Wonderbar Radio help
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Wonderbar Radio help
So my 61 doesn't have a radio of any type now. At some point it did but when I bought the car it had a radio delete plate in the dash. I ran across a guy last week at a car show that has one that was in his 62, said it worked when he took it out. At some point someone "turned off" the radio with the tuning **** so now you can't tune with the dial. Said he would take $350 for it. I realize there is a slight difference between the 61 and 62 radio but I'm not that concerned about that. I've seen non working or rebuildable radios from $250-500 and restored ones for $1000+. I don't know how easy it would be to fix this. I guess I'm wondering if it's worth taking a chance on it or not. I've been looking at those ones that look original but you can plug in your ipod or phone to. My car is stock so keeping it looking that way is preferred. I really don't want to invest a grand in a radio, I'm afraid if I bought this and had to have someone fix it they might say it's junk or it needs a total rebuild. I have no idea what it costs to rebuild one of these radios. Can I buy the tuning part and replace it myself, I don't see any of the vendors selling these. What do you think?
Last edited by db59; 08-25-2016 at 01:05 AM.
#2
Racer
Wonderbar Radio
So my 61 doesn't have a radio of any type now. At some point it did but when I bought the car it had a radio delete plate in the dash. I ran across a guy last week at a car show that has one that was in his 62, said it worked when he took it out. At some point someone "turned off" the radio with the tuning **** so now you can't tune with the dial. Said he would take $350 for it. I realize there is a slight difference between the 61 and 62 radio but I'm not that concerned about that. I've seen non working or rebuildable radios from $250-500 and restored ones for $1000+. I don't know how easy it would be to fix this. I guess I'm wondering if it's worth taking a chance on it or not. I've been looking at those ones that look original but you can plug in your ipod or phone to. My car is stock so keeping it looking that way is preferred. I really don't want to invest a grand in a radio, I'm afraid if I bought this and had to have someone fix it they might say it's junk or it needs a total rebuild. I have no idea what it costs to rebuild one of these radios. Can I buy the tuning part and replace it myself, I don't see any of the vendors selling these. What do you think?
Good luck
Last edited by 62-C1; 08-25-2016 at 09:28 AM.
#3
Race Director
Member Since: Apr 2015
Location: Fresno California
Posts: 17,503
Received 3,443 Likes
on
2,113 Posts
My experience is that all the people I've met in the past 35 years that work on old tube type equipment are what I call 'crackpotus maximus'....they are eccentric, highly interested, highly knowledgeable, and highly ethical. I've never been swindled on an obsolete radio repair, Model T part, or fountain pen repair. People that specialize in the repair and restoration of obsolete technology generally do it out of passion, and are top flight people. Not sure if this helps, but it's been my experience. I've used vendors out of Hemmings Motor News with stellar results for years. Good luck, and congrats from a fellow '61 owner.
#4
Safety Car
Member Since: Apr 2009
Location: Georgetown TX
Posts: 3,784
Received 570 Likes
on
306 Posts
2021 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
C2 of Year Finalist (stock) 2019
2016 C2 of Year Finalist
Call Jerry Rudbeck (864)363-0947. He is the "man" when it comes to Wonderbars. He did two for me over the years.
#5
Burning Brakes
You might want to save your money. Jerry restored mine a few years ago and did a fine job. However, where i live there is NOTHING to listen to. I'm not a fan of "talk radio" and "news" isn't my thing either . Depending on your listening preferences and what's available, a working WONDERBAR might just be an interesting conversation piece.
#6
Melting Slicks
Jerry is trying to retire, I don't think he is taking any new radio repairs in. He finished a couple 56 and 57 wonderbars and powerpacs for me this spring, and they are both superb and work perfect. They are amazing little mechanical electrical animals.
#7
Team Owner
Only you can decide if its worth rolling the dice an old radio. I wouldn't throw down too much cash without a bench test and don't forget - these radios are driven by vacuum tubes. Don't panic if you don't hear anything until they warm up...a good 20-30 seconds.
The alternative is to buy a core radio, have it gutted and all new electronics put in it - that'll cost you close to the grand you mention...
A bit cheaper is to buy an AAR repro wonderbar (you can find them around for about $590) and they look quite original and what I did in my non-judged '61 (as shown). You can get bluetooth in them now and they have FM capabilities and can drive an amp.
BTW - the old, original radios require an original style speaker with the load matching transformer; if you don't have one the best repro is about $85 so add that to the cost. A solid-state radio can use a modern dash speaker and the best one costs about $50.
The alternative is to buy a core radio, have it gutted and all new electronics put in it - that'll cost you close to the grand you mention...
A bit cheaper is to buy an AAR repro wonderbar (you can find them around for about $590) and they look quite original and what I did in my non-judged '61 (as shown). You can get bluetooth in them now and they have FM capabilities and can drive an amp.
BTW - the old, original radios require an original style speaker with the load matching transformer; if you don't have one the best repro is about $85 so add that to the cost. A solid-state radio can use a modern dash speaker and the best one costs about $50.
#8
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Thank you for the replys, never really thought about having AM only and what to listen to. That's a great point so I think I'm going to look into the ones that look original but I can use an Ipod or bluetooth. At least that way I know that it will work right away!