Successfully fitted the CB radio and the external antenna mount.
Took bloody ages due in no small part to there being no obvious spot to attach the radio on what passes for a dashboard in the Defender, probably because when Defenders were originally dreamt up, the more common way to communicate was by telegram, or perhaps Semaphore.
The dashboard is more of a handy little shelf on which to store screwdrivers, spanners, rolls of tape, string and so on. It's like an integral tool box.
After several hours trying out different positions around the car for the radio (including one moment of utter insanity where I seriously considered mounting it to the inside of the roof), I succumbed to doing something I vowed I'd never do and drilled two holes through the dashboard cross member in order to attach the radio mounting bracket. I'd hoped to keep the Defender free of Swiss cheese characteristics - there are plenty of Landrovers out there already peppered with holes - but in the end this was just about the only solution.
And actually, it's worked pretty well. The radio is out of the way yet still accessible and it doesn't foul any other controls.
When routing the antenna co-ax from the rear of the car through to the front, the dire build quality of a Defender came to the fore as I was able to gently pull back the headlining and hide the cable behind it without too much effort. It runs in through the rear door seal, along the roof line, over the top of the drivers door, down the off side A-post, then down the corner of the dash where the heater controls reside, under the steering column and in to the radio itself which is just to the left of the ignition barrel, down a bit from the fan control. For electrical power I tapped in to the cigarette lighter feed.
Outside, the antenna mount looks pretty sturdy although I have my doubts. Like anything bought for a Landrover it needed modifying slightly in order to fit, but this isn't what bothers me. It clamps to the gutter and although in theory this is a good idea, the gutters are lined with some kind of gooey sealant gunk, meaning the bolts which provide the clamping action have nothing really solid to bite in to. Might have to fabricate a small metal plate to go under the tails of the bolts, give 'em something solid.
Now all I need is someone to talk to....
Oh and an added bonus, I found my 13mm spanner, missing for several months.
Took bloody ages due in no small part to there being no obvious spot to attach the radio on what passes for a dashboard in the Defender, probably because when Defenders were originally dreamt up, the more common way to communicate was by telegram, or perhaps Semaphore.
The dashboard is more of a handy little shelf on which to store screwdrivers, spanners, rolls of tape, string and so on. It's like an integral tool box.
After several hours trying out different positions around the car for the radio (including one moment of utter insanity where I seriously considered mounting it to the inside of the roof), I succumbed to doing something I vowed I'd never do and drilled two holes through the dashboard cross member in order to attach the radio mounting bracket. I'd hoped to keep the Defender free of Swiss cheese characteristics - there are plenty of Landrovers out there already peppered with holes - but in the end this was just about the only solution.
And actually, it's worked pretty well. The radio is out of the way yet still accessible and it doesn't foul any other controls.
When routing the antenna co-ax from the rear of the car through to the front, the dire build quality of a Defender came to the fore as I was able to gently pull back the headlining and hide the cable behind it without too much effort. It runs in through the rear door seal, along the roof line, over the top of the drivers door, down the off side A-post, then down the corner of the dash where the heater controls reside, under the steering column and in to the radio itself which is just to the left of the ignition barrel, down a bit from the fan control. For electrical power I tapped in to the cigarette lighter feed.
Outside, the antenna mount looks pretty sturdy although I have my doubts. Like anything bought for a Landrover it needed modifying slightly in order to fit, but this isn't what bothers me. It clamps to the gutter and although in theory this is a good idea, the gutters are lined with some kind of gooey sealant gunk, meaning the bolts which provide the clamping action have nothing really solid to bite in to. Might have to fabricate a small metal plate to go under the tails of the bolts, give 'em something solid.
Now all I need is someone to talk to....
Oh and an added bonus, I found my 13mm spanner, missing for several months.
