I got sick and tired of my monster factory antenna beating against my KC windshield lights while on the trial and catching every branch i passed and decided to look into a fix. I know there are many options out there such as Antenna X and the like, but i just didn't want to spend the little cash for something that i could easily do myself. So i made my own shorty antenna.

What you will need:
-Tape measure
-Vice grips
-Pliers
-Small hammer (regular will do, but will be more difficult)
-Hack saw
-File
-Sharpy
-Super glue
-Paint (optional)
-And your antenna




Step 1:
-Measure the antenna and mark the spot with the sharpy of where you want to make your cut. I chose to do 15 1/2".

 

Step 2:
-Use the vice grips to hold the antenna still and the pliers to pop off the ball at the end of the antenna. I saw a guy on a mustang forum do this and he said it was the easiest way. I agree! Use the pliers against the vice grips for leverage and the ball will pop right off. See below:




Step 3:
-Use the hack saw and make your cut on the marked place. I did not have one when i started working on this, so i ran to Lowes and picked one up for $4. This is why it is not in my initial tool picture.



Step 4:
-Now, use the file to file down the cut you just made. Since the antenna is tapered from the bottom to the top, you will need to file at least 3/16th of an inch down to get the ball to fit back on.

 

WELL, say goodbye to reception. Been there done that and so have many others. You will be playing lots of cds now.

 

Step 5:
-One you finish filing, put a small amount of super glue in the end of the ball that goes on top of the antenna. Then use the small hammer to mount the ball on the antenna.




Step 6:
-Next you can choose to paint or leave the antenna as is. I decided to leave mine as is instead of painting it after i finished.



** People say that this will cause a loss of reception, i did not with my pre set channels! **

 

Here is the finished product:





** People say that this will cause a loss of reception, i did not with my pre set channels! **

 

I did not see any loss of reception with my pre set channels.

 

I lost some reception when I cut my stock one down.... Soooooo I bought one from AntennaX and it was worse!!!!!

I was told if you wrapped a fine copper wire around the antenna and hockey taped it on..... Canada eh
That reception would improve... I'm going to try that with my chopped stock antenna and see if it makes a difference.

 

I did this to mine a week or so ago and I haven't notice any loss in reception whatsoever.

 

"Been there done that".... I did this mod 2 years ago and still work great even after repainting it a couple of time, so no idea what you're talking about!
Oh, did you make sure you put the antena back on the Jeep?

 

Chopped mine last year, same reception ..... Make sure the threads make good contact when re installing ....