The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay The Radio Bench 1951 radio parts

Where do you buy your rebuild parts for the classic radios? Does anyone sell a rebuild kit with all the common tubes and vibrator that should be replaced when working on these? Thx for the input.

Atwater Kent Temp sending units, coils, fuel sending units, tube radios, vacuum advance, voltage regs
12 Jacques Street Worcester, 1920s to 1970s (mostly 30s, 40s, 50s)
MA, 01603
(508)792-9500
http://www.mykmlifestyle.com


Klaus Wojak Electric and vacuum radio antenna parts and rebuilds
241 Hanging Rock Estates Ln.
Banner Elk, NC 28604
828-898-9338

Also:
Antique Electronic Supply
www.tubesandmore.com
In Arizona.

Don't think they have "kits" .
Confirm your radio model number and you can figure the exact tube & vibrator part numbers.
I also ordered a few parts from E-Pay..
But be careful on Tubes!
PS Truckernix "Fred" helped me out tremendously on my 1950 6 volt radio!!
Todd

Those are some interesting contacts. I use Antique Electronics Supply for some tubes, Just radios for capacitors and resistors and lately I ordered some hard to get tubes from The Tube Store in Hamilton Ontario, Canada. I have bought some ancient tubes on Ebay. I am not aware on anyone selling a kit.

You asked for all the easy parts
Tubes, vibratory and capacitors and resistors no problem

When you need the switches and the dial face parts and the transformers that’s difficult
Just ping this forum and I’m sure someone can hook you up
There are many ways to fix the original parts so no matter how bad you think they are don’t do more damage when taking the radio apart and between me and truckernix I suspect any radio part can be sourced.

Are you restoring the OEM USA radio or the OEM Canadian Autoradio unit?
Or is it an aftermarket model?
-s

Wow, thank you for all the leads. The radio is model 2233029. I have never worked on these old radios, but plan on starting by replacing the vibrator and capacitors

I suggest you at least measure the resistors as you go
The old carbon ones can change value and I’ve seen some way out by more than tolerance
I recommend you use metal foil type in the tube radio as they like operating hot and are low noise
Don’t replace the rectangle 6 color dot mica capacitors
Those will be good

Oh and if your search on here I posted some photos and details about fixing a radio, might be helpful
-s

Great. Thank you! Hope to start digging in this weekend.

Simple question, can you even put a gmc radio in a Chevy truck? Isn’t one positive ground and the other negative?

Most electrical stuff doesn't care what part of the circuit is grounded. Voltage is the main concern.

I don't know which year the question is related to. However in the years that used tubes and vibrators, if the vibrator is the mechanical style as in the original radio, the polarity does not matter. However if the vibrator has been replaced with a modern solid state unit, the polarity of the vibrator must be correct.

This is a gmc 2233029 radio I am wanting to put in my 1951 Chevy 3600. I K assuming it is original but am just starting to tear it apart. Currently it does nothing under power. Thanks for all the help.

The non synchronous vibrator type used in the 47-53 gmc and Chevy truck radios in the USA do not care about polarity
Your radio can swap between ground types.

The synchronous vibrator used in the Autoradio model 490 for for 47-49 trucks in Canada does care about polarity and there is a warning label indication to swap the rotation of the vibrator according to the ground type
Later Autoradio changed their circuit to the non synchronous style by the model 510 and added an 0Z4 so the 1951 and later radio could interchange without that detail. I forget off hand the model 500 was between those two.

Source: I have all these radios in my collection and original documentation.

-s

Wow I didn't know that synchronous vibrators were still around in the late forties. How long do those last in service?