Guest outlaw car man Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Working on a radio in a 1933 Buick 90. ( original) Radio: Car has a B-O-P Radio installed which hums but doesn't play-I took the cover off, it has the tube #s and a installation card dated 6/26/33.The dates also confirms what Dave Corbin said about the date of manufacture in 1933.OK, problem- How to get the radio working. I turned it on the tubes don't light up. I did notice a small black covered thing, about the size of a condenser, hanging down from I think the Amp gauge and not hooked up to anything. It appears as if it should hooked to the current limit relay switch as a power source-Anybody know or are there wiring diagrams for the radios out there in Buick world. Sure as hell don't want to do a blind hook-up and cause a nasty problem-Thanks,Sandy Jones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest outlaw car man Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Correction- When I turn the radio on, the dial lights up and the radio box under the dash turns on as if it is energized , not hums. The tubes do not light up after a minute, black thing with a connection on the end is not connected to anything, just dangling there.Did research today, B-O-P on the radio stands for Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac.OCM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Earl Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 If your radio is actually a working radio then it's ok to hook it up. If it's not, then don't as you will likely cause more trouble. You'd be better off in that case to find someone to restore it for you. It's usually the capacitors that go bad in them for the most part, but if you try running those old radios without having them gone through, it will cause more problems. From what I understand, the capacitors dry out weather or not the radio is being played and after all these years..... Boy those early sets were huge weren't they? There is also usually a fuse that goes in the push and turn socket that is the hot wire going into the set, and then the other connection is for the arial. Some of those early sets have a separate ground wire as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest outlaw car man Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 Earl, thanks. I don't plan to touch it till I can get some good information about it as far as what powers it etc. I did find a place, I believe in England, that has a schematic for it, they have it labeled as a 1934 radio with a question mark behind it. Radio is a BOP Super Heterodyne # 980393. 6 tube type. The Installation Record, mounted inside shows the date if install, initials of the person that installed it and a serial #. The Owner of car and address are left blank, which may mean a factory install, maybe a dealer ? Yes it is fairly large with a round speaker mounted next to it on the firewall. It's getting power from somewhere as the dial lights up when turned on. onward- thanks, Sandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbbuick22 Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 Sandy, try Bob Comtois in Chelmsford MA. Check previous posts for radio repair, he repairs only tube type radios. He just did a radio for a customers 48 Buick, also installed a plug for a mp3/cd player. Excellent work and fast turn around(one week). JB22-6-55 Sport Touring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Earl Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 Wow! Super Hetrodyne... They did put in a modern set for you. Can't beat single dial tuning! If RCA is the one's the actually made the set you may end up having to get the whole thing re-wired. They were such a cheap outfit they really used poor wire in thier radios. The early Victor radios were made by RCA but Victor wouldn't let them use that cheap wire, but after 1929 when RCA bought out Victor the quality of the whole outfit went downhill. But the cheap wire has poor insulation on it and often times in an RCA set the insulation will just crumble when you touch it or handle it at all. I don't think RCA made car radios, but it's hard to tell for sure as that really was the very beginning of people really putting radios in cars. And there are some things a good radio guy can do now so they don't pull so much current and it will still sound and play like it should. I used to collect phonographs and still have thousands of records and do like the music. If you want to hear some early 30's late 20's music here is a link. Radio Dismuke - 1920s & 1930s Popular Music & Jazz Internet Radio Station There is a link below the radio partway down the page. Good luck with it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest outlaw car man Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 Since the car was originally bought by the DuPont family, who owned 30 % of GM ( thanks Dave Corbin) I doubt anything was missed on the car- Only the best including the Super Heterodyne radio.My recent research shows the radio was made by Delco, under another name. Also thanks JB for the led, I'll contact the guy and check older radio postings too. Thanks all-Sandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_bigD Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 The vibrator and the vibrator buffer capacitors typically fail as these are highly stressed parts. When you turn the radio on it should immediately produce a muted buzz which is the vibrator. To properly troubleshoot the radio it should be removed from the car and set up on a bench with a 12V battery to run it.Here are links to some service information for the 908390 BOP radio.http://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByModel/462/M0022462.pdfhttp://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByModel/461/M0022461.pdfGood luck,Steve D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest outlaw car man Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Wonderful, thanks Steve- I was told by another guy to contact Alan Kriss who advertises in the Bugle, which I did. He gave me a lesson on radios, which I didn't much understand, but looks like he can get it fired up. I don't want to burn anything down or destroy any originality so am going very slow with the project.Thanks for all the help out there- moving forward fast now. OCM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob duffer Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Sandy... Just wondering if you ever got your radio working? I'm looking for one for my 34 . I have the dash dial, but no box under the dash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest outlaw car man Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I PMed you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buicknutty Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 There is a very knowledable gentleman in Ontario, Harold MacQueen who has about 5,000 car radios in stock, and some very rare ones. He's been doing repairs on vintage car radios for years and years, PM me if you want his phone number, he doesn't use the net!Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYER15015 Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 (edited) Sandy,I had my radio for the '40 fixed by Mr. Barney Wooters, 8303 East Mansfield, Denver, Co. 80237, Ph 303-770-5314. Directions = S on I-25, E on Hampton, S on Tamarac Dr., E on Mansfield about 2 blocks. He is across from a school. Mike in Colorado Edited May 22, 2015 by FLYER15015 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest outlaw car man Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 I decided a long time ago not to pull it. Talked with the antique automotive radio group, said best to leave it alone UNLESS I really wanted to listen to AM, or convert it with modern guts which I will not do. It was installed in 1933. Have to do some un-original stuff to get it out- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacrat Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 I agree leave it as it is, and lisin to the car . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 (edited) I got an MP3 player with AM/FM radio the size of a matchbook. I plug it into a pair of speakers with a 6 VDC amp & the whole thing fits in the glove box. It could be hard wired into the car, but I like to move it from car to car. Edited May 23, 2015 by Mark Shaw (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
28 Chrysler Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 At this point in time all of the electrolytic capacitors will have to be changed. The points in the vibrator probably need to be cleaned.Any radio repair person could install a input jack to hock up a modern battery powered device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37_Roadmaster_C Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I got ya beat . I am an electronics guy and I built a very small 6 or 12 volt am transmitter that is driven by an mp3 player (or anything else with a headphone jack). I just fire it up in the glovebox and tune the car radio to its frequency (about 960) and listen to the oldies... Anyone within about 100 feet can also tune in if they want. It is kinda fun at get togeathers and the 37 and 60 have 100% stock am radios . Robin PS: I can flip an internal switch on the transmitter to change the frequency to about 1050 if there is local interfearance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest daydreamer Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 sandy call me i have an original radio repair manual some were . paul 1 231 357 3009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest outlaw car man Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Paul, Thanks I have a copy of something like that too. I've decided to leave the radio in place as it was installed in 1933 and I don't want to tear anything up removing it. The next guy can. Sandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daves1940Buick56S Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Sandy: Lovely panel, those airplane-type dials are the best. Cheers, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob duffer Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 did you up date your gauges ? They look new.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest outlaw car man Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 All original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Barneys_Bud Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Step one is to get a schematic. Can't get there without a road map. The fact that your tubes don't light up is very telling. I would have to look at the one for my Buick but these old drawings are available. I can email you a copy if you cannot find one. I came across a service manual for my radio. Once you have it you can trace the +6 volts through it and see what is going on. Step two would be to find some one with a tube checker. I would guess that one or more of the tubes are gassy (they have leaked air inside and that is very common). Check the Vibrator, if it is not humming then you will need to carefully remove the case and check the contact points. Often you will find out that the electrolytic capacitors have dried out and that can also be a show stopper. When all is said and done it is still an AM radio and I have yet to find any intelligent life there. I hope this has helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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