Fixed my AM-FM myself - got lucky !!

[MOVE N UP]

The 300 has a working original thumb-wheel AM-FM again !!
During the past summer = A few weeks after I installed a working AM-FM radio that I snagged from the salvage yard for $10...it started to give me trouble tuning in on the FM side - then nothing but low static...I used the AM for a while, until I could no longer turn the radio on at all
Well, after calling several local old radio repair businesses - I was told" We only work on tube type radios"and "We will NOT work on any transistor / solid state type car radios" and that "they were too cheaply made back in the 60s through the 80s" and "they were all-ways considered throw away components if a problems occurred"
My other option was sending it to California/ Texas or Florida for a minimum fee of $200 - $250 to diagnose -then add cost for replacement parts and labor + shipping.....Being the tinkerer (and frugal bastard) that I am, I removed the thumb-wheel radio out of the car - set it on the bench, and cracked it open !!! I sprayed some electrical contact cleaner on the AM-FM switch that was dirty grimy - compressed air to blow out the dead flies and dusty crud - and a wee bit of superglue to secure a small cog (it had developed a hairline crack) that operates the shaft of the ON / OFF /volume switch........Installed back in the car and YES !!! WBLM blastin out classic Led Zeppelin !!!! The boat - she be a rockin again !!!!

 

[traintech55]

Better go to church and give thanks on that one.

 

[detmatt]

I bet you that would save a lot of these old radios. Not the church thing but a good gentle interior cleaning.

 

[Samplingman]

Incredible sometimes how simple the fixes are on these cars. A little praisin' and prayin' doesn't hurt either, always works for me....

 

[commando1]

My motto: If it's already broken, then mess with it to your heart's content. It's already broken anyway.

 

[live4theking]

That's good to know about the simple fix.

 

[sixtyf]

That's a good result move n up. Most of the time there's nothing wrong with 'having a go' and during tough times being frugal is a good attribute to have
Now you can be "going to California" past the "misty mountain hop" to get a "whole lotta love"

 

[cbarge]

Luckily,I had a couple AM only Thumbwheels lying around.
I had a broken cog on the power/volume button on the AM/FM Thumbwheel.
I robbed the parts from the AM only and got the other AM/FM going.

 

[Rwc]

Randy, there is a place on center st in Auburn that will rebuild with all new internals and keep the radio looking original for about $100. He also will up grade it. It's called auto city

 

[cbarge]

Pertaining to the Chrysler cars,the AM/FM Thumbwheel was a 67 model option only.
They are rare as hen's teeth.
Yet like Move N Up and I did we bolted in the radio in a 68 with no modifications.
there was a thread somewhere about the radios.

 

[CanCritter]

hmmm...think l have a few of those radios

 

[MOVE N UP]

Randy, there is a place on center st in Auburn that will rebuild with all new internals and keep the radio looking original for about $100. He also will up grade it. It's called auto city

Great info !! I have my original AM in great shape...I will stop in and check it out = perhaps I can make it a bluetooth compatible unit!!

 

[MOVE N UP]

Pertaining to the Chrysler cars,the AM/FM Thumbwheel was a 67 model option only.
They are rare as hen's teeth.
Yet like Move N Up and I did we bolted in the radio in a 68 with no modifications.
there was a thread somewhere about the radios.

Correct! the salvage yard AM-FM unit came out of a 67 Newport, but it fit right in the 68, as it is an identical case to the 68 AM unit. 68 AM FMs are the knob turn style

 

[traintech55]

One thing I was glad about was Chrysler standardizing the radio mountings in 1974. They did not change until 2002. What could be nicer than tooling around in a 76 or 77 NYB with a factory am/fm/cass/cd player.

 

[detmatt]

Randy, there is a place on center st in Auburn that will rebuild with all new internals and keep the radio looking original for about $100. He also will up grade it. It's called auto city

I would like to know exactly what he's doing for 100 bucks.

 

[Rwc]

I would like to know exactly what he's doing for 100 bucks.

All I know is that he said for that price mine will be a working as it did when new, no more no less. He also said for a fee it could be upgraded to sterio.
My only concern was that it would work, I am not the guy that asks about the inner details.

 

[detmatt]

To make that statement He must have a stash of old radio parts because sometimes these old radios can't be repaired. I had mine converted to digital and it was basically 500 bucks+.

 

[Rwc]

To make that statement He must have a stash of old radio parts because sometimes these old radios can't be repaired. I had mine converted to digital and it was basically 500 bucks+.

Matt, the way he talked he didn't imply it was a restoration. He may be putting in all new really cheap guts...

 

[tbm3fan]

Lots of crud can get deposited on pots. Deoxit spray works well on them. I use the stuff on stereo receivers and clock radios I pick up from the 70's.

Now I did that on the AM radio in the 65 F-100. I also needed to replace the two paper capacitors which do tend to fail. After that I added a jack to plug in my iPod for real music.

I had this link bookmarked because of the talk about our radios.

Antique Radio Forums • View topic - Newb question on replacing electrolytic caps

 

[commando1]

One thing I was glad about was Chrysler standardizing the radio mountings in 1974. They did not change until 2002. What could be nicer than tooling around in a 76 or 77 NYB with a factory am/fm/cass/cd player.

Like mine?