1930s car radios

[vette-kid]

IfI'd look to get a period radio for my 36 P2.  I have a Philco CT11 box but no control head or face plate for it.  I have found a Motorola control head on eBay with the correct face plate that will mount in the left ash tray door.  Does anyone know if the rain from this era will play nice together?  Can I use the Motorola control head with the Philco box?

 

There is a Philco control head available but it does not have the face plate and that may be difficult to find. 

Edited October 29, 2019 by vette-kid (see edit history)

[John_Mereness]

I would suggest getting an accessory brochure and figuring out exactly what they offered new - every car seemingly has some sort of factory approved radio.   The cost difference between a nice radio and a proper radio will not be all the much (perhaps a couple hundred dollars).  Advertise you want one via:  a couple of the applicable pages on this forum matched to the WPC pages too. 

 

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/258293-p2-options/

 

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/151151-what-is-this-radio-tuner-from/

 

http://www.2040-parts.com/1935-1936-1937-1938-plymouth-dodge-desoto-chrysler-philco-ct11-car-radio-i1752508/

 

http://vintageradioparts.com/2017/10/36-1936-dodge-car-original-stock-mopar-dash-radio-35-37-plymouth-vintage/

[vette-kid]

Thanks for the reply.  I've got the brochure and even know what the factory offering was for it.  It's just hard to find.  I'm hoping that the control heads will work across manufacturers.  Motorola made an aftermarket option with a tailor for control head, even though it wasn't a factory option, or listed in the literature for Plymouth.

 

The other Chrysler products have a different face plate, so those will not fit in the Plymouth.

[lump]

I can't speak specifically to your make/year/model vehicle, but in my general experience, old 6 volt radios have not been all that tough to find for many models. One reason is that radios were pretty darn special in the 1930's. So, just like with tool kits, whenever someone junked an old car they would save the radio. I have seen piles and piles of them years ago on salvage yard shelves, and I suspect there are sheds and barns loaded up with them yet today. Moreover, today many people opt for modern look-alike radios with better sound, reception, am/fm etc. So the original radios are often removed and replaced. This is even more true with hot rods. Yet very few car guys would ever throw away an old radio. 

 

The trick is finding the right radio for your car which is in nice, working condition. THAT is a different kettle of fish. But if you look through the pages of HEMMINGS or do an internet search, I'll bet you can find a radio specialist.