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Access to remove Ariel

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4tecdog

4tecdog

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Have an after market electric Ariel on my 65 BJ8 which is faulty I would like to remove it to fit a replacement anyone have any recommendations electric/manual. Also it appears to be a little inaccessible from under the bonnet/hood without removing the SU filters and heater hose at least. Would it be possible to get at by removing the trim in the passenger footwell and having access through the pannel.
 
I assume that the radio antenna is on the front fender on a right hand drive model? I have accessed and changed the antenna on my left hand drive BJ7 by removing the 3 flange bolts holding the bottom of the fender to allow enough movement to access the removal and replacement of the antenna assembly.
 
4tecdog said:
It is a right hand drive, seems a tad drastic to loosen the fender is there another way.
Click to expand...
Nope .....
I would never install an electric radio antenna in an area that is exposed to water road debris etc . Abandon it and install it in the boot where its dry and run the cable under the carpets to the radio .
 
Hi Tproject
Could you please give me more detail of what you refer to as flange bolts, the electric Ariel is under the left fender about a foot from the windscreen, unfortunately it has stuck in the extended position so I will probably have to cut the extending part flush with the fixing. The mechanism looks a bit bulky to remove hope your method works, As suggested I will replace with a manual unit possibly easier to mount in existing position so as not to leave a blank hole in the fender, However mounting the Ariel in the boot sounds sensible. Thanks for your help.
 
Hi All,

Sorry, but I misread your post and also agree that removing the electric antenna would probably require, at minimum, the removal of the bottom fender mounting bolts and possibly the removal of the fender (also requiring the removal of the door). Depending on the dimensions of the electric motor and how its mounted inside the fender, getting access to the unit would be dependent upon the extent of the opening made when the bottom of the fender is separated and the size of the unit, mounting location and method of attachment, and your accessibility to them from the space made by separating the bottom of the fender.

Since removing the 3 lower fender mounting bolts will allow you to evaluate all else, that would be my first step.


My initial Response:
First, where exactly is the antenna located?

A front fender manual (non-electric) antenna should be able to be removed and replaced through its mounting hole by loosening the top retaining nut and allowing its under-fender mounting to swivel/dropping. Make sure you extend the shaft of the antenna so that you don't allow the antenna to fall into the fender or you will need to undue the bottom fender mounting bolts as suggested previously. Once extracted from the fender, most manual antennas will allow the separation of the antenna cable connected to the radio from the antenna shaft. I would attach the original (in-place) cable to the new antenna shaft and test to make sure it is in good condition. If it is, keep it and reinstall the replacement antenna shaft and you are good to go.

If you find you have a bad cable as well (or just want to replace it with the new cable), I would tape the new to the old along with a piece of wire transitioning both cables as reinforcement and carefully pulling the old out from the inside of the car, pulling the new with it. Connectors and bends leading to the inside of the cabin may require you dismantle some interior panels or components and is the reason I suggest, if possible, to retain the existing cable.

Hope this helps,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
 
Last edited:
4tecdog said:
...Ariel on my 65 BJ8 which is faulty I would like to remove it...
Click to expand...

Me too. She just won't leave.

arielbj8.jpg
 
If you choose to remove the bolts at the bottom of the fender to gain access, be careful when pulling the bottom of the fender outwards. It likely will flex, and any body filler or glazing putty on the panel under the paint may crack.

I would not recommend removing the entire fender as that can cause all kinds of other issues. The multiple fasteners that connect the fender to the shroud are difficult to access, and panel alignment and paint damage issues could result. If it proves difficult to undo the antenna from below, you might want to heavily mask off the fender around the antenna to protect the paint and then cut if off from above. That may allow the lower pieces to fall to the bottom where you can remove them. You then can cap the hole with a chrome or painted grommet or install a new antenna from above or below.
 
Hi All,

If you choose to remove the bolts at the bottom of the fender to gain access, be careful when pulling the bottom of the fender outwards. It likely will flex, and any body filler or glazing putty on the panel under the paint may crack.

I would not recommend removing the entire fender as that can cause all kinds of other issues. The multiple fasteners that connect the fender to the shroud are difficult to access, and panel alignment and paint damage issues could result. If it proves difficult to undo the antenna from below, you might want to heavily mask off the fender around the antenna to protect the paint and then cut if off from above. That may allow the lower pieces to fall to the bottom where you can remove them. You then can cap the hole with a chrome or painted grommet or install a new antenna from above or below.
Click to expand...

All extremely good recommendations. I too would not recommend taking off the front fender unless you have had the experience previously and know what to expect. It would be an advantage to know how the electric antenna was installed initially as it would provide some insight as to how the unit was attached to the car and where. Without that information, you are dependent upon exploration and the potential of having a good story to tell.

All the best,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
 
Had the car up on the ramp this morning to see exactly what sort of a job this was and its well tucked away definite fender job so had half decided to cut the extended ariel off and seal the small hole left with the tip of the Ariel so it would look neat and not allow any moisture in. However took the missus (not Ariel) out for a drive this evening about 40 miles on fairly rough Welsh roads including a cobbled road and guess what it shook Ariel into life ! So I have now left it down and I will either mount a unit in the trunk or leave as is now and only listen to the radio whilst driving on rough roads��
 
I kept seeing this thread and wondered why one wanted to remove either an Ariel Motorcycle or an Ariel Atom.
If it's a Square Four, interested...a Leader, not.....
I mean, if they needed to be removed, I could arrange that, I suppose. Then I read the thread...oh. Never mind, right?
 
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