car.
i ended up grounding the radio on this bolt that supports the dash on the bottom. i moved it to a spot by the brake pedal, but then moved it back.
this is where the radio sits. i originally used outdoor mounting tape on the radio bracket, but it felt loose, so i did concede and drilled one hole into the black metal piece that the ash tray snaps into. the radio bracket fit perfectly into place and sat solidly in place. then i just put the piece back on and mounted the radio. its easy to do, just remove the 4 7mm bolts that hold it against the dash, and snap it off. i wish i had taken pics, but if anyone needs more info on how to get it out (its pretty easy) just hit me up.
this is how it looks form the outside. i tried to make the antenna blend in as much as possible
this is how its laced under the door seal. clean! just tucked snugly.
i zip tied the coax somewhat loosley so it isnt pinched, along the roof rack cross bar and fed it under the roof rail
here's how she sits this morning!
still working out the bugs when it comes to tuning and operation. im new to cb radios, and im learning as much as i can. my ultimate plan is to come off the magnet mount and do a clean install of either an antenna mount on the rear right bumper, or to mount a cb antenna where my am/fm antenna is, split that and use it for both my cb and my am/fm signal.
any thoughts, suggestions, or criticisms on how to improve this install and operation would be very welcomed. thanks everyone, couldnt have done it without the forum!
i started by mounting the magnet mount antenna on the roof right above the third brake light, then passing the coax to the passenger side, under the roof rail and down to the door.
i then passed the coax tucked under the rubber door seal all the way to the bottom
i then removed the door jam trim and passed the coax along the door jam
i did have to punch a small hole in the bottom of the rubber door seal to pass the coax into the cabin
this is the front passenger seat where the coax passed through. you can also take the door jam trim here too just by pulling on it
this is right under the glove box, you can see the coax finding its way to the center of the dash right under the ash tray
this is where the ash tray was, i pulled it out and decided to place my cobra 19 dxIII radio where that ash tray was. again, this in a 03 sport trac. my coax was 15' and landed perfectly at the ash tray
this is how i powered the radio. i tapped into fuse #16 which powers down when the key is in the off position, so you dont have to worry about turning the radio off every time you leave the car.
i ended up grounding the radio on this bolt that supports the dash on the bottom. i moved it to a spot by the brake pedal, but then moved it back.
this is where the radio sits. i originally used outdoor mounting tape on the radio bracket, but it felt loose, so i did concede and drilled one hole into the black metal piece that the ash tray snaps into. the radio bracket fit perfectly into place and sat solidly in place. then i just put the piece back on and mounted the radio. its easy to do, just remove the 4 7mm bolts that hold it against the dash, and snap it off. i wish i had taken pics, but if anyone needs more info on how to get it out (its pretty easy) just hit me up.
this is how it looks form the outside. i tried to make the antenna blend in as much as possible
this is how its laced under the door seal. clean! just tucked snugly.
i zip tied the coax somewhat loosley so it isnt pinched, along the roof rack cross bar and fed it under the roof rail
here's how she sits this morning!
still working out the bugs when it comes to tuning and operation. im new to cb radios, and im learning as much as i can. my ultimate plan is to come off the magnet mount and do a clean install of either an antenna mount on the rear right bumper, or to mount a cb antenna where my am/fm antenna is, split that and use it for both my cb and my am/fm signal.
any thoughts, suggestions, or criticisms on how to improve this install and operation would be very welcomed. thanks everyone, couldnt have done it without the forum!
