Readymix's setup is just like mine was...
Yep--Beater is right,thats all I did too--take the ashtray screws out and used nuts and bolts to bolt the CB bracket and the ashtray back in!--its almost like GM designed it that way!--my Radio Shack CB fit perfect in the A/C duct opening without hacking it bigger too..(my truck had no A/C).putting it in was a bit tricky,I pulled the glove box down and out of the way,to get the bolts into the CB that go thru the bracket--the drivers side was a pain,but not too bad..my mike plugged into the side of the CB instead of the front like most of them..that was a real $%^& to plug in!...
No one ever attempted to steal mine--either I was lucky,or they decided it looked like too much WORK to get it out in one peice!..
I've always used 102" Stainless Steel whips ,or fiberglass ones..had a Firestick 4' long that worked just as good though..base loaded ones comprimise size VS power output and sensitivity...
Nothing I'm driving now has a CB in it!--not YET anyway..I like having a CB and a scanner in my truck when I'm plowing...I had issues with the scanner mounted under the ashtray--it blocked the ashtray,and made my T-case tend to pop out of low range,due to the shifter hitting it,and not allowing full engaugement of the gears..I heated and bent the shifter lever,and all was well again..
I've found adding a 10 ga wire with 2 ring spades to "bridge" the spring on the antenna helps a lot to keep your SWR ratio low..many springs have a ground strap thingy inside that rots out,and all the signal then travels thru the spring coils,and there is usually quite a resistance loss there due to corrosion...by putting that wire under the antenna where it threads in the spring,and to the other side of the spring ensures good connections..a good ground is important too--I had to scrape green crap and rust off my connections about once a month!..
