35-36 Radios

Lyndon

Lyndon

Member
Over the years, I've acquired a number of radio parts for '35-'36, and before I attempt to apply power I have a couple of questions.

Beyond the obvious difference in the remote controller cable heads (spade/slotted) for the two years, is there a difference in where the on/off switch is located? I have 3 remote dash-mount controllers, and for two of them there is no switch in side while one has an on-off switch inside of it. One of the radio boxes gives off a definite click when rotating the volume controller, while the other does not.

Do some radios turn off-on from within the radio box and others are powered from a switch in the dash unit?

Is there a generic radioshack speaker that will work well with these radios?

How important are all those condensors for all the electrical stuff in the car, and where can I get those?

Thanks.
 
Send a private message to Al Corbin. He repairs/restores old car radios. I'm sure he can help you out on these questions.
 
On a 1935 Radio the on/off knob is on the radio box under the dash. On a 1936 radio, the volume knob on the radio head also turns the radio on and off. Good luck on your project. ....Matt in Alameda
 
If the radio still has wax capacitors it is a pretty good bet they all need to be replaced and is the first thing done after replacing the ******** when working on these old radios. There are several places on the net where you can find the caps. You won't find a speaker at radio shack like the one in your radio, I am not sure if replacements are made. May be able to make modifications for it to accept a more modern speaker maybe others have info. I've got a few 34 radios I plan on going through and have done several 49-50 car/truck radios but they use a traditional 4 ohm speaker that is reproduced. I am not as familiar with the 35-36 radios in terms of the power switch issue.
 
Lyndon-

I am somewhat puzzled by some of the answers on this thread, maybe I just need more coffee this morning! At any rate, I have a very original '35 (40K miles) and it has an original radio. The "switch" to turn the radio off and on is within the box. There is no separate switch on the outside of the radio box. When I turn on the dash control head it turns on the radio.

As for an replacement speaker, a modern one (with a permanent magnet), will save you lots of current, which is critical considering the low generator output of early Ford generators. This is because you do not need to power-up a speaker magnet. As a result, you only need to connect two of the three speaker wires coming from the radio box to the speaker itself to get everything to work. I have been using a Radio Shack 40-1242 speaker in my '35 for years with no problem. Sound is excellent.

Hope this helps.

Tom
 
yes the 35 radio on/off switch is controlled by the knob on the face but the switch is inside the radio box and is moved by the mechanical cable from the face.
 
In some radio designs the coil for the speaker magnet is a choke for the B+ circuit to filter out hi-freq. If you have a speaker with a good voice coil then you could measure its resistance to find a permanent magnet speaker that would replace it but I would leave the magnet coil wired in place.
 
To defend my statement above...I refer to the 1935-36 Ford Book published by The Early Ford Club of America a definitive source for judging...page 117 "The on/off switch was moved(in 1936) from the radio chassis to the control head." This is backed up by my bone stock 1935 Ford and a rouge winning 1936 Ford in our club. A '36 radio head 'clicks' when you turn 'on' the left hand knob,...the '35 does not it is only a volume knob......Matt in Alameda
 
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