Ok, thanks to "thunderbirdjunkie" I decided to mount my newly acquired Firestick on the spare tire mount! Cheap and easy to do. I went to Ace Hardware and got a steel "L" bracked, then had him cut the piece to the length I needed. They only sell them in 4' long strips I guess. Anyway, after getting the piece cut I measured for a hole to bolt it onto the spare tire mount, then another hole for the antenna to go into. I drilled out the holes with just a standard drill bit and my cordless drill. Really simple operation. Then I had to cut some of the metal off the spare tire mount to get the brace to sit against the back of the mount where the bolt comes out. I couldn't get it all the way flush (don't have a grinder) so I ended up putting a couple spacers between the bracket and the nut. I bought the antenna mounting hardware at Radio Shack for around $40. This included a spacer/adapter which had the mounting nuts, the spring, and the cable. First thing I did was grind off the spare tire mount I needed cut off. I used a drill bit (embarrassing) and it took a long time but it worked. Then I mounted the antenna, and ran the cable. I ran the cable in between the glass and the door, then behind the plastic panel on the back of the door, through the wire trough into the cabin, then behind the plastic on the drivers side at the base where it meets the carpet. I ran it all the way up into the rear drivers side floorboard, then went under the carpet to the center console, under the console to where I have my CB stuffed between the drivers seat and the center console. I can't really find a legit place to mount my CB so there is where it stays. Everything works great. Here are some pictures:
The top hits the entrance to my garage a little bit and it doesn't fling back to hit the Jeep at all. One big drawback to this spot is that I find it hard to open the glass/door with the antenna there. The glass won't open without me opening the door first, and to shut it I have to hold the antenna back, then shut the door and glass at the same time. Not a big deal really unless your fussy and in a super hurry. I like the position of the antenna enough that I'll deal with it. All the metal mounting hardware and spring sit behind the tire so all anyone sees is the black of the antenna sticking up.
