My 90 Camry attenna motor died and rather than drop a ton on a new antenna, I hooked up a simple antenna in the trunk that works fine around here. But what to do with the former hole tha the antenna came out of? The old bushing was a part of the motor chassis and can’t be put back. I have a piece of duct tape on it now but would like something that looks a little better. The hole is on an angled part of the body so nothing I can find in Pepboys will neatly cover it. Any ideas for a simple or cheap fix?
Try to find some sort of rubber plug, like a firewall grommet.
don’t know if this would fit: http://www.finishlineperformance.com/store/product.php?productid=16523&cat=295&page=1
If the curve prevents such a simple repair. How about cutting the old bezel off the old antenna, plugging that up. Use the old hardware to attach.
Go to a craft store. They should have a section with corks. There are rubber ones as well as the normal cork ones. They should be of all sizes, find one that fits tight. It should only be about 8 cents.
Black rubber sheet metal plugs are available in many sizes. A cheap whip replacement antenna are available including angled ones…
Caddyman beat me to the new antenna idea. I will add that if you want it to look good, any body shop should be able to plug it and paint it.
I had the automatic antenna die on my Supra. I pulled the old unit out, and replaced it with a generic simple stationary antenna instead using the factory hole. Hole covered, antenna in place, works great.
Check places like PepBoys or Autozone. I’ve seen plugs there in their antenna section for just this purpose. Although they may not have the correct size for your vehicle.
I’d try to re-rig the old antenna into the old hole . . if the old bushing is the only problem, find a new or replacement bushing. Or better still . . . go to a salvage yard and get a replacement antenna from another '90 Camry . . . you’ll be shocked at how cheap it will be. Rocketman
Mike is on target here . . . but I’ll go a bit farther . . . a generic replacement antenna (I’ve used them) often has several rubber bases to fit a variety of applications. Check out your local parts store. Rocketman
Thanks guys. I did try a couple of Pep Boys shops but the replacement antennas largely will not fit since the body is angled at the factory hole. But you did give me an idea. I’ll replace the whole power antenna assembly that includes the bushing minus the antenna that fell out and just caulk over the hole where the antenna went in. A lot of metal and plastic to fill one hole but probably the neatest fix.
I assume you will need a black sealer to color match for “caulk”. I suggest using a black Permatex RTV. be careful to avoid getting tit on the paint. Not only will it be messy, but can make repainting (if needed) down the road.