A goofy vexing miscellaneous radio question...

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Kurt - 29 Oct 2004 03:01 GMT

I recently rebuilt my Stratoline Radio from my 1950 Champion. It
works great, and sounds good, but I have one problem I just can't work
out. The tuning knob on the right works its way out of the radio when
the stations are changed using the various preset buttons, and after a
couple of station switches, it falls right out of the front panel,
because the shaft on which the tuning knob turns moves back and forth
when the buttons are pushed. It looks to me as though there must have
originally been some way that the knob was tied back to something, to
prevent it from riding out, but I can't figure out how, or to what. I
have a small spring which may have come out of the knob assembly
somehow, but can't figure out any way it could play any role in this.
Any ideas?

By the way, my car, on which numerous NG participants have given me
helpful advice, is just about finished with its frame-off restoration
and it looks and runs great. I'm expecting to drive it home next week
(sans interior, a few minor trim components, and side windows, but all
those should be coming together over the next month or so).

Reply to this Message

Gordon Richmond - 29 Oct 2004 04:28 GMT

If I remember right, the shaft for the tuning knob is split, and there
is a V-shaped spring of thin flat steel inserted into the tuning knob
such that it wedges into the split of the shaft.

Pull off the volume knob and compare it to the tuning knob. I expect
they are the same on the shaft side.

I have a '50 radio in the shop, and I'll have a look, too.

Gord Richmond

Reply to this Message

Gordon Richmond - 29 Oct 2004 05:21 GMT

I had a look. Same knob on both a '51 radio and an earlier one. Same
spring used in '53 radio knobs, and I found a knob off a cassette
stereo that used a similar spring.

The spring is a complicated little devil. It's basically a flat sheet
of spring steel with turned-up edges to make it a tight fit in the
slot in the knob. Then the outer end of those turned-up edges is
flared out to form a pair of tangs that wedge it in place.

To top it off, one end of that flat strip is extended in a thin strip
that is doubled back over the "channel" side of the strip, so that the
folded-over end is visible when you look at the back side of the knob.
Gives the spring the appearance of being about 1/16" thick, although
it is really much thinner metal.

I'll bet you that little spring insert is broken at the fold, leaving
only a single thickness of metal, so it can't get a grip on the split
shaft. If the spring were gone altogether, the knob would not even
turn the shaft.

You might be able to make a substitute spring from a 1/4" female spade
connector, but it'd take some filing or bending...

I'm sure you could find an identical spring in the knob off an old car
stereo, or some other make of car radio.

You would be welcome to have the stereo knob I have here, but it'd
take days for it to arrive in the mail, and I'm sure if you have a
good auto wrecker nearby, you could snag one. Look for an after-market
stereo, 1970s or thereabouts, with metal knobs.

A car radio shop or old-time home radio/TV shop may have a box full of
knobs from which you could rob a spring. It simply pulls out; use an
icepick or similar slim tool to ease the spring out.

Send me an e-mail if you want the knob I have here, and I could pop it
in the mail tomorrow. Yours for the price of postage. I tried this
knob on a Stude radio shaft, and it fits. I'm all but certain the
spring could be used in the Stude knob.

Gord Richmond

Reply to this Message