TR2/3/3A tr3 radio antenna hole

[sp53]

Hi all I am out working on my 61 tr3 and noticed that I put a 58 passenger front fender on with a radio antenna hole in it, but there is no place to run the antenna out from the inner fender/tub. My 58 has a very large hole in the tub passenger side that looks like you could mount a speaker there, but not the 61. Anybody ever have this situation. Clearly I could drill a hole, but as usual my curiosity is up.
Steve

 

[Geo Hahn]

Mine has the antenna hole there & does not have the speaker hole.

ISTR that the wire snakes over the upper lip of the inner fender and then on towards the radio. It is not line of sight but if you shine a flashlight down into the antenna hole and then crawl into the passenger wheel well you may get the idea.

 

[ekamm]

I don't thin that they came with the hole in the fender as the radio was a dealer installed option. Mine has a hole as well and I know for fact it was added later.Mine also snaked out of the top and found it's way to the radio.

You can see it here coming out of the fender

 

[TR3driver]

I don't thin that they came with the hole in the fender as the radio was a dealer installed option.

And the dealers apparently just stuck the hole wherever they felt like.

 

[Geo Hahn]

Indeed, when I stripped the paint off mine I found a second antenna hole on the side of the scuttle that had been filled somewhere in the cars history.

 

[Marvin Gruber]

Anyone remember the myth about if the antenna was put on the left side on the car it wouldn't pick up stations as well (antenna was closer to power lines and that helped reception).

Marv

 

[M_Pied_Lourd]

Marv,

Glad that mine is on the right then! Now I just need to install a radio....

Cheers,
M. Pied Lourd

 

[martx-5]

When I first started doing the resto on my TR3, the first bit of body work I did was weld the antenna hole shut in the wing. TR3's aren't supposed to have radios.

 

[M_Pied_Lourd]

Agreed....although my Heritage Certificate indicates that mine originally had a radio installed.....long gone I am sure.

Cheers,
M. Pied Lourd

 

[sp53]

Thanks all for your reply. I am still a little confused about the radio evidence. I have two 58 body tubs and they both have radio holes in the exact same spot of the inner passenger side of the tub. The big hole has four “ let in” holes on the same points of the circle, so I am betting the factory at least thought off putting radios in(naturally on the right side). Anyways it is not important, just something I was curious about.
Steve

 

[TR3driver]

Steve, there is no doubt that the factory did install radios in some cars, but they were (at least mostly) for local delivery (or personal export). Cars shipped overseas normally did not have radios installed because of the high odds that the radios would be missing by the time they were delivered to the dealer.

For some range of production before TS60k, the opening in the RH kick panel appears to have been part of the pressing, rather than something added in anticipation of installing a radio. Although I have seen photos of a speaker installed there (in an early TR2), none of my cars have had any evidence of same, even when they had radios installed. Instead there is a factory-supplied bracket that carries the speaker and radio in the center, under the heater:

 

[Member 10617]

Mine has one of those large holes on the passenger side, and it appears it is original to the car.

 

[M_Pied_Lourd]

Randall,

Mine agrees with you as well. Although my car had the radio from the factory, there is no cut out for a speaker mounting in mine.

Cheers,
M. Pied Lourd

 

[Geo Hahn]

...For some range of production before TS60k, the opening in the RH kick panel appears to have been part of the pressing...

As a data point: TS47905 does not have the speaker hole in the RH kick panel.

 

[martx-5]

My original body, TS23677L had the speaker hole in the kick panel, of course, my post 60k body doesn't.

 

[TRTEL]

Hi, I have a race car ('56) that has the speaker and antenna holes. I remember being told by the guy who turned it into a racer (circa 1962) and had removed that stuff that the speaker had ceased to work because of corrosion. I suppose duhh would be the proper response. I do remember working on some cars with blanking plates over that hole, that did not have radios installed. The antenna conductor was just routed up through the open space between the inner sheet metal and the scuttle panel and over to the radio.
Tom