How do you bolt radio antenna mounts to truck?

Is there a special bolt or tool needed for this? I see the holes on the vehicle but not sure if there is a 'molly bolt' type solution here or something else.

Sorry for the dumb question..just can't quite figure this out by reading the TMs.

Also where do you find the correct bolts and what size?

We picked up a interior radio mount, I'm looking for the screw/bolt size for that as well.

Thanks!

Is the hole threaded or just cleared and you put a nut on it? If so you could use whatever you want.

For outside bolts I would use this http://www.permatex.com/products-2/...l-resistance-rtv-silicone-gasket-maker-detail I have used this stuff on bolts that where underwater and no leaks.

But I'm not a 09 expert like some here.
Hope this helps.

Rivnut is what you need.

here's a pic of the holes on the body for the antenna mount in the drivers side closest to tailgate. i'm not sure what to make of those..are you saying those are actually threaded already?

we just need to find the correct bolt/screw/washer (and maybe some of your gasket maker to seal it proper?)



here are the holes on the drivers side closest to cab. as you can see there's some kind of aftermarket antenna mount abomination on there now we will be removing and replacing with both the mount + the guard to help hide any additional holes cut into the metal (hopefully)



the WORST spot by far is the passenger side closest to the cab. it looks like the mount was ripped off completely and new holes were cut..for whatever reason. we're still not entirely sure what to do about this side. the door still closes perfectly even with the dent. at a minimum we are going to sand and fill in the holes to keep water out and further rust developing.

if you look closely, there's still a bolt attached to one of the 4 original holes we will need to dremel off.

Yes they should already be threaded (RivNut)

do those appear to be rivnut 'bases' in the pics? i guess i need to reread the TMs

Yes they do

You need 1/4"-20 Heavy Duty Rivet Nuts from McMaster Carr. http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/121/3306/=zgujfw

Don't buy the aluminum - get the Zinc Chromate plated steel ones 95105A143 for $9.08 for a pack of 25. You will also need a sharp 25/64 drill and a tool to install the rivet nut. McMaster sells the tool for $30 http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/121/3309/=zgun2q but a lot of guys make their own. Basically you position the antennae mount where you want it, mark the holes with a Sharpie, then drill the 25/64 holes. The rivet nuts are sort of giant pop rivets but threaded on the inside. When they are crimped into the drilled hole, they provide a 14"-20 threaded socket to run the bolts into. Kinda neat, really.

Hope this helps.

i dont want to add new holes. if you look at the pics i've posted it appears there might be nuts already there for some of the mounts. one side (where the truck is dented) definitely does not have anything..just holes.

The holes in the metal need to be the exact size for the rivnuts to clamp securely to the metal.

I would repair the dented area with a sheet metal patch and then drill the correct hole size for the rivnuts in the original location.

I don't think those holes were ever threaded or had nutserts in them from the factory.
Maybe a depot or field repair?

A plate was made up with two nutserts in it and held on the inside of the outer bed wall or fender while bolts were passed through the ant.
Bracket and threaded into.
Two plates per mount.

At least that's how it was on the couple I removed.
Tom

i saw a thread about those plates. i dont disagree but those holes appear to be in the correct place on the passenger side, just got ripped out maybe.

we are trying to restore the vehicle as close to how it was originally so we don't want to add any guards or antenna brackets that weren't there originally.

there appear to be 3 sets of '4 bolt pattern' holes (driver cab, driver tailgate, passenger cab) and the passenger tailgate just has one hole..maybe for a tie-down clip?

NDT said:

Rivnut is what you need.

Click to expand...

This, or...

TGP (IL) said:

...A plate was made up with two nutserts in it and held on the inside of the outer bed wall or fender while bolts were passed through the antenna bracket and threaded into two plates per mount...

Click to expand...

This. I personally prefer this method, especially if you're adding an antenna that may get hit by things, or is heavy. Grabbing two pieces of sheet steel with a spacer and load plate on the inside squeezing the spacer together in the body panel space, will give it some structure. Using only rivnuts sounds like a good way to pull the antenna off the body panel if it strikes something (tree, bush, bicyclist... )

nyvram said:

I saw a thread about those plates. I don't disagree but those holes appear to be in the correct place on the passenger side, just got ripped out maybe...

Click to expand...

TGP (IL) said:

I don't think those holes were ever threaded or had nutserts in them from the factory, maybe a depot or field repair?

Click to expand...

If you can't shine a flashlight into the hole and see light from underneath the truck in the body panel space, then it's probably a Rivnut - if so and there is not thread, that probably means some yahoo forgot lefty-loosy, righty-tighty and stripped them out (you'll have to drill out the old rivnut and install a new one if that is the case). If you can't shine through, it's possible the backing plate method was used to mount the antenna bracket.

nyvram said:

...there appear to be 3 sets of '4 bolt pattern' holes (driver cab, driver tailgate, passenger cab) and the passenger tailgate just has one hole..maybe for a tie-down clip?

Click to expand...

Tie downs I believe were two holes. One thing to remember, these vehicles have been reconfigured over the years, both by the military and after-owners (if applicable) - and with the military they often had to improvise due to time and budget constraints. Technology and usage changes constantly, they may have had an antenna in the rear and then moved it to the front (there is a model year effect on this too IIRC). For antennas that were not multiband like the military uses now, they can't co-locate an antenna, but rather have to move it a sufficient distance away from one another so they don't interfere.

nyvram said:

...we are trying to restore the vehicle as close to how it was originally so we don't want to add any guards or antenna brackets that weren't there originally...

Click to expand...

Based on my above comment, I'd ask if you actually know what you are trying to restore to? If you are the first owner of the truck after the military, and were trying to go to 100% military authentic, I could argue, don't touch it - it's already authentic as-is!!

if you actually know what you are trying to restore to?

Click to expand...

good question. its been repainted (tan over OD green) and we were thinking of going back to OD

as for the antenna holes, our thinking is that at least the brackets and bracket guards were there at one time so we wanted to put them back on where the holes are.

same for the jerry can bracket, we want to put a jerry can and bracket there because the mount is already there for it.

This thread will give you an idea of what everyone is talking about with the RivNuts

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?138138-Rivet-Nuts-or-Riv-Nuts

And this one will give you instructions on the mounts. They are not in the TM. The mounts are an add on item and have their own install instructions

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?106869-CUCV-antenna-mount-and-guard-measurements

Your truck may have just had all three of those mounts installed originally depending on what use the truck had in service. I found this thread where there are three antenna mounts on the truck similar to yours. It shows the guards in addition to the mount itself, perhaps as part of the MSE system installation (now being replaced by Win-T).

The send thread Warthog linked above has some pictures I took a while back for another member - there are a few semi-close-ups of the bracket and guard about half way down in this post. The both line up for two of the four holes (at the top).

thank you! i wish those documents were a little larger. i have a hard time reading the text even with them downloaded..if I magnify it, the words are just blurry.

intrigued by the rivnut tool and process. that seems the way we'd have to go on the one side with the dent. we probably wont install anything more than the bracket and guard there, we will probably just go with one antenna for now on the drivers side where the mounting holes seem to have plates (the 9' 3600 military 2 part mast)

...assuming of course we can find 2 more antenna brackets and 3 guards. those are hard to find.

warthog i wish i had known you (and this site) back when you had a bushel of the guards.

thanks tim! i found that thread & downloaded those images. i dont suppose you have any higher res versions of the installation instructions do you? i downloaded the ones attached to the thread but when i enlarge them on screen, the text just gets blurry.

that truck configuration is verrry similar to ours. we would like to just put the mounts back first to 'fill in' all the holes and figure out the antennas later or if we want to use the brackets for other purposes.

The install instructions were not mine - they were from member richingalveston, just from a quick look he's been online as recently as today so shoot him a PM. If he can scan them and post them as a PDF to that thread, it'll take the full resolution BTW, and we'll all get the benefit that way.