I did a search and found nothing. Has anybody installed a power antenna in the drivers fender of an early 944? I know there is not a lot of room. If so what size and how did you do it?

 

Several years ago I replaced the Hirschmann OE antenna with an aftermarket Hirschmann that has worked well. The motor mounts in the fender well behind the charcoal canister. The supplied relay is mounted under the dash. The black antenna mast looks better than the OE chrome mast. Check out eBay for aftermarket power antennas for early cars.

 

Here's a post I wrote 2 years ago about the process:

***

Just finished replacing the power antenna on my 83 944 yesterday and was
surprised to see your post. This is the second time in the past 2 months
that I've replaced the antenna on this car. Apparently the last
replacement Hirschmann I got was a dud, so I had to get another one and
change it out again.

When I bought the car, back in 94 it had the original factory "fat"
Hirschmann unit that was not working. I had it replaced with a manual
Hirschmann and pulled that up and down myself for a few years until I
could spare the cash for a universal Hirschmann automatic unit, although
not the OE version which costs over $200.

The first time I put in a power antenna was back in 1999 and I remember
getting some pointers from Jim Cooper and doing it myself. It worked like
a charm until a tree branch obliterated it along with the rest of the car
a few weeks later... Anyway, without claiming to be an electrical expert,
my experience installing these leads me to believe that the power antenna
is fed from the battery through a connection in the stereo receiver. When
the car is shut off, the antenna motor cycles strictly on battery power to
lower the mast.

Inside the mast, is a toothed plastic filament which is driven by the
antenna motor to raise and lower the mast. If for whatever reason the
motor fails to engage this toothed filament, the mast will not go up and
down properly, and possibly, the motor will keep running and kill your
battery as I suspect happened to you. I suppose it's normal that the
filament eventually fails to engage as the units wear out over time, but
hey, it just happened to me on a 2-month old replacement also, so you
never know.

Replacing the power antenna is not difficult, but does require some
patience. It makes things a lot easier if you can raise the left side of
the car on a jack stand and take the wheel off. You can also replace it
without removing the wheel, but it's considerably more tedious. In any
case, you need to drop the emissions canister that's held inside the
fender by two bolts, but do not disconnect the hoses. This will give you
access to the bad antenna.

Before getting too involved with the antenna, I recommend that you first
pull the stereo receiver from the console. Last time I was almost
finished mounting the antenna inside the fender only to find I couldn't
pull the radio out. I thought I would be able to pull it out by driving
some ordinary nails into the access holes, but ended up having to run out
to a 24-Hr. Walgreens and buying some thicker nails to get it out.

If you get a Hirschmann, the universal replacement is the HIT AUTA 2040
model. You should be able to find one for anywhere from $70 to $90. I
got my first one from Zim's and my last two from Ian's Euro Parts. I'm
sending the bad unit back for a refund, since it has a 1 year warranty.
The kit comes with all the mounting hardware, wiring, etc. You will need
to identify three main connections on the back of your receiver: antenna
proper, battery connection, and radio. Depending on what radio you have,
they should be fairly simple to identify.

Back inside the fender, unbolt the bad antenna unit from the fender wall.
It should be attached by some brackets. Then unscrew the base of the mast
from the top of the fender. You can cut the old wires, but it's better to
get inside the driver side footwell, trace them to the receiver, and
remove them entirely. They enter the car through a hole behind the fuse
and relay panel. Then take the new antenna unit and hang it loosely
inside the fender using the most suitable adapter hardware from the
different parts that come with the kit.

The kit also includes a metal strip that can be bent to mount the new unit
inside the fender. I have found that it's better to use the bracket as a
"support" from below rather than as a "hanger" from above, if you know
what I mean. You will also have to bolt the antenna grounding wire to the
bracket and/or fender. When mounting the actual antenna another tip is
that it's better to set the unit with the "Hirschmann" sticker facing the
engine bay. This way, when the mast is raised, it "flows with the car"
instead of jutting forward.

When you've shaped the mounting bracket to match whatever screwholes you
can use inside the fender wall, get the wires into the cabin through the
hole in the fender wall and route them to the receiver. To make the
appropriate connections it helps to have the receiver instructions
although Blaupunkt units carry a pretty self explanatory sticker on the
housing with the basic information that you need. Once the connections
are made, use electric tape on any hard wiring to avoid shorts and test
the antenna. It's pretty rewarding to see the new mast shoot up.

Now go back to the fender, tighten the base nut of the mast with a wrench
in your right hand while holding the antenna motor with your left and then
tighten the mounting bracket inside the fender. The mounted antenna
should be immobilized and not easily shaken. Replace the canister, front
wheel, lower the car, and enjoy your new power antenna in all its glorious
reminiscence of the '80s.

***

Note: the replacement "Hirschmann" antennas available from aftermarket
parts sellers are NOT genuine German-made units, but rather a cheap
version made in orient. These are low quality and do not last long. I've
gone through 2 in a row in less than 2 months. I called Hirschmann USA
after the second went out and they admitted that the aftermarket units
were not the same quality and sent me an OEM replacement for my troubles.

The front fender location of the power antenna is not the most conducive
to longevity of the unit. Thus, when installing the high end Hirschmann
replacement I got from the U.S. rep, I wrapped the motor previously in
duct tape to protect it from moisture and debris that is spat on it by the
front wheel. Hopefully, this trick will keep it from breaking. Another
important tip is the fender ground strap. Make sure it is firmly secured
because lack of ground will impede the unit from operating properly.

Good luck.