I’ll be darn, I think it’s closed down now, but we used to have a Snow White in town here. Lettering looks the same. Edit: wait a second, where was that pic taken? The buildings off the right look like the ones in town.
& there's a song about them... " Dual antennas awhippin' in the wind, man, there ain't a country station I that can't pull in... " . Whole car is rolling junk - except for the radio... ... , & of course, 'cause of the radio, he gets the "best lookin' gal in my hometown " . Reason enuf to go for dual antennas, on yours ... . Marcus...
Hello, Dual antennas were stylish for some new cars in 1958, but the reception was not as good as a quality front fender mount antenna. The AM radios had terrible transmission areas all over So Cal, back then. So, a direct angle to the radio frequency to San Diego usually got us the 690 broadcast channel better than the Los Angeles stations. When they were hidden by the tall multistory buildings, large oil tanks in and around Wilmington/Signal Hill areas, mountains, tunnels or even driving under the open tunnel bridges by the LAX Sepulveda tunnels alongside of the airport. Reception was not very good. We thought one antenna was ok, but two should draw in plenty of other frequencies and not be bothered by view blockages. That was not the case. My brother got his new 1958 black Impala from the local Chevrolet dealer. The 280 hp motor was installed and was one of the most popular models at the local dealers. My brother wanted the special 315 hp motor, but the wait was too long. So, he got what was available. Which included a shiny black paint and whitewalls/full hubcaps, etc. Everything a normal daily driver to work would like to have. But, it also had dual rear antennas that looked like space ship x-ray mechanisms. The reception should have been better, but it was not. Our mechanic friend in Los Angeles told us that a quality front fender antenna closest to the radio was going to be the best for reception. His shop could do the body work and paint. So, that was the first modification done to the “new” 1958 Impala. The rear antennas were taken out and the smooth real “lead” reconstruction was done by an old school master body work guy that had tons of skills. It looked as smooth and shiny as if it just came off of the showroom floor. Plus, the retractable front fender antenna had anti-theft or anti damage from other idiots, intent on bending an antenna sticking up anywhere. Now, as the finished project was sitting on our driveway, it looked so much better as a dual purpose racer/cruiser. It was a powerful stock race car from the factory and now it was not a car with some custom accessories, but a much sleeker look of the black Impala overall. Plus, with the single retractable antenna nicely installed in the right front fender, the short wire run gave it much better reception. Still not as good as in the later years with a powerful AM/FM channel reception. But now, not have to wait to come around those large oil derricks and tanks to continue with the AM music. Tunnels near the Long Beach Airport still did a blank spot for reception, but it was the times… and less technology that was the problem. The front antenna retracted to any level and when fully retracted, the Impala looked like a race car, not a custom car. Jnaki The dual rear antennas would be personal preference. But, for us teenagers, the music reception from those early AM radios was lacking and anything to make it perform better was always a goal. These days, there are better options for total radio reception and the radios have newer technology, but who listens to the radio, anyway? YRMV
The Jalopy Journal
