On Thu, 3 Jul 1997 16:44:41 -0500  said:
>Has anyone successfully installed an electric retractable radio antenna in a
>Vanagon?
>If so, what brand of antenna did you use, and how hard was it?

it actually was NOT hard at all. the hardest parts were filing out a small
notch in the sheet-metal shelf (behind the headlight fixture) so the antenna
would fit, and getting the antenna cable into the back of the radio (this
was before i found out how to remove the radio!). :) here's my notes:

power radio antenna:  started with an ad in a magazine for Fuba antennas.
1-800-637-0222 for info. turned out to be a place called Antenna World.
they sell wholesale only. so i had to get my local parts place to
special order it.  the part you want (might want to phone again to
double check) is SJ-3FB Antenna (black), and D-57 Head Kit 57 degrees
(to accommodate the angle of the Vanagon front).  when it came in, it
was less than the fellow had told me to expect: he said about $80 for
the antenna ... it was $60. only modification i had to make on the car
was to file out a little notch on the side of the hole in the sheet
metal (behind the headlight) to accommodate a little bump on the side
of the antenna. then 'just' wire it up and connect to radio. i put a
on-off switch on the dash (down under the 'lip') so now i can raise or
lower it when i want ... like for car washes or leaving it parked for
a while. note: all this assumes that your antenna is the standard vw
and is mounted on the front of the car. mine was on the drivers side,
but i can't see why this same antenna would not work on the passengers
side. you could also do without the D-57 Head Kit if your vanagon has a
factory antenna already. i just used the vw parts off the old antenna.

joel