What is this?

On my '77 Buick, just below the center of the windshield is a galvanized female plug (?) held on by two screws that looks like a place to plug in a radio antenna.
I have no idea what it is.
Maybe it has something to do with why my new A/C compressor failed.

Does anyone know what it is?

Wonder if it's tied to the old antenna-in-the-windshield option so many of these cars had?

I need to eyeball under the hood of the brown 79 Electra.

Maybe provisions for a CB antenna? Pretty sure that was an option on the Electra, like most other cars in the 70's

81X11 wrote:

Wonder if it's tied to the old antenna-in-the-windshield option so many of these cars had?

I need to eyeball under the hood of the brown 79 Electra.

I think thats probably it, but I thought those were discontinued before 1977.
And I THINK the LeSabre /b body cars were all new that year.
I wonder why they quit windshield antennas?
IIRC, they worked very well for both AM and FM.

That is indeed the in-windshield antenna attachment point. A small pigtail from the windshield would attach here.

Yep. I found an explanation here: http://www.g3gm.com/t5941-intergral-windshield-antenna

I wish my windshield had a built in antenna, instead of the power fender mounted mast thats stuck at half mast.
Apparently, some newer cars have the antenna in the back glass along with the defroster wires.
Hell, I don't even have cupholders in my old brick.
When I was a kid, I washed cars at an Olds/ Chevy dealership, and I remember the '68-72 Vista cruisers had the in glass antennas, but the base Cutlas S with the Chevy six had a mast on the right fender. I seem to remember that the luxurious top of the line Olds 98 had a power antenna.

AlmostaBuick wrote:

I think thats probably it, but I thought those were discontinued before 1977.
And I THINK the LeSabre /b body cars were all new that year. I wonder why they quit windshield antennas?

GM kept using the windshield antennas in some things at least up until 1984...my '84 GMC Sierra came from the factory with an AM radio and has one in the glass. Interestingly, the antenna cable is connected directly to the bottom of the glass.

My dad swore up and down that the in-glass antennas weren't very good. He installed conventional antenna masts in the fenders of both that truck and his older grey Chevrolet 4X4. I was too young at the time to know if there was any real difference.

I'd be fairly surprised if any replacement windshields are still made with the antennas.

Other companies use them. I know Toyota has put antennas in the front or rear windshields on at least a few cars.

uxwbill wrote:

I'd be fairly surprised if any replacement windshields are still made with the antennas.

Yeah, they are. Unfortunately, I wound up with one when I didn't really need it when I had a mobile windshield service replace the windshield in my Grand National a few years ago. They claimed it was all they could get at the time. I just said, "whatever".

Olds Weighty Eight wrote:

Unfortunately, I wound up with one when I didn't really need it when I had a mobile windshield service replace the windshield in my Grand National a few years ago. They claimed it was all they could get at the time. I just said, "whatever".

my 79 malibu coupe has the windshield antenna, works great. it would be the same glass as your grandnational.

my lesabre has the in glass antenna. I prefer it to the power antennas (because they break and can be damaged). It also gives a cleaner look. I have had no problems with reception whatsoever in my lesabre.