I originally bought a firestik, but then got chastised, so I bought a wilson fiberglass antenna that was very similar to a firestik... but worked better.

I don't recommend either

I was hittin the trail and had to limbo a tree and (((SNAP))) Get something that's thin and flexible, like the wilson Magnet antennas. I bought a mirror mount from the local Pilot truck stop, bought longer screws at the home depot, and Mounted it to my roof rack cross bars (OE) and it worked great, with no modification.

I then ran my wire through the back gate.

Welcome to the confusing world of CBs, and buy yourself an SWR meter.