Antenna Mast Swaping

[ajmcforester]

can you use a 240z motor and a 280z antenna mast and what is the difference between the two masts. I was once a Corvette restoration judge, and detail on cars means a lot.

[Arne]

I suspect it will work, but depending on the year of the different parts the tip of the antenna may not look the same. All of my 240Z antennas have a conical tip, whereas the 280Z antenna I got for parts has a flat-topped cylinder-shaped tip. If you are concerned about strict originality, the difference will be quite visible to knowledgeable Z people.

[bob m]

I am going through this and was informed that the 240z(70 -76) antennas are smaller than the 77 + 280z, and the later model will not fit into the earlier 240z because it is too tall. Also, the early mast connects to the center of the spool with a cotter pin on the 240z and a nut or bolt on the later model. They are not interchangeable. I hope this answers your question

Bob M

[AnthonyG]

I think this is related to the thread, so ...

i have a bad antenna in my 280, and I found a good one at the junkyard form what i think was a 280zx (had the louvers in the hood). I took the connector from the wiring harness too as my 280z has those little bullet connectors.

my question is the new antenna has 4 wires, the old one had 3.

can i do this swap, and what would the wiring be?

(I'm betting they used the chassis as ground for the 3 wire, and have it in the harness for the 4, but I'm not sure)

alternatively can I just swap parts and get a working unit. the only thing broken on the old antenna is the antenna. it was bent by some ever so helpful nameless entity.

[sblake01]

The 280Z antenna is semi-automatic (on-off-on type switch) and the ZX antenna is fully automatic (switched 12v vs. unswitched 12v). I imagine it could be made to work but you wouldn't be able to use the stock 280Z antenna switch.

[sblake01]

Disregard that last post. The 280ZX does have a switch similar to the 76 280Z. You're right that the 280Z antenna is grounded by it's mounting. I'm researching it and I'll post again with the info as soon as I compile it.

[sblake01]

Okay, if you connect the LW wire from you car to the LW wire on the 280ZX antenna and connect the LR to the LR, connect the B wire to the B wire, and disregard the Y wire which is for the antenna timer (half extention feature) in a ZX, it will work. Hope that makes sense.

[AnthonyG]

cool. I'll give it a try this weekend.

thanks

[AnthonyG]

It worked, sorta. The antenna is longer and bigger than the original, but the wire swap worked fine. in fact it used the same color coding, minus the yellow wire.

Odd issue with the antenna. when extending it, no problem. retracting it stops part way in and wont pull in any more. the motor also wont run. I'm assuming i need to calibrate it so it knows where to stop. any ideas on how to do that?

[sblake01]

The ZX had a circuit for the antenna that allowed it to stop halfway up or down. That's what the yellow wire is for. I don't know how to bypass that but I could upload the diagram from the FSM if that would help.

[sblake01]

What I would try is connecting the yellow wire with the down wire.

[AnthonyG]

interesting. I would like the FSM diagram. (I have an EE degree that may help me decode it) and wiring the yellow shoudl be doable... i shoudl be able to cobble together some tntermediate control circuitry if needed