The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay The Radio Bench Rebuilding a pair of AD radios, Problems???

Radio Daze, http://www.radiodaze.com/ , great guys to work with and they handle almost all of the electrical parts that you will need for the restoration.
Also try http://www.classicparts.com/ and http://www.oldchevytrucks.com/cgi/htmlos.exe/start.htm for the cosmetics and some of the mounting and attachment parts.
Yes Fred is correct, most problems with the volume control can be solved with a contact cleaner unless the carbon element is damaged. In my case the entire shaft had been driven back and all three sections were damaged and inoperable. Since a replacement is out of the question I had to do a restoration on it.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny,
there must be some very impatient or clumsy installers around because I have had to deal with this problem too. It takes a great deal of force to drive the shaft in like that. I had to use some JB Weld on the innards of one because the bakelite was shattered.

Fred

These radios just don't sit upright very well out of the truck. They have a tendency to fall over on their face. So I suppose that's what happens to a lot of them that are out on the bench or floor. It doesn't take a whole bunch of force to damage the control.

I’d like to add a little tip for anyone that is working on one of these. The tuning worm pivot screw is very close to the filter cap connections. There is enough clearance with the original twist lock cap in place, depending on your method replacement there might not be adequate clearance with the new connections. I used a postage stamp sized cover made of fish paper between the screw and connections just as a safety precaution. This is especially important when you are bench checking the unit and the tuner is just hanging from a single screw.
Here’s a picture: http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2027165540098611668NZVKvP

I’ve got the old vibrator cadaver apart out of my radio and am trying to figure it out right now. Got a new SS one coming from Radio Daze. If I get the old one fixed I’ll post some pics of the process.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Keep it up Denny! Im getting more and more confident daily!

Thanks, Jeff

Denny,
I am not as dedicated to detail as you are so I don't use the old capacitor can at all. I don't remove it but I disconnect it. I then mount a solder terminal strip on the back side of the chassis. I had quite a time finding terminal strips for soldering! They used to be in every electronics store, just yesterday it seems ( maybe 35 years ago!). There is a local guy that has sort of an indoor electronics junkyard. That is where I picked up the terminal strips.

Fred

The vibrator restoration, that be SUCCESSFULL! Funny how last night I dint know a dang thing about these things and now I’m an expert, HA! I did finally fingered out how the insulators and contacts went together and got her cookin’. It wouldn't run at first but than I started playing with gaps. These can be adjusted in three places. You can set the counter weight to the pole piece clearance, and the point clearance on each of the points. To wide at any spot and she won't run, to close and the same thing. Using a Sencore VB2 Vibra-daptor on my Sylvania 220 tube tester I just kept sneaking up on the clearance adjustments till I had the brightest light on each side.

Here’s a couple O’ pics of the balancing act and closure; http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2603444540098611668OfdUpB

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL