First I should introduce myself since I'm new to the group. I'm 27, work in the software industry and live near Seattle, WA. I've had a lifelong interest in electricity and electronics and followed the Antique Radio column in Radio Electronics for years until the magazine went out of publication. I've wanted to restore an old radio for quite some time but haven't had one.
On the way home yesterday I happened to stop at a garage sale and imagine my surprise when I found a number of old radios. One was a large Zenith console, the price said $100 but he offered it for $75 when he saw me looking at it. All I had on me though was $52 so he took that and I loaded the radio in the car and drove home happily with my new treasure.
So first of all I'm looking to get some more information on what it is and approximately when it was made. A picture of it is here
I'm also a little curious approximately how much this sort of thing is worth, though I don't intend to sell it.
Next, there's a few parts I'm obviously going to need, namely the three knobs surrounding the dial and the dial glass which is also missing.
Internally things look relatively intact, all the tubes are there and aside from the line cord having been replaced it doesn't look like anything has been mucked with. Obviously it will need all new electrolytics and wax capacitors, I intend to carefully gut those and put modern ones inside them. In a bit here I'll check the tubes since I happened to have borrowed a tube tester for something else recently which I'll need to give back soon. A few of the tubes have metal bottles, I'm assuming those are not the original style? Some of them are still the old bulged tubular things though which are my favorite style.
I've purchased odds & ends from Antique Electronic Supply in the past, are there any other good places to find things aside from Ebay? Once I get the electrical side of things in tiptop condition I'll get started on the relatively straightforward cosmetic restoration.
Thanks in advance for any information you guys can provide.
James Sweet wrote: > First I should introduce myself since I'm new to the group. I'm 27, work > in the software industry and live near Seattle, WA. I've had a > lifelong interest in electricity and electronics and followed the > Antique Radio column in Radio Electronics for years until the magazine > went out of publication. I've wanted to restore an old radio for quite > some time but haven't had one.
> On the way home yesterday I happened to stop at a garage sale and > imagine my surprise when I found a number of old radios. One was a large > Zenith console, the price said $100 but he offered it for $75 when he > saw me looking at it. All I had on me though was $52 so he took that and > I loaded the radio in the car and drove home happily with my new treasure.
> So first of all I'm looking to get some more information on what it is > and approximately when it was made. A picture of it is here
> I'm also a little curious approximately how much this sort of thing is > worth, though I don't intend to sell it.
> Next, there's a few parts I'm obviously going to need, namely the three > knobs surrounding the dial and the dial glass which is also missing.
> Internally things look relatively intact, all the tubes are there and > aside from the line cord having been replaced it doesn't look like > anything has been mucked with. Obviously it will need all new > electrolytics and wax capacitors, I intend to carefully gut those and > put modern ones inside them. In a bit here I'll check the tubes since I > happened to have borrowed a tube tester for something else recently > which I'll need to give back soon. A few of the tubes have metal > bottles, I'm assuming those are not the original style? Some of them are > still the old bulged tubular things though which are my favorite style.
> I've purchased odds & ends from Antique Electronic Supply in the past, > are there any other good places to find things aside from Ebay? Once I > get the electrical side of things in tiptop condition I'll get started > on the relatively straightforward cosmetic restoration.
> Thanks in advance for any information you guys can provide.
welcome. you did quite well for 52.00. it's a 1938 shutterdial. (the proper zenith name is "robot dial) appears to be a 7 tuber. not sure of the model #. a quick internet search should give you the #, or i am sure someone here has seen the cabinet, or has one. the knobs will cost you more than you paid for the radio. although this is not one of the high end shutterdials, all of them are desireable sets. i would say 2-300.00 would be a good guess on the value. little less with the missing knobs. this will be a good set for your first resto. lots of room uner the chassis and easy to work on. should be a nice set restored.
Welcome to the world of Antique Radio Restoration. There are many people on here who can give you good advice for restoring old sets like the one you have. I've relied several times on the group and it it wasn't for them, the sets wouldn't be working as well as they are.
You did excellent on the set. This is a Zenith Shutter Dial set from the previous mentioned year. Whether or not it's working, or what sort of condition it's in you did not mention. Most all will need their paper capacitors replaced as they're prone to failure first. Tubes are not very critical and are over rated for going bad. To me the obvious thing that's WRONG with this set is the grill cloth. If you're doing your own cabinet restoration you can get a reproduction and easily replace what's on there now.
I own a simular set I've restored, a 9S262. Feel free to EMAIL me anytime at
n9vu at yahoo dot com
I may be able to give you some advice on what to look for, or where to start.
James Sweet wrote: > First I should introduce myself since I'm new to the group. I'm 27, work > in the software industry and live near Seattle, WA. I've had a > lifelong interest in electricity and electronics and followed the > Antique Radio column in Radio Electronics for years until the magazine > went out of publication. I've wanted to restore an old radio for quite > some time but haven't had one.
> On the way home yesterday I happened to stop at a garage sale and > imagine my surprise when I found a number of old radios. One was a large > Zenith console, the price said $100 but he offered it for $75 when he > saw me looking at it. All I had on me though was $52 so he took that and > I loaded the radio in the car and drove home happily with my new treasure.
> So first of all I'm looking to get some more information on what it is > and approximately when it was made. A picture of it is here
> I'm also a little curious approximately how much this sort of thing is > worth, though I don't intend to sell it.
> Next, there's a few parts I'm obviously going to need, namely the three > knobs surrounding the dial and the dial glass which is also missing.
> Internally things look relatively intact, all the tubes are there and > aside from the line cord having been replaced it doesn't look like > anything has been mucked with. Obviously it will need all new > electrolytics and wax capacitors, I intend to carefully gut those and > put modern ones inside them. In a bit here I'll check the tubes since I > happened to have borrowed a tube tester for something else recently > which I'll need to give back soon. A few of the tubes have metal > bottles, I'm assuming those are not the original style? Some of them are > still the old bulged tubular things though which are my favorite style.
> I've purchased odds & ends from Antique Electronic Supply in the past, > are there any other good places to find things aside from Ebay? Once I > get the electrical side of things in tiptop condition I'll get started > on the relatively straightforward cosmetic restoration.
> Thanks in advance for any information you guys can provide.
Sorry, didn't see you did mention the condition. Looks like it's got potential. The only time these sets propose a "challenge" is when the previous owner modified the crap out of it to the point where you have to really dig into a schematic, go around they're mods, and bring it back to normal. It doesn't sound that way according to your description.
Repro stuff is available for these sets from Alan Jesperson of Minn including all knobs you will need. I'm not certain about the dial glass, but I know repros may be available for these as well.
Hi James - I was able to get the dial glass for a Monkey Ward's Airline console I restored from a local clock restoration parts dealer. It was very inexpesive - under $10 about 2 years ago. This was the place if you can not find the glass locally.
James Sweet wrote: > First I should introduce myself since I'm new to the group. I'm 27, work > in the software industry and live near Seattle, WA. I've had a lifelong > interest in electricity and electronics and followed the Antique Radio > column in Radio Electronics for years until the magazine went out of > publication. I've wanted to restore an old radio for quite some time but > haven't had one.
> On the way home yesterday I happened to stop at a garage sale and > imagine my surprise when I found a number of old radios. One was a large > Zenith console, the price said $100 but he offered it for $75 when he > saw me looking at it. All I had on me though was $52 so he took that and > I loaded the radio in the car and drove home happily with my new treasure.
> So first of all I'm looking to get some more information on what it is > and approximately when it was made. A picture of it is here
> I'm also a little curious approximately how much this sort of thing is > worth, though I don't intend to sell it.
> Next, there's a few parts I'm obviously going to need, namely the three > knobs surrounding the dial and the dial glass which is also missing.
> Internally things look relatively intact, all the tubes are there and > aside from the line cord having been replaced it doesn't look like > anything has been mucked with. Obviously it will need all new > electrolytics and wax capacitors, I intend to carefully gut those and > put modern ones inside them. In a bit here I'll check the tubes since I > happened to have borrowed a tube tester for something else recently > which I'll need to give back soon. A few of the tubes have metal > bottles, I'm assuming those are not the original style? Some of them are > still the old bulged tubular things though which are my favorite style.
> I've purchased odds & ends from Antique Electronic Supply in the past, > are there any other good places to find things aside from Ebay? Once I > get the electrical side of things in tiptop condition I'll get started > on the relatively straightforward cosmetic restoration.
> Thanks in advance for any information you guys can provide.
RadioGary wrote: > Sorry, didn't see you did mention the condition. Looks like it's got > potential. The only time these sets propose a "challenge" is when the > previous owner modified the crap out of it to the point where you have > to really dig into a schematic, go around they're mods, and bring it > back to normal. It doesn't sound that way according to your > description.
> Repro stuff is available for these sets from Alan Jesperson of Minn > including all knobs you will need. I'm not certain about the dial > glass, but I know repros may be available for these as well.
> Take care,
> GB
Wow, just hopped on here to see if a friend had emailed me and there's a bunch of replies on this thing already. I wasn't aware that the grill cloth was not original, the internet has made this sort of thing so much easier.
I checked all the tubes today, several of them are bad, some have weak emission and another has shorts. It appears those all are fairly readily available though as there's a bunch of each on ebay. I looked around carefully and found no sign of any sort of modification or botched repairs, aside from the tubes being all different brands everything looks pretty well untouched since it rolled off the assembly line.
One thing which became readily apparent once I started poking around is that I'm missing the large pointer that moves slowly, I only have the small brass looking one. There's a stub of the larger one but I can't tell if it's been broken off or if the stub is simply where it attaches.
I haven't applied power to the set yet but I figured I'd thoroughly go through the electronics before I do that. No sense in risking burning up some irriplaceable part.
Now I Just hope I don't get addicted and fill my whole house with these things. As with another hobby of restoring classic 80's video arcade games, this combines electronics, woodworking, and the general process of fixing up something old into a nice functioning unit, all things I really enjoy.
I'd appreciate any photos anyone can come up with of this particular set or of parts I need. I'm curious what the dial glass looked like, was it domed? Someone else suggested a clock shop which I think is a good bet.
Unfortunately the small pointer has rubbed on the black dial and scratched it. Hopefully I'll be able to touch it up somehow to make it presentable, I think in a pinch a black Sharpie marker would make it look pretty good though.
Allow me to jump in and say, welcome to the fraternity of vintage radio hobbyists! There are several wonderful people who frequent this list, many of which I have met personally. There are also radio clubs and events which I highly recommend, although admittedly they are spread all over the country, and they might not exactly be within driving distance. However in lieu of a local group, there are plenty of us here -- spread all over the world, as you will soon find out.
I might also add that, along with the great cameraderie and worthwhile advice, this is an unmoderated newsgroup, and there are indeed some threads which will make you wonder what's going on. Some people just like to tear each other apart I guess. The rest of us try to ignore them, or just sit back and laugh at their antics. Because of the openness of information here, and because there are always new people signing on such as yourself, I'll accept the trolls -- the good far outweighs the bad.
Regarding resources -- there are PLENTY! Many of them are on this list; many others are well-known by folks on this list, so if you ever wish to know where you can find that obscure part, or how to rebuild an assembly, just ask. There is also a wide variety of interest here; for example I personally work with vintage car radios.
There's one thing that's mandatory -- once you finish your project, and have the cabinet looking like new, we want to see another photo!
> First I should introduce myself since I'm new to the group. I'm 27, work > in the software industry and live near Seattle, WA. I've had a lifelong > interest in electricity and electronics and followed the Antique Radio > column in Radio Electronics for years until the magazine went out of > publication. I've wanted to restore an old radio for quite some time but > haven't had one.
> On the way home yesterday I happened to stop at a garage sale and imagine > my surprise when I found a number of old radios. One was a large Zenith > console, the price said $100 but he offered it for $75 when he saw me > looking at it. All I had on me though was $52 so he took that and I loaded > the radio in the car and drove home happily with my new treasure.
> So first of all I'm looking to get some more information on what it is and > approximately when it was made. A picture of it is here
> I'm also a little curious approximately how much this sort of thing is > worth, though I don't intend to sell it.
> Next, there's a few parts I'm obviously going to need, namely the three > knobs surrounding the dial and the dial glass which is also missing.
> Internally things look relatively intact, all the tubes are there and > aside from the line cord having been replaced it doesn't look like > anything has been mucked with. Obviously it will need all new > electrolytics and wax capacitors, I intend to carefully gut those and put > modern ones inside them. In a bit here I'll check the tubes since I > happened to have borrowed a tube tester for something else recently which > I'll need to give back soon. A few of the tubes have metal bottles, I'm > assuming those are not the original style? Some of them are still the old > bulged tubular things though which are my favorite style.
> I've purchased odds & ends from Antique Electronic Supply in the past, are > there any other good places to find things aside from Ebay? Once I get the > electrical side of things in tiptop condition I'll get started on the > relatively straightforward cosmetic restoration.
> Thanks in advance for any information you guys can provide.
> Wow, just hopped on here to see if a friend had emailed me and there's a > bunch of replies on this thing already. I wasn't aware that the grill > cloth was not original, the internet has made this sort of thing so much > easier.
> I checked all the tubes today, several of them are bad, some have weak > emission and another has shorts. It appears those all are fairly readily > available though as there's a bunch of each on ebay. I looked around > carefully and found no sign of any sort of modification or botched > repairs, aside from the tubes being all different brands everything > looks pretty well untouched since it rolled off the assembly line.
> One thing which became readily apparent once I started poking around is > that I'm missing the large pointer that moves slowly, I only have the > small brass looking one. There's a stub of the larger one but I can't > tell if it's been broken off or if the stub is simply where it attaches.
> I haven't applied power to the set yet but I figured I'd thoroughly go > through the electronics before I do that. No sense in risking burning up > some irriplaceable part.
> Now I Just hope I don't get addicted and fill my whole house with these > things. As with another hobby of restoring classic 80's video arcade > games, this combines electronics, woodworking, and the general process > of fixing up something old into a nice functioning unit, all things I > really enjoy.
> I'd appreciate any photos anyone can come up with of this particular set > or of parts I need. I'm curious what the dial glass looked like, was it > domed? Someone else suggested a clock shop which I think is a good bet.
> Unfortunately the small pointer has rubbed on the black dial and > scratched it. Hopefully I'll be able to touch it up somehow to make it > presentable, I think in a pinch a black Sharpie marker would make it > look pretty good though.
tubesandmore.com has the glass. i wouldn't jump in and swap out all the caps and out of spec resistors etc. at one time. has nothing to do with it being your first radio resto....it can make things really complicated. i would swap the filters and get it to play before i started snatching all the caps out. i speak from experience. i get it playing, swap a couple out, check it out, then do a couple more.
I do not think that cabinet is a Zenith cabinet. Why is the color real light in a rectangle area below the dial? Is the inside o the cabinet dark blue? Don't worry, the chassis and speaker are worth more than you paid. The brass pointer has been cut off. The other pointer is painted black with the tip white. Don't use the shorted tube, but weak ones usually will work. The set should have a recap before plugging it in.
Jim Berg wrote: > I do not think that cabinet is a Zenith cabinet. Why is the color real > light in a rectangle area below the dial? Is the inside o the cabinet > dark blue? Don't worry, the chassis and speaker are worth more than you > paid. The brass pointer has been cut off. The other pointer is painted > black with the tip white. Don't use the shorted tube, but weak ones > usually will work. The set should have a recap before plugging it in.
> tubesandmore.com has the glass. i wouldn't jump in and swap out all the > caps and out of spec resistors etc. at one time. has nothing to do > with it being your first radio resto....it can make things really > complicated. i would swap the filters and get it to play before i > started snatching all the caps out. i speak from experience. i get it > playing, swap a couple out, check it out, then do a couple more.
Eddie is exactly right. Paper caps, though they test bad around 80% of the time (my experience), usually don't prevent the radio from playing. If you have the ability, it's better to troubleshoot, get the radio playing, THEN recap. A lot of people use variacs to bring up the voltage slowly, just to ensure there is no extreme current draw, before putting full power to the radio. Personally I remove the vibrator and rectifier (remember I deal mainly with car radios) and put a power supply to it. I've got a high voltage power supply which provides 250 volts, measures current, and has overcurrent protection. If you're starting out and don't have any of these goodies, you can test it in a primitive fashion by putting a light bulb in series with the radio when you plug it into the wall. If the light bulb comes on bright, you want to investigate before applying full power to the radio.
Once it's safe to turn on, and once you are at least to the point of hearing intelligible noises, then you can proceed with recapping. As Eddie said, do three or four at a time, then reapply power. It can be interesting to find that the sound is suddenly stronger or clearer, but more importantly you want to verify everything was done right before proceeding. If the radio worked, then suddenly quit after replacing three caps, you'll obviously want to double-check those three caps. Were the connections soldered? Is one of the leads touching the chassis? Troubleshooting a couple capacitors is far easier than troubleshooting the entire radio after you've replaced everything.
>I do not think that cabinet is a Zenith cabinet. Why is the color real > light in a rectangle area below the dial? Is the inside o the cabinet > dark blue? Don't worry, the chassis and speaker are worth more than you > paid. The brass pointer has been cut off. The other pointer is painted > black with the tip white. Don't use the shorted tube, but weak ones > usually will work. The set should have a recap before plugging it in.
Jim Berg wrote: > I do not think that cabinet is a Zenith cabinet. Why is the color real > light in a rectangle area below the dial? Is the inside o the cabinet > dark blue? Don't worry, the chassis and speaker are worth more than you > paid. The brass pointer has been cut off. The other pointer is painted > black with the tip white. Don't use the shorted tube, but weak ones > usually will work. The set should have a recap before plugging it in.
Well crap, you're right! The inside of the cabinet is painted dark blue, but I can see looking closely where it has been cut out below the dial opening and that piece patched in there. The shelf the chassis sits on has also been dropped down about 3/4".
What are the chances of finding an appropriate cabinet? I'm tempted to restore and sell the chassis otherwise, or get it working, put it together and sell the whole unit. As anal as I am it would never stop bothering me to have it in the wrong cabinet.
>Well crap, you're right! The inside of the cabinet is painted dark blue, >but I can see looking closely where it has been cut out below the dial >opening and that piece patched in there. The shelf the chassis sits on >has also been dropped down about 3/4".
>What are the chances of finding an appropriate cabinet? I'm tempted to >restore and sell the chassis otherwise, or get it working, put it >together and sell the whole unit. As anal as I am it would never stop >bothering me to have it in the wrong cabinet.
Well, if it were me, I'd go ahead and get the set working, as a practice exercise if nothing else. Then, if the wrong cabinet offended me, I'd put it away until a chance to acquire the right cabinet came along.
Jim Berg wrote: > I do not think that cabinet is a Zenith cabinet. Why is the color real > light in a rectangle area below the dial? Is the inside o the cabinet > dark blue? Don't worry, the chassis and speaker are worth more than you > paid. The brass pointer has been cut off. The other pointer is painted > black with the tip white. Don't use the shorted tube, but weak ones > usually will work. The set should have a recap before plugging it in.
good eye jim. i knew i didn't recognize the cabinet. how many 7 tube consoles did zenith make in 38? 3 or 4 maybe? the chassis should have a white model number stamped on it. usually above the antenna connection or thereabouts. does it still have the zenith speaker? if so, that should narrow it down. there will be a cabinet come up on ebay eventually, but it won't go real cheap and you will have to wait. i have chassis (or cabinets) i have waited years to find the right missing part. most are still sitting. your chances should be a little better on one like this since they are so common. i think if it were me, i would put the chassis on ebay and buy another radio to restore. maybe someone here will pop up with a cabinet. good luck.
i wouldn't jump in and swap out all the caps and out of spec resistors etc. at one time. has nothing to do with it being your first radio resto....it can make things really complicated. i would swap the filters and get it to play before i started snatching all the caps out. i speak from experience. i get it playing, swap a couple out, check it out, then do a couple more.
That is the best advice you can hear .
That cabinet looks real good even though its wrong . Restore it and keep it together then decide if you want to sell it or hunt for a cabinet . That radio as is restored would sell for 4 to 5 hundred $ here .
If it was me buying this set and saw the cabinet was not original, I still would have picked it up. For the fifty bucks you paid for it, the chassis alone restored would be worth a couple of hundred dollars.
What about the speaker? Is it a Zenith speaker that plugs into the back of the chassis and does it have a large gold colored behive like thing over it?
James Sweet wrote: > Jim Berg wrote: > > I do not think that cabinet is a Zenith cabinet. Why is the color real > > light in a rectangle area below the dial? Is the inside o the cabinet > > dark blue? Don't worry, the chassis and speaker are worth more than you > > paid. The brass pointer has been cut off. The other pointer is painted > > black with the tip white. Don't use the shorted tube, but weak ones > > usually will work. The set should have a recap before plugging it in.
> Well crap, you're right! The inside of the cabinet is painted dark blue, > but I can see looking closely where it has been cut out below the dial > opening and that piece patched in there. The shelf the chassis sits on > has also been dropped down about 3/4".
> What are the chances of finding an appropriate cabinet? I'm tempted to > restore and sell the chassis otherwise, or get it working, put it > together and sell the whole unit. As anal as I am it would never stop > bothering me to have it in the wrong cabinet.
The Chassis is correct for a Walton 7 tube radio... and sold after proper restoration will bring considerably more than you paid... also if the Zenith speaker is there its worth about 1/2 of what you paid unless its the one with the accoustic adapter then its worth more than U paid for the whole works..
Also fits 7s260 would be the correct zenith console cabinet..
James: Welcome! It's always refreshing when younger folks take an interest in vintage tube radios. Warning however: it's very addictive and you will soon be assimilated.<g Here's a couple of neat sites that might help narrow down what the original cabinet and grille cloth may have looked like: www.radioblvd.com/ZenithPhoto.htmwww.radiophile.com/12s267.htm
What is the tube count (incl. tuning eye), 7 or 9?
> The Chassis is correct for a Walton 7 tube radio... and sold after > proper restoration will bring considerably more than you paid... > also if the Zenith speaker is there its worth about 1/2 of > what you paid unless its the one with the accoustic adapter then > its worth more than U paid for the whole works..
> Also fits 7s260 would be the correct zenith console cabinet..
Bill Sheppard wrote: > James: > Welcome! It's always refreshing when younger folks take an > interest in vintage tube radios. Warning however: it's very addictive > and you will soon be assimilated.<g > Here's a couple of neat sites that might help narrow > down what the original cabinet and grille cloth may have looked like: > www.radioblvd.com/ZenithPhoto.htmwww.radiophile.com/12s267.htm
> What is the tube count (incl. tuning eye), > 7 or 9?
> Bill(oc)
looks like a 7 tuber. the tuning knob appears to be one piece. the 9 and 12 tube chassis had a knob for the motorized tuning.
> good eye jim. i knew i didn't recognize the cabinet. how many 7 tube > consoles did zenith make in 38? 3 or 4 maybe? the chassis should have > a white model number stamped on it. usually above the antenna > connection or thereabouts. does it still have the zenith speaker? if > so, that should narrow it down. there will be a cabinet come up on > ebay eventually, but it won't go real cheap and you will have to wait. > i have chassis (or cabinets) i have waited years to find the right > missing part. most are still sitting. your chances should be a little > better on one like this since they are so common. i think if it were > me, i would put the chassis on ebay and buy another radio to restore. > maybe someone here will pop up with a cabinet. good luck.
Yes it still has the Zenith speaker, the internals are surprisingly intact.
My current line of thought is I'll repair the chassis and get it all cleaned up and working, then I'll go from there. The cabinet doesn't really look too bad and is actually very similar to the Zenith cabinets of the era. I doubt anyone who will ever see it in my house would ever know the difference unless I told them. If the correct cabinet turns up I'll take care of the details like authentic knobs, or if another radio in it's correct cabinet comes along then I'll sell this or the chassis and speaker but for now it should be a good practice restoration as I've done almost no work on tube electronics. What I've done so far has been a pleasant change of pace from modern surface mount ICs, no magnifier or bright light needed for this stuff.
RadioGary wrote: > If it was me buying this set and saw the cabinet was not original, I > still would have picked it up. For the fifty bucks you paid for it, > the chassis alone restored would be worth a couple of hundred dollars.
> What about the speaker? Is it a Zenith speaker that plugs into the > back of the chassis and does it have a large gold colored behive like > thing over it?
There's nothing over the back of the speaker but it is a Zenith speaker with the original intact wiring and looks to be in very good condition.
Bill Sheppard wrote: > James: > Welcome! It's always refreshing when younger folks take an > interest in vintage tube radios. Warning however: it's very addictive > and you will soon be assimilated.<g > Here's a couple of neat sites that might help narrow > down what the original cabinet and grille cloth may have looked like: > www.radioblvd.com/ZenithPhoto.htmwww.radiophile.com/12s267.htm
> What is the tube count (incl. tuning eye), > 7 or 9?
> Bill(oc)
It's a 7 tube. A number of them are *very* weak though so I need to pick up some replacements. Anyone on here got a stock of old tubes? I'd rather purchase from other collectors than ebay or online dealers, especially if I could get most or all the tubes I need from one place.
Am I correct in thinking this chassis would have originally had all ST envelope tubes? At the very least I'd like to avoid the metal ones, there's some of those in there and they just don't have the charm of sparkling glass tubes. I'm not one of those audiophools who thinks tubes have magical accoustical properties but they sure are neat to look at.
First off, on that "incorrect" or "frankenradio" console, although it is not a concours-correct unit, all things considered it's still a very nice looking radio. The wood finish is a long way from perfect, but with a little polish it's nice enough to put on display in your family room or den and make into a nice conversation piece. Since this is your first such project, it's a great unit to practice on. After you've rebuilt the chassis and have the radio singing nicely, you can then, at your own pace, take a swing at cabinet refinishing. The proper use of toner will help cover up that rectangle under the dial. Since there is no "correct" or "incorrect" grille cloth you're free to pick whatever style you think will look good. If the color ends up not looking right you can strip it down and try again -- or you can settle for what you have, or simply darken it -- again, it's not correct or incorrect.
In the world of collector cars, there are restored classics and there are customs. On one hand, some people look at customs as being "butchered" and ask why someone would mess up such a classic, but then you must consider that most such cars were pretty much junkers to begin with, and these people have used their own imagination to create a new exciting concept. As a couple of examples, the cover of Cruise News (a Florida-based car magazine I write for) has a customized Lincoln Zephyr on it. If you visit http://www.cruisenewsonline.com/ immediately you can see it on the cover. The July issue (which will be posted on the website any time now) has an interesting gold 52 Chevy -- the sides look like a Corvette and the back looks like a Cadillac; it's weird but nicely done, and it certainly grabs your attention. I saw this car at Cocoa Beach, and the photos don't do it justice! Such customs at an auction actually bring in more money than a restored version of the same car. As for me personally, I prefer originality, but I indeed appreciate customs when they're done right.
It's not quite that way with radios, but I have indeed seen some nice mods -- A Crosley console comes to mind where the fellow removed the record player and replaced it with some nice woodwork over the enlarged speaker opening. I thought it was the nicest looking radio in the room -- and then he told me he modified it!
In any case, I think you can make a really nice radio out of this -- and then, with some real experience under your belt, your next one (believe me, there WILL be a next one!) will be that much better.
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