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Mon Aug 23, 2021 9:14 am

Was this a thing , way back ... when ?

Is it a thing now ?

... I sometimes wonder what this dude has seen , where he's been , the weather he's endured ....

... was thinking he also needs to be restored as I continue with our 72 ...

Mon Aug 23, 2021 9:25 am

I have one like that. Has made several trips out to the Bonneville Salt Flats from northern Wyoming on the pit bug :D

Mon Aug 23, 2021 9:44 am

... thanks for the pic ... I fugured it was meant to be yellow ...

Mon Aug 23, 2021 9:58 am

I guess antenna balls are still a thing. :lol:

I came home one day and mysteriously a 76 gas station ball was on the antenna
of the 72 bus. I left it on. Yours is fantastic.

Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:23 pm

Antenna balls are cool. I've had this spirit of '76 one for 9 years now on its 5th Bug! Need a new one as it's pretty worn. Not having any luck finding one though.

Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:32 pm

vamram wrote: Not having any luck finding one though.
You didn't look very hard ;)

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2365867

They're actually Phillips gas station advertising.

Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:38 pm

Xevin wrote:

I used to have these Jack in the Box ones on all my cars including the bug back in the 80s/ 90s. Back when antenna masts were still used on cars

Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:39 pm

Used to have a bunch of the 76 balls but ran out years ago.
Charlie rocks this guy now (hot dog on a stick):

Ben

Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:47 pm

vamram wrote: Antenna balls are cool. I've had this spirit of '76 one for 9 years now on its 5th Bug! Need a new one as it's pretty worn. Not having any luck finding one though.

You can have mine off the 72 for free. Lmk. Be funny if it went from Oregon to the SE. :wink:

Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:53 pm

polypetalous wrote: Used to have a bunch of the 76 balls but ran out years ago.
Charlie rocks this guy now (hot dog on a stick):

Ben

Awesome. Makes me want to hit the mall :lol:

Mon Aug 23, 2021 1:37 pm

So mine looks like it's wearing something like a woven reed hat, or maybe a German alpine hat - our bug has lingered in Canada for at least the last 20 years , changing hands many times in the larger area around Kitcher-Waterloo , famous for it's Octo-beer-fest ... so a-Googling I will go ...

Almost first thing that popped up :

Geez , 15 USD ! ... another expensive restoration part ... don't forget CDN exchange ... oh and priority overnight shipping - just gotta have it right now !

Mon Aug 23, 2021 1:39 pm

Glenn wrote: vamram wrote: Not having any luck finding one though.
You didn't look very hard ;)

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2365867

They're actually Phillips gas station advertising.

Dang!!!! That's some serious ball-age!! I'm usually pretty good with the search..!

Mon Aug 23, 2021 1:40 pm

Xevin wrote: vamram wrote: Antenna balls are cool. I've had this spirit of '76 one for 9 years now on its 5th Bug! Need a new one as it's pretty worn. Not having any luck finding one though.

You can have mine off the 72 for free. Lmk. Be funny if it went from Oregon to the SE. :wink:

I'll take it!!

Mon Aug 23, 2021 2:31 pm

CIP was giving out EMPI antenna balls at a local show years ago, I put one on the bus and it broke down within a week, took it off and I haven't had an issue since, coincidence? :P

Mon Aug 23, 2021 2:41 pm

vamram wrote: Xevin wrote: vamram wrote: Antenna balls are cool. I've had this spirit of '76 one for 9 years now on its 5th Bug! Need a new one as it's pretty worn. Not having any luck finding one though.

You can have mine off the 72 for free. Lmk. Be funny if it went from Oregon to the SE. :wink:

I'll take it!!

It’s yours. PM address

Mon Aug 23, 2021 2:41 pm

Back in the day in Australia we also used squash balls. They were smaller and didn't put so much pressure on the antenna from wind resistance.

I think the trend here started because the top of the antenna had the screw on tip which seemed always to get lost or stolen.

Worked fine until you broke the antenna and had to shove in a coat hanger to get any sort of reception. Some people were ingenious and I even saw a coat hanger once bent into the shape of the map of Australia.

Mon Aug 23, 2021 2:49 pm

busdaddy wrote: CIP was giving out EMPI antenna balls at a local show years ago, I put one on the bus and it broke down within a week, took it off and I haven't had an issue since, coincidence? :P

They couldn’t pay me to sport the ball on my cars :wink:

Mon Aug 23, 2021 2:56 pm

Had a LEGO Jolly Roger flag clipped on the antenna of my daily driver ('72 1302) back in the '90s...

Tue Aug 24, 2021 6:50 am

Glenn wrote: vamram wrote: Not having any luck finding one though.
You didn't look very hard ;)

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2365867

They're actually Phillips gas station advertising.

Thanks for the link! I need a couple. I think they will help my car cover from being ripped.

They aren't Phillips advertising, that was Phillips 66. They are Union 76 advertising balls. I grew up in Wisconsin where it would snow a lot. When they plowed it would create huge snow banks. These actually were given away to put on your antenna so you could see other cars approaching intersections. :lol: