It sounds like you have power to the dial lamp, but no power to the tubes? There is not much you can do without removing the radio from the car first. Even if the radio was operational, it needs new capacitors installed or else it would be in danger of shorting out and catching fire. No kidding, it could easily start a fire under the dashboard.
:Newbie here-
:I have a 1933 Buick " limo" that has a BOP radio, 980393, Super Heterodyne in it. Was installed June 6, 1933.
:The radio head is mounted in the center of the dash and is a locking type with key. It turns on, lights up.
SJ
I opened the link showing control units- I have a 1932 radio installed in my Buick 90. As posted before, it was installed in June, 1933 and signed.
This is not unusual, they installed what was on the shelf, as this was an early production car. Buick just about went under in 1933, so were using everything they had to stay alive. This car was originally owned by the DuPont family,that owned 30% of GM.
Wonderful information, about the radio-
Many thanks !!!
Sandy
Sandy:
The schematic and lots of info is on this site. Before you decide to "leave well enough alone", why don't you at least try to learn more about it? There is plenty of experience here, and a non-working radio is painful to most of us, we will give plenty of help. Besides, wouldn't a working radio in a 1933 car be cool?
Lewis
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I restore cars as a hobby, been doing this all my life. I guess that's why I asked if it could be a simple change in a tube, I didn't know. I love learning this stuff, but uf you saw the car you may understand. There are only two of these 1933 original Buick 90s that we know of, I owned both, just sold one.
Thanks for the comment-
Sandy
Sandy:
You are talking with someone retired after a thirty five year career with an airline...no airplane EVER left home (Atlanta) with a defective radio on board...I drive my wife crazy overhauling things around the house, too.
Lewis
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SJ
:Sandy:
:You are talking with someone retired after a thirty five year career with an airline...no airplane EVER left home (Atlanta) with a defective radio on board...I drive my wife crazy overhauling things around the house, too.
:Lewis
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:
:
If you want to take a stab at making the radio play in the car, you could try replacing the rectifier tube. If the filament in one tube burns out, none of the tubes will light up. The rectifier is vulnerable. But I don't know that radio.
The vibrator can be taken out and cleaned and tested.
The capacitors will still be dried out and prone to burning up, but they can be reformed somewhat by bringing voltage up slowly. In this case, you have 6 volt power, so you would need to learn how to do this from someone other than me. :>)
Then you could say the radio works, but there is nothing on.
Along those lines, if you could just disconnect the radio 6 volt power lead, then you could use an external power supply to bring it up slowly. You probably will need a few amps to run it at least.
That way you will not get an immediate failure on power up.
Lou
:::
::Hi Lewis, thanks-
::Two problems a) removing the radio without damage to the originality of the car Any break in the paint or such is not good. Also the wires are 1933 original, good shape it appears, but old.
::b) The Am stations are a bit iffy to listen too, actually real iffy.
::
::I restore cars as a hobby, been doing this all my life. I guess that's why I asked if it could be a simple change in a tube, I didn't know. I love learning this stuff, but uf you saw the car you may understand. There are only two of these 1933 original Buick 90s that we know of, I owned both, just sold one.
::Thanks for the comment-
::Sandy
::
:
:If you want to take a stab at making the radio play in the car, you could try replacing the rectifier tube. If the filament in one tube burns out, none of the tubes will light up. The rectifier is vulnerable. But I don't know that radio.
:The vibrator can be taken out and cleaned and tested.
:The capacitors will still be dried out and prone to burning up, but they can be reformed somewhat by bringing voltage up slowly. In this case, you have 6 volt power, so you would need to learn how to do this from someone other than me. :>)
:Then you could say the radio works, but there is nothing on.
:
This appears to have been the very first model made specifically for this car. Pre 1933, car radio was a novelty. Google 'Motorola' for more of that story.
It looks like the 84 rectifier tube is in a power supply module separate from the radio proper. That is, I don't see the rectifier in the main chassis. I would start with voltage checks in that area.
Sandy
:There is a schematic and some diagnostic tips here under Resources/Buick Motor.
:
:This appears to have been the very first model made specifically for this car. Pre 1933, car radio was a novelty. Google 'Motorola' for more of that story.
:It looks like the 84 rectifier tube is in a power supply module separate from the radio proper. That is, I don't see the rectifier in the main chassis. I would start with voltage checks in that area.
:
:John I think you opened up a thought here- i.e. power supply module. The car has a central power supply board, where the hot lead comes in, it's called the current limit relay. Everything feeds off that. This is a 1933 version of a circuit breaker or fuse. If something goes bad this thing hums to let you know there is trouble.
:Anyway, connected on one side is a black cylinder about the size of my little finger. I had/have no clue what it's for, it was disconnected on one end. This may be the power supply module. Looking at the tubes, I can see no round metal casing type tube as a vibrator looks, or what I think it looks like, just the glass tubes-
:See, now you guys got me going !!!!!!!!! Haaaaaaaaaaa
:b intouch
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:Sandy
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:
:
::There is a schematic and some diagnostic tips here under Resources/Buick Motor.
::
::This appears to have been the very first model made specifically for this car. Pre 1933, car radio was a novelty. Google 'Motorola' for more of that story.
::It looks like the 84 rectifier tube is in a power supply module separate from the radio proper. That is, I don't see the rectifier in the main chassis. I would start with voltage checks in that area.
::
:
:
Do not attempt to power it up. Remove the radio and have it restored by someone who knows how to repair these radios.
There are many parts which will have to be replaced before power can be applied.
Dave
Dave:
I think he doesn't want risk putting a scratch on the car removing the radio, just to listen to AM. He is a car nut. We are radio nuts. He sees a one-of-a-kind priceless antique Buick in mint condition. We see a broken radio that we can fix. And some think radio people are kind of strange at times.
Lewis
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Dave is correct of course. We all want you to have the radio taken out and rebuilt. Even if you got the power supply sorted out, the quality of operation would be disappointing, if it keeps working at all.
Sandy:
If you are concerned about the lack of anything good on AM, a lot of the guys that rebuild old AM radios here build a small AM transmitter and play music from whatever source with no connection whatsoever to the antique radio. You could have your car playing music from the thirties and WWII, say Glenn Miller or Duke Ellington coming from a little portable box sitting on the seat next to you, or in the back seat, received just like a radio station. To me, THAT would be cool!
Lewis
:
::Upside down is fine. Car radio tubes were designed to take a fair bit of abuse.
::The small cylinder may be a condensor or capacitor to cut radio interference. Newer vehicles had them on the generator and the distributor. There were no mini electronics in 1933, so the power module for the radio I expect is about the size of a pound of butter with a tube and a vibrator in it.
::6 volts DC is bumped up to over 100 volts AC by the vibrating points. Then the rectifier tube converts that to DC to provide power to the plates of the tubes in the radio proper.
::The tube filaments in the main radio probably operate on 6 volts from the car battery. The dial lamp has power, so look beyond that for a bad connection.
::
::Dave is correct of course. We all want you to have the radio taken out and rebuilt. Even if you got the power supply sorted out, the quality of operation would be disappointing, if it keeps working at all.
:
:
:Sandy:
:If you are concerned about the lack of anything good on AM, a lot of the guys that rebuild old AM radios here build a small AM transmitter and play music from whatever source with no connection whatsoever to the antique radio. You could have your car playing music from the thirties and WWII, say Glenn Miller or Duke Ellington coming from a little portable box sitting on the seat next to you, or in the back seat, received just like a radio station. To me, THAT would be cool!
:Lewis
::
:
:
:Lewis-
:Was thinking of something like that, a small CD player that could be stuck up behind the dash, so when you turned the radio on, it lit the dial head up but was not connected to the radio and the CD player would start. The station selector of course wouldn't work either, just turn. They Walmart etc. have these little CD players that have two tiny speakers, which could also be mounted with something, all hidden.
:
:
:::Upside down is fine. Car radio tubes were designed to take a fair bit of abuse.
:::The small cylinder may be a condensor or capacitor to cut radio interference. Newer vehicles had them on the generator and the distributor. There were no mini electronics in 1933, so the power module for the radio I expect is about the size of a pound of butter with a tube and a vibrator in it.
:::6 volts DC is bumped up to over 100 volts AC by the vibrating points. Then the rectifier tube converts that to DC to provide power to the plates of the tubes in the radio proper.
:::The tube filaments in the main radio probably operate on 6 volts from the car battery. The dial lamp has power, so look beyond that for a bad connection.
:::
:::Dave is correct of course. We all want you to have the radio taken out and rebuilt. Even if you got the power supply sorted out, the quality of operation would be disappointing, if it keeps working at all.
::
::
::Sandy:
::If you are concerned about the lack of anything good on AM, a lot of the guys that rebuild old AM radios here build a small AM transmitter and play music from whatever source with no connection whatsoever to the antique radio. You could have your car playing music from the thirties and WWII, say Glenn Miller or Duke Ellington coming from a little portable box sitting on the seat next to you, or in the back seat, received just like a radio station. To me, THAT would be cool!
::Lewis
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