Many times I've looked for a junk set to repair one on my bench, only to find that the "junk set" is actually in much better shape than the I'm trying to fix, and the optimum solution is to use the original set to fix the newly-acquired "junker", instead of the other way around.
I think that, like automobiles, some individual radios were "lemons" and that you need to cut your losses if the opportunity presents itself. Of course, if the radio has considerable sentimental value, all such observations fly out the window.