I wonder if all of the radio restorers who truly enjoy their hobby are romantics at heart.....or something like that. I guess they'd have to be in order to appreciate good music and beautiful styling. They certainly aren't auto mechanics (which isn't a derrogatory statement against auto mechanics....some of which I'm sure are romantics, or any number of things, especially those mechanics who see a car as beautiful, and not just as a machine).

T.

This sounds like a topic that would be posted at the ARF. I enjoy restoring old radios and old cars...I've just begun the restoration of a 1957 Chevy Nomad.

BTW Thomas, I read a lot of your posts and you are a great contributor.

:I wonder if all of the radio restorers who truly enjoy their hobby are romantics at heart.....or something like that. I guess they'd have to be in order to appreciate good music and beautiful styling. They certainly aren't auto mechanics (which isn't a derrogatory statement against auto mechanics....some of which I'm sure are romantics, or any number of things, especially those mechanics who see a car as beautiful, and not just as a machine).
:
:T.

Rene:

I second your comments about Sir Thomas's contributions..

Um, well, regarding contributions, let's not make everyone jealous, here. Remember, too, that I also contribute a lot of hostility when my temper flies.

T.

I'd restore my 1951 Chevrolet, which I love, but I make in a year what it would take to restore this car. It is beautiful, though, as rusty and squeaky as it is. With new springs and a rebuilt driveline, and an engine which I go over meticulously all the time, it gets decent mileage (for a carbureted car), and drives alright. I've been driving nothing else but it for over 8 years now.

T.

AAAAHHHH Thomas,
The '51 Chevy brings back pleasant and some not so pleasant memories. My first car in 1958, a Gun Metal Gray fast-back with a 3 speed column shift. Previously owned by a little old college professor. Put on a dual exhaust system, and man that baby would purr. I revealed this next item on another post several months ago, and no body believed. On a long trip (No. West Virginia to New Mexico) the mileage average was 8 MPG. Unbelievable for a 6 banger with stick shift and lots of flat land, but it happened. Finally traded for a '53 Studebaker Commander
"Starlight Coupe" Now that was a real car. Sleek, racey, fast, small V8, and better mileage than the Chevy. I punished that car severely, but it never failed me. It did have one minor problem with vapor locking in that hot desert climate, because the fuel pump was attached to the oil fill tower/tube atop the engine, but fixed that with an electric fuel pump. What a car, wish I still had it.

marv

:I'd restore my 1951 Chevrolet, which I love, but I make in a year what it would take to restore this car. It is beautiful, though, as rusty and squeaky as it is. With new springs and a rebuilt driveline, and an engine which I go over meticulously all the time, it gets decent mileage (for a carbureted car), and drives alright. I've been driving nothing else but it for over 8 years now.
:
:T.

Beautiful. Don't know how you got only 8 mpg, though. That's kind of low! I don't go under 15, and usually I'm up around 17 to 19.

T.

Thomas,
It baffled me at the time and still does, but I was a PFC in the US Army making about $100/mo, and watched my pennies closely. Even at 25-30 cents a gallon, and a travel companion to share the expense, the trip was still a large cash outlay from my paycheck.

marv

:Beautiful. Don't know how you got only 8 mpg, though. That's kind of low! I don't go under 15, and usually I'm up around 17 to 19.
:
:T.

Someone must have either set your bearings too tight, or something else was terribly out of adjustment. A lot of people don't realize that float level setting is actually a critical factor for mileage. They think that as long as there's gas in the carburetor, that's all that is needed. However, the lower the fuel is, the harder it is for the engine vacuum to suck it up to the discharge nozzle. The higher it is, the more easily it'll be sucked out. Both extremes will make for poor mileage. Lean, contrary to what some may think, won't get better mileage. If your car was running lean, though, you'd notice it far more than if it was running rich, so it was probably running rich. Valve adjustment is extremely critical, too. I always have a small laugh (and groan) for those who set the valves tight on these cars, or who adjust them cold.

Thomas

Hey! A 51 Chev! I had one of those...a 4 door Fleetline. It was a total rust bucket when I got it in high school and over the years I completely redid the body, removing the rust and earlier body repair attempts. It originally had a 216 cid in-line 6, eventually swapped out with a 261 cid GMC truck engine, then with a 327 V-8 and saginaw 4 speed. I drove that car from my last year in college in 1980 to 1988 when it flunked an inspection due to a rusty frame. Lotsa fond memories of that car.

:I'd restore my 1951 Chevrolet, which I love, but I make in a year what it would take to restore this car. It is beautiful, though, as rusty and squeaky as it is. With new springs and a rebuilt driveline, and an engine which I go over meticulously all the time, it gets decent mileage (for a carbureted car), and drives alright. I've been driving nothing else but it for over 8 years now.
:
:T.

Where do you live that it'd flunk inspection due to a rusty frame!?? Someone should look at my car! It'd flunk everything! My rear cross member is only the upper strap of metal. Last year the lower box section broke through! And to think that I used to jack up the car with this! It was solid when I got the car, though.

Thomas

:Where do you live that it'd flunk inspection due to a rusty frame!?? Someone should look at my car! It'd flunk everything! My rear cross member is only the upper strap of metal. Last year the lower box section broke through! And to think that I used to jack up the car with this! It was solid when I got the car, though.
:
:Thomas

At the time, I lived in Ontario, Canada. They were real picky about inspections back then. I now live in Texas where there are some real clunkers on the hiways despite an annual inspection program. I could have probably repaired the frame or taken it to a different inspection place but a '55 chev was waiting in the wings and the 327/4 speed ended up going in the '55. I sold the '51 to a guy who did eventually fix the frame and put it back on the road.

A 1951 Fleetline is far better looking than any 1955, though. You should have kept it! Its original motor is surprisingly efficient, too.

T.

:A 1951 Fleetline is far better looking than any 1955, though. You should have kept it! Its original motor is surprisingly efficient, too.
:
:T.

What a great topic, could not help but respond. As a young man in the Canadian Navy, I was In Radio Communications and had Technical training on Tube equipment in the 50's and early 60's. Took my discharge in 1965 and became a railroad operator/dispatcher for the next 30 years. During that time I rebuild car's. Mostly mid 1950 Ford products. Convertibles, Sun Valley's Etc. I probably built 12 cars in total, and after completing them, lost interest. Enjoyed the hunt to find them, and locate the parts to restore them. I only built one show quality car, a 1954 Canadian Mercury Sun valley. Production run 413 only. Over the years have sold all the cars, and now only have a building full of parts. Everytime I would see an old radio, I would be drawn towards it. When I turned 65, I decided to try and see how much I remembered about RF Theory, and see if I could repair tube radios. Well a year and a half have gone by, and I have over 50 radios in my home, and only 6 of them restored. I love it. My son suggested My hobby is buying old radio's not restoring them. I am trying to correct that impression. I joined the local SPARC's society here in British Columbia, and was pleasantly suprised at how many of the members are into both hobbies. Cars and Radios. Everything from English Austins to Packards. A great bunch of guy's and gal's very interesting to talk to either about cars or radios. Thanks for jogging the memories.

I think that the radio hobby is more about buying than fixing. They're so addicting, and they take too long to restore sometimes.

T.

Thomas,
I got a pulled muscle in my neck from bending over a rebuild for several hours yesterday. Took 15 minutes to make the purchase, all of which defy your addiction prediction.

marv

:I think that the radio hobby is more about buying than fixing. They're so addicting, and they take too long to restore sometimes.
:
:T.

I disagree w/Thomas... I do buy a lot... but I love and purely enjoy the fixing part...
I think I'll sell everything I ever bought that was already fixed.
.. no fun just staring at it.. unless I'm staring at it AFTER I fixed it... lol

I think it's just a problem here at my place. I buy things, but never have the time to work on them. Then I see more and get it. Can't say I buy a lot. As a radio collector I only have perhaps 15 to 20 radios, many of which I've acquired over the years. I just have a ton of projects waiting for me. I'll buy parts or tubes or something for a project, and then I'll get an idea for another before I ever even finish the first.

T.

:A 1951 Fleetline is far better looking than any 1955, though. You should have kept it! Its original motor is surprisingly efficient, too.
:
:T.

The rebuilt original 216 developed a long crack in the block after I left it outside during a cold Canadian winter, with only water in the block :( I was never fond of slow-revving, shimmed and babbit-lined connecting rods, and splash lubrication anyway :)

I have a crack on the side of my block now for a year. Kind of ticked. It's from other reasons, though, like washing a hot engine :). If you adjust the timing just right, the car has remarkable power for a 90 hp engine. It has great hill climbing torque. Something to keep in mind, though, is that my brother's 1998 BMW gets like 220 hp out of a 3.2 litre engine (mine's a 3.6). Still, my mileage can be impressive sometimes, when compared with other old cars. I changed my rods to inserts, but still shim the mains. If I could start over, I'd drill out the crank and convert it to pressure. With all of the tinkering I've done to my engine, though, I've accomplished a lot with this engine. Most people can't get much of anything out of it.

T.

Hey maybe you should start a site called Nostalgiaauto.
lol
anon

:I have a crack on the side of my block now for a year. Kind of ticked. It's from other reasons, though, like washing a hot engine :). If you adjust the timing just right, the car has remarkable power for a 90 hp engine. It has great hill climbing torque. Something to keep in mind, though, is that my brother's 1998 BMW gets like 220 hp out of a 3.2 litre engine (mine's a 3.6). Still, my mileage can be impressive sometimes, when compared with other old cars. I changed my rods to inserts, but still shim the mains. If I could start over, I'd drill out the crank and convert it to pressure. With all of the tinkering I've done to my engine, though, I've accomplished a lot with this engine. Most people can't get much of anything out of it.
:
:T.

Well, there are plenty of Yahoo groups with 1950s and 40s Chevrolets as the subject line. Not much discussion goes on there, however.

I get your hint, though.

T.

I think the suggestion is good. There seems to be a need for a good car forum. You appear to have a great deal of knowlege about car history and repairs. If you could link minds and resources with others who have the same passion, start your own forum. This radio forum gives you a great framework to build off of. Maybe the designer of this site could show you what is involved. Just a suggestion not a slam. Best reguards.

Anon

:Well, there are plenty of Yahoo groups with 1950s and 40s Chevrolets as the subject line. Not much discussion goes on there, however.
:
:I get your hint, though.
:
:T.

Yes..Thomas has an AMAZING depth of knowledge on radios and old cars and other interesting things...I simply cannot believe he's only 26 !!!!!

Turned 27 in June. ....But, I didn't know anything about cars before I owned mine. Now I can even work on modern cars. The only way I have acquired this knowledge, though, is by studying many books very hard, and by anylizing actual function and operation. Seems I can study all day and night on something when I'm interested. Unfortunately I'm not interested in my school work, so it usually comes last. This is very annoying. I could kick myself every time I work on an assignment 4 hours before it's due. I want to become a teacher. Something tells me, though, that I should get into electronics. I'm afraid to. Don't know what's stable and a good career.

Electronics as a career has been very good to me but..especially financially good though only once I got off the blue-collar-worker service bench and out into the suit-&-tie world of computer field service back in the early 70s... when customers would think you were some kind of a 'god' if you came in to fix their systems; wine you and dine you and treat you like a prince!

But electronics today, though still very lucrative I'm sure, won't be anything like the rusty-crusty easy old simple ohms law beginner's pre-school stuff we all feed on here.. Nope. It's all about multi-level integrated circuit stuff and high frequency telecomminications stuff with phase-lock loops and programable logic arrays etc...
.... and whatever I just said is also probably already way out of date.. lol

Yea Peter,
Been there, done that. I can't even see the components these days. At least a vacuum tube I can see, and a 1/2w resistor is easy to find, even in a crowded chassis. Long live old time radios.

marv

:Electronics as a career has been very good to me but..especially financially good though only once I got off the blue-collar-worker service bench and out into the suit-&-tie world of computer field service back in the early 70s... when customers would think you were some kind of a 'god' if you came in to fix their systems; wine you and dine you and treat you like a prince!
:
:But electronics today, though still very lucrative I'm sure, won't be anything like the rusty-crusty easy old simple ohms law beginner's pre-school stuff we all feed on here.. Nope. It's all about multi-level integrated circuit stuff and high frequency telecomminications stuff with phase-lock loops and programable logic arrays etc...
:.... and whatever I just said is also probably already way out of date.. lol
:

Yeah... nice and peaceful and comfy down here in yesteryear land. Esp with a great bunch of rusty-crusty knowledgable old cronies like yooze guys.
;-))

:I wonder if all of the radio restorers who truly enjoy their hobby are romantics at heart.....or something like that. I guess they'd have to be in order to appreciate good music and beautiful styling. They certainly aren't auto mechanics (which isn't a derrogatory statement against auto mechanics....some of which I'm sure are romantics, or any number of things, especially those mechanics who see a car as beautiful, and not just as a machine).
:
:T.

Hi All,
I picked up a Zenith 5S127 in 1968 for $3.50 (prices are higher now). I remember that while taking it home the 'Z' dial pointer fell off. The old Philco 6Q7G tube was blown, and I couldn't find a replacement. I thought I had wasted my money, big money for a kid. For the next few months I poured over it fixing it up. I wired a 6SQ7GT/G in place of the 6Q7G, and thought I was clever. It was when I replaced the dial lights, though, and saw that georgeous dial light up, I was captivated. I listened to Rock and Roll on that radio when Rock and Roll was in its hey day. This radio was playing during both golden ages of radio.
A few years back I took it off the shelf and did the capacitors and had the case refinished. It still looks great, as I try to think I do. It brings in exotic radio stations that play big bands and even an occasional clip from a Jack Benny show. Only then is it a complete work of art. I wish everyone could enjoy it or one like it.

Shall I get into the fragrence of warm bakelite? Another story.

Bill G.

::I wonder if all of the radio restorers who truly enjoy their hobby are romantics at heart.....or something like that. I guess they'd have to be in order to appreciate good music and beautiful styling. They certainly aren't auto mechanics (which isn't a derrogatory statement against auto mechanics....some of which I'm sure are romantics, or any number of things, especially those mechanics who see a car as beautiful, and not just as a machine).
::
::T.
:
:Hi All,
: I picked up a Zenith 5S127 in 1968 for $3.50 (prices are higher now). I remember that while taking it home the 'Z' dial pointer fell off. The old Philco 6Q7G tube was blown, and I couldn't find a replacement. I thought I had wasted my money, big money for a kid. For the next few months I poured over it fixing it up. I wired a 6SQ7GT/G in place of the 6Q7G, and thought I was clever. It was when I replaced the dial lights, though, and saw that georgeous dial light up, I was captivated. I listened to Rock and Roll on that radio when Rock and Roll was in its hey day. This radio was playing during both golden ages of radio.
: A few years back I took it off the shelf and did the capacitors and had the case refinished. It still looks great, as I try to think I do. It brings in exotic radio stations that play big bands and even an occasional clip from a Jack Benny show. Only then is it a complete work of art. I wish everyone could enjoy it or one like it.
:
: Shall I get into the fragrence of warm bakelite? Another story.
:
:Bill G.
:
It was the yellowish glow of the tube filaments that did it for me. My bedside radio as a kid was a Philco Transitone chassis.

Rene

The glow of the tubes and all of those interesting smells really get me, too. I am especially fond of the old style tubes, the really attractive cabinets of the 1930s and 1920s, and the cool logos on the radios and the components (or, "renew with genuine Zenith tubes"...etc.). When I was very young, though, most of the tube type items we had were from the 1960s, like our televisions and our 49 tube organ. ....So, I must say that the glow of the tubes is what did it to me, too. I was soldering with my new Weller soldering iron yesterday. It gave off a smell that reminded me of that 49 tube Lowery organ (which I often sat in back of, just staring at the tubes, not really playing it). The smell made me happy. I don't know if I'll get cancer from it or something, but I could inhale it all day long. (and no, it isn't making me high)

Thomas

Well Thomas,
that's a new high in my book, getting drugged-up on filaments, the odor of deteriorating electronics, PVC insulation outgassing, and moldy wood. Would never have thunk you were so inclined, but keep on "keeping on" cause you're one great contributor to this forum.

marv

:The glow of the tubes and all of those interesting smells really get me, too. I am especially fond of the old style tubes, the really attractive cabinets of the 1930s and 1920s, and the cool logos on the radios and the components (or, "renew with genuine Zenith tubes"...etc.). When I was very young, though, most of the tube type items we had were from the 1960s, like our televisions and our 49 tube organ. ....So, I must say that the glow of the tubes is what did it to me, too. I was soldering with my new Weller soldering iron yesterday. It gave off a smell that reminded me of that 49 tube Lowery organ (which I often sat in back of, just staring at the tubes, not really playing it). The smell made me happy. I don't know if I'll get cancer from it or something, but I could inhale it all day long. (and no, it isn't making me high)
:
:Thomas

Well, the organ isn't moldy, and I don't think that it has an PCBs. The smell is from the transformer and the tubes, and the resistors.

Don't know if what I contribute is all that important, but I'll keep it up if you wish.

T.

Dear friend.
Excuse my terrible English. Yes, I am romantic. I am Impassioned by seeing the result of a restoration and for hearing good music. Among my favorite singers it is Billie Holiday, that I hear in MP3 in my DVD in SCOTT that is in my room of visits, or through a small transmitter that I developed in smaller radios in the Oficina.
To repair a radio, for me, it is to bring a soul of the past for the future!
Congratulations for its comments always very precise.
:I wonder if all of the radio restorers who truly enjoy their hobby are romantics at heart.....or something like that. I guess they'd have to be in order to appreciate good music and beautiful styling. They certainly aren't auto mechanics (which isn't a derrogatory statement against auto mechanics....some of which I'm sure are romantics, or any number of things, especially those mechanics who see a car as beautiful, and not just as a machine).
:
:T.

Hi Indalecio:
I'm glad to see that you are feeling well and back working on the bench full time again.

I am very anxious to see the pictures of the restoration you are doing for me on the Zenith 6D525.

How close is it to being finish? It seems so many long months now maybe more than 1/2 a year.
What stage of the rebuild are you at now? From our last emails it seemed you were almost finished. Is that the situation now?

ok..friend, nice to see you now online.
so ok..please send a few pictures or post them on-line if you can.
From your description of the rebuild it sounds like it will almost look new.... maybe nicer.
That would be great as everyone on the forum may like to see them too.

Ok here's wishing you much good luck..

Hello Friend.
I was sad in knowing that the decalques maker will stop the activities...a feather even. I want to do a surprise for you on October 14, but I am with a problem with its radio. The valve 12K7 and 12J7 is not common in Brazil. Wanted to see with you it is had like you to send me the valves. Then I send everything for you. Did Richard order you the photos of the radio that I am ordering you of present???
Did he speak to you about the problem that I had??? He spoke to me about the problem of the spinaches in its country...I said so that he is careful with Brutus (enemy of Popeye)heheheheh.
Hug.
:Hi Indalecio:
:I'm glad to see that you are feeling well and back working on the bench full time again.
:
:I am very anxious to see the pictures of the restoration you are doing for me on the Zenith 6D525.
:
:How close is it to being finish? It seems so many long months now maybe more than 1/2 a year.
:What stage of the rebuild are you at now? From our last emails it seemed you were almost finished. Is that the situation now?
:
:ok..friend, nice to see you now online.
: so ok..please send a few pictures or post them on-line if you can.
:From your description of the rebuild it sounds like it will almost look new.... maybe nicer.
:That would be great as everyone on the forum may like to see them too.
:
:Ok here's wishing you much good luck..
:

Indalecio:
I think that RadoDaze.com is going to be selling the transfers now.
Yes Rich showed me the picture of the Brazil radio you want to send as a gift.. thanks that is not necessary but thank you.

I do not have a 12k7 or 12J7 here to send to you eithier.
.... but do not worry because you can test it very easy with temporary jumper wires to a 12sk7 tube to be sure that everything works fine.

Then you can ship it to me without that tube.

Then after the radio gets here I can, maybe by then, find a 12k7 for it to look correct.
Peter