1941 Zenith Model 6-S-597 Vintage Radio (Part 1).

[mermaidcandy]

I have a 1939 Zenith console radio Model 7-S-363. Do you know if I should attempt to get it fixed? The cord to try it out is chewed and I hear it needs a tube. It was given to me for free. I just love it. Do you have any videos of what it would sound like? Thank you.

[joernone]

@mermaidcandy,

Hello there. It's good to hear from you.

Congrats, you have a very nice Zenith console radio. But do know that it'll take much more than a new power cord and tube to make it right...and safe. All the old capacitors will need to be replaced. Also, some of the wiring insulation might have crumbled away, thus presenting an extreme fire hazard, so I advise that you contact a restorer with the know-how to properly repair it. It won't be cheap.

Good luck.

Regards,

John

[gtc1961]

Here's a question I'll bet you thought you's never get...non radio related. Where did you get those caps for your deck posts???? Been looking all over for something like that!

[joernone]

@gtc1961

Re: Deck post caps.

I bought a handful of those things about 8-years ago at Lowe's. I should have gotten more, as they never carried them again. But I have seen some offered on ebay. Pretty pricey though.

Regards,

John

[joernone]

@raddios2,

So far the chassis is coming along well, but still ots of work left to do. I hope to have it finished by the end of August.

Thanks for popping in. It was appreciated.

Regards,

John

[Lockemeister]

Looks like a neat summertime project. Not too hard but not too easy, just right!

I think you sent the heat over to North, GA. It's been brutal here.

[joernone]

@Lockemeister

Hey John,

Good to hear from you. Repairing this Zenith should be a piece of cake. My greatest interest is opening up the Wavemagnet antenna box. I've never seen the insides of one. I imagine many others haven't seen one either.

BTW...I'll be sure to send more heat your way. I hear you Georgia boys can take it :-)

Thanks for popping in.

Regards,

John

[radioripster]

Oh brother..rubber insulated wires, notorious Zenith plastics and podunk repair engineering. Be glad it's just a 6 tuber! It does appear to have promising potential. Well, John, I 'spect you'll do fine with it all in the long run. Your skills in restoring these old radios has gotten up there with some of the best of them. I look forward to watching the process with this radio. By the way..that pot of beans and taters sure did look good..bet they were good eatin' too. Take care, 'rr"

[joernone]

@radioripster,

Yeah, I was a bit disheartened when I saw the rubber insulated wires. I just finished restoring a Philco 41-255 that had a million of them that needed to be changed out. Big, big job. That chore can and does try one's patience, but it just goes with the territory.

Re the beans and taters: They were good. Wifey cooked them just right. Trust me, they didn't last very long.

As always, it's good to have you drop in. Do come again.

Regards,

John

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Hey John,

Looks like an interesting project. I don't think I have seen a cabinet like that one. Makes it more interest, I wonder if this was close to the end of the console cabinets.

Regards,

Rick

[joernone]

@AllAmericanFiveRadio

Rick,

The cabinet really is a big sucker, an over-sized echo chamber. I'm looking forward to hearing what kind of overall sound it produces. The owner and his daughter will be doing the refinishing. When done, it should sound and look pretty good.

Take care, my friend.

Regards,

John

[jefferyb304]

Suppose you were to install a fuse between the 6x5 and the transformer. Could the correct value of fuse protect the transformer in the event of a short ?

[joernone]

@jefferyb304

Installing an in-line fuse is pretty much par for the course when doing a vintage radio restoration, but more will need to be done with this radio. I'll cover it in subsequent vids.

Thanks for the visit.

Regards,

John

[mariopica]

Very interesting!

Thank you.

Mário

[chairuser4]

Ebay is great for finding knobs and antique radio supply,check there and craigslist for a donor set.

[joernone]

@chairuser4,

I've found nice repro knobs at renovatedradios dot com. They're made to have that discolored, aged look. Pretty cool.

Thanks for watching. It's appreciated.

Regards,

John

[radiobigman47]

john i bet that is going to be one nice radio wean you get done with it we will be looking for some more videos of more radio repair

[joernone]

@radiobigman47,

The owner knows how to do wood refinishing and wants to refinish the cabinet himself, so the chassis is my job. I just hope to get it operational for him.

As usual, I appreciate you dropping in.

Regards,

John

[GeoN0JRJ]

I think I have seen reproductions of those knobs on the internet partner. You can for sure get the isolators for the chassis. You might check with bandersontv on youtube. I bet he would know where you could get them. Anyway, looks like a neat project. Good luck!

[joernone]

@GeoN0JRJ,

George,

One of our forum members has already steered me in the right direction for obtaining the knobs. I'll keep plugging away on this chassis until it's finally up and running...I hope. Repairing and restoring it will be more time-consuming than difficult.

BTW...how's the temps down there in Sam Houston land? As cool as here? :-)

Thanks for dropping in.

Regards,

John