How would you install CB in car? Location, mounting suggestions, please.

install CB...never happen; However, the True Truckers, like in the movie convoy...don't they secure them to the inside ceiling...allowing it all to hang down for quick & easy access. (ahem...Breaker, Breaker)

 

If I were to put one in my pickup I'd either mount it on the floor above the transmission or hang it under the dash.

 

Depends on the vehicle, on my Equinox I flipped up the console armrest and found a radio that would fit underneath so when my wife gets in the car she is not bothered by it with the arm rest down. If you trade vehicles on a regular basis you may not want to drill a lot of obvious holes. On my pickup since it has a open floor area between the driver and passenger area I took a wide board and screwed another board along one edge to angle it a bit upwards and added metal legs to straddle the transmission hump then mounted the cb and 2meter radios and speakers to the board. One word of caution automotive carpet can be very thin and cheaply made so if you are cutting holes to run power leads or coax under carpet be gentle. ALWAYS look under the area you might drill holes to be sure there are no vital wires, modules or sensors that might be harmed by a drill bit. We had a new ham go out and screw his new radio to the floor of his nearly new car and send the screws thru his wiring harness. Not a pleasent thing to go thru.

 

What kind of car?

 

On many newer cars, about the ONLY place to mount a radio is on the passenger side of the console, facing up. As I have gotten too old, fat, and creaky, to do my own mounting anymore, I have paid a pro to do the mounts, drill holes for antennas, etc, on my last two new cars. One trick I picked up from watching him is to slide a thin sheet of tin, aluminum, or like metal behind the console, so that your screws have something to hold on to. Otherwise, the metal screws will eventually strip through the holes in the plastic, making a mess. Of course, this will necessarily involve unbolting the console so that the sheet metal can be slid behind the plastic. This can be a monumental PITA.

Other options might be using swivel and goose neck mounts, mounted to the floor or (again) the passenger side of your console. In my current car, for CB, I have a Cobra 75WX (everything on the mic). Next time, I'll probably go with a "real" radio, but it has served its purpose. Unfortunately, like all Cobras, it has what must be the world's cheapest pots for the volume and squelch, which collect dirt and dust and cause "scratchy" adjustments for those controls with gaps in the continuity of adjustment. That has always been my biggest gripe with Cobra stuff, the cheap pots.

Best of luck in getting this done!

 

The best place to have a radio and safely look at and operate it is on the dash so you don't have to take your eyes completely off the road in front of you. A good quality velcro will hold it in place. If you have an accident where you hit hard enough to break the radio free and it hits the windshield hard enough to break it ......I believe the windshield damage will be the least of your worries.