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Zenith 7-S-363 Electrical Restoration Opinions Requested - Printable Version

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Zenith 7-S-363 Electrical Restoration Opinions Requested - Guest - 07-30-2008

Hello, I am considering purchase of a Zenith 7-S-363 as my first console model. I would appreciate your thoughts if this would be a "reasonable" project for someone with "intermediate" skills. I have restored several AA5's and a few late 1940's AM/FM radios. Here is the schematic:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByModel/354/M0025354.pdf">http://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByMode ... 025354.pdf</a><!-- m -->

Comments welcome.

- BDM - 07-30-2008

Electrically yes. Easy set to recapp/restore. Nice looking set, nice sounding set. Besides, it was used as a prop in the 1968 classic "Night of the Living Dead" Icon_eek

- Texasrocker - 07-31-2008

Agree with Brian!! I fully restored a 7S-363 console type a few yrs ago. Plenty of room under/& top of the chassis to do all necessary repairs indeed! The one I restored was missing most of the orig Zenith station preset "push-on" type buttons. I had to make some replacements for those. Not sure if repros are avail now but perhaps so? I saved the few origs left (2 or 3 ?), if anyone can use em in the future?, lemme know. Great sounding/and receiving radios indeed once elec restored and aligned. Seems I had to change out a bad resistor on the eye-tube harness socket to brighten the eye tube if I remember correctly. Replacing the orig rubber-grommets under the tuning capacitor mounting points is also a good idea if needed. If you cant find "repros" for those, you can also use old-style rubber faucet washers avail @ Lowes,etc. as a retrofit, by carefully drilling out the holes to proper dia. and shaving down to perfect height (thickness needed), using a exacto knife. That will be a very nice Radio once restored!! Best Luck on your resto!! Icon_wink

- Guest - 07-31-2008

Thanks for your comments. I'll see if the seller is willing to set a reasonable price - that may take a while.

- etech - 08-01-2008

You can get very nice repro knobs and preset/tone tabs for this radio from Larry Bordonaro at Old Time Replications. http://www.antiqueradioknobs.com/
It is best to buy a set so that the color matches.

Ed

- Terry Burns - 08-02-2008

Hi Robert,

If you need Zenith parts try here. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.alanjesperson.com/">http://www.alanjesperson.com/</a><!-- m -->

Alan has many repo parts that work well. It's better to call than email. Good luck on getting your radio. Icon_biggrin

Terry

- Guest - 08-26-2008

Thanks for all of your comments. I did not get the Zenith 7-S-363... but did get a 6-S-52. It has had a hard life, but perhaps there is some hope. The power transformer leads had lost much of their insulation due to someone in the past being careless. Decided to start there. Today took the transformer cover off and started putting on shrink tubing and new wires. Put it back together and checked for both open and short circuits with a VOM - looks good so far.

Lots of other problems. Certain that I will be calling on you for help as things move along.

- etech - 08-26-2008

Hi Robert,

I have a 6S52 on the bench here being restored. Mine has had quite a hard life too, especially the cabinet. I have the chassis recapped, aligned and playing well, but the cabinet leaves something to be desired. Icon_sad I may elect to delay the cabinet work for another time. The one thing I like about these radios is that beautiful multicolor dial. They tell me you can make the dial look even nicer, by repainting the colors on the back side of it with acrylic stained glass paint (stain). I would be happy to answer any questions about the chassis that you may have, if I am able.

Regards,

Ed

- Michael Dennis - 08-28-2008

Terry Burns Wrote:Hi Robert,

If you need Zenith parts try here. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.alanjesperson.com/">http://www.alanjesperson.com/</a><!-- m -->

Alan has many repo parts that work well. It's better to call than email. Good luck on getting your radio. Icon_biggrin

Terry

I just browsed the above website and the many photos therein. So that's what heaven looks like! (SIGHhhh.....).

Best Regards. Mike

"Did you say 'utes'?".

Re: Zenith 7-S-363 Electrical Restoration Opinions Requested - Guest - 09-20-2008

Hello - Today, I'm "Pleased As Punch" and have got to share this with you. After about a month of working on my (1936) Zenith 6-S-52, powered it up for the first time this afternoon... and it worked immediately (and quite well) on both AM and Shortwave. As mentioned earlier, had to replace the external wiring harness on the power transformer. Of course all paper and electrolytic caps were pulled. Every resistor in the radio, including the Candohm, was way out of tolerance and had to go. Even the tone control was shot. The real "kicker" was an "extra" paper cap that someone put in about 50 years ago (from the looks of the part) along with some wiring changes. Finally figured out how to bring things back to schematic. The field coil in the speaker was open, so out it went. Tried it today with a "ridiculously small" 3" diameter, permanent magnet speaker, but it sounds good to me. Will be getting suitable replacement electrodynamic model. Two encouraging factors were that all six vacuum tubes were good and there is no rubber insulation. This radio must have had a lot of use over the years, none of the tubes were the Zenith brand - guess that they were all replaced at one time or another. Still plenty to do, but have reached an important milestone. Here is a photo of the chassis, along with my Variac and isolation transformer:
[Image: http://www.vacuumtubeera.net/Photos/Zenith-6-S-52.jpg]

Re: Zenith 7-S-363 Electrical Restoration Opinions Requested - BDM - 09-20-2008

Nice job! Icon_biggrin Always rewarding after a such a resto. Yours was more than just a few caps and maybe a resistor or two. I rarely find tubes that are actually bad. I also find a radio is the best tube tester made. If I'm unsure of a tubes condition, I'll swap it out with several if the need arises. I've found in the past that output and rectifier tubes take the biggest pounding.

Re: Zenith 7-S-363 Electrical Restoration Opinions Requested - etech - 09-21-2008

Hi Robert,

Congrats on your success restoring that 6S52. Icon_smile BTW, don't throw out that old speaker. Have you actually tried it connected to the radio? I have had several occasions where the field coil measured open on the ohm meter, but worked when voltage was applied. It must have welded or bridged the open when the voltage was applied. If not, the field coil can be rewound with some difficulty.

Ed

Re: Zenith 7-S-363 Electrical Restoration Opinions Requested - Guest - 09-21-2008

Congrats Mike,

That's a spiffy looking test bench set-up.

Re: Zenith 7-S-363 Electrical Restoration Opinions Requested - Guest - 09-22-2008

Thanks for your comments, but this is not Mike's radio. It is mine, and I did the work, not Mike.
Robert H. Icon_smile

Re: Zenith 7-S-363 Electrical Restoration Opinions Requested - Guest - 09-22-2008

In some countries Mike is short for Robert.
No, I don't know which countries but I do know that I don't have a leg to stand on. Sorry about the mix-up. Icon_biggrin

Chad