Joined: Tue Oct 11 2005, 11:01AM
Location: Central Iowa
Posts: 227
I just pulled the am/fm radio out of the 66 300 I am rebuilding, and it looks like the mice from previous storage have left their marks on top of the unit under the dash and have ruined the radio.......(I opened it up, and they must have been using it as a toilet)
Is this thing worth rebuilding? Has anyone had good experience with anyone fixing origional radios, or gutting the interior and replaceing with new internals, but keeping the outside origional. Nice to have a FM radio for the tunes or I-Pod playing.
Joined: Tue Oct 11 2005, 01:33AM
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 5893
Paul, if all they did was crap all over it and didn't chew the innards then it may not be toast. To clean, remove all the covers and any bezels. Then put it under warm water and scrub all the crap off with a tooth brush. All the electronics and such is waterproof and you won't do any damage provided you don't get too energetic and break any fine wires (not likely) and you make sure its completely dry before you put power on it. My favourite trick is to set stuff like that out on the back deck and let it sit n the sun for at least two days. Don't use a heat gun, etc. as that will cause damage. You can use compressed air to get the worst of the water out, but don't use very much pressure. I can't emphasis enough how important this drying step is, water will be under some components and it takes time for it to dry completely.
I've done this to radios, computers and countless keyboards and haven't killed one yet.
Joined: Sat Dec 10 2005, 04:28PM
Location: United States
Posts: 4954
Our Servers run under water. . .Ask New Orleans about that. . .
I have a guy here in Clifton that specializes in car radios. He just reserected a 72 Radio from the dead for $120.00. Let me know and I will get you his number. Man is a genious too
Joined: Tue Oct 11 2005, 01:33AM
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 5893
Quote "Our Servers run under water. . .Ask New Orleans about that. . ."
Yes a lot of people assume when electronic stuff gets wet that its dead, not true unless you power it up while wet. During the manufacture of circuit boards one of the last steps is they are washed to get all the flux and crap off. The stuff out of New Orleans needs to be really flushed with clean water to get all the salt out, if left for too long the salt will really screw things up. My black lab whizzed on the controller end of my tread mill and by the time we noticed it the control stuff was completely toasted. Darn near shot the stupid dog but didn't as I liked the dog more than the stupid tread mill!
Joined: Wed Oct 12 2005, 12:21PM
Location: Jersey, the only state that doesn't need the New...
Posts: 676
hey steve, the guy who did your radio.... does he modify them at all... (so like maybe i can go AM/FM....) or just fix whats broken? Becasue i might not put a CD in there if i can have AM and FM. <span class='smallblacktext'>[ Edited Fri Apr 28 2006, 03:55PM ]</span>
Joined: Sat Dec 10 2005, 04:28PM
Location: United States
Posts: 4954
John
I may have a WMTR Radio that works for you. He does do the conversions, but he doesn't like to and would cost you more than the store bought box job you have
By the way, I have been riding around with the bars I needed to install your radio since you were last here <span class='smallblacktext'>[ Edited Fri Apr 28 2006, 08:15PM ]</span>
Joined: Sun Feb 05 2006, 11:51PM
Location: Pa
Posts: 3064
Main man George (AKA Radio Dude, Radio X, etc.) is who Steve's been hinting around about. He explained to me about the cheap circuit boards in the modern transistor radios. They are basically made from cardboard and when they warp from moisture, the printed circuits fail. He restores antique tube radios all the time and is starting to do the transistor jobs. He does radios for most of the big resto shops in my area and the Imperial Palace hired him in the past. Steve's right - he shuns the conversions because, aside from being a purist, the new radios will give tons better sound than you could ever hope to get from your original. I'm going to have him install a socket in my original radios just ahead of the amplifier section to plug in a mp3 or CD changer. I know the sound won't be great, but I'm not cutting my dash for a modern neon flashboombox! Save those for the tuners...... PM me for Georges info.