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Nice 37-630, not so nice 37-640... what to do... - Printable Version

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+--- Thread: Nice 37-630, not so nice 37-640... what to do... (/showthread.php?tid=14132)


Nice 37-630, not so nice 37-640... what to do... - kiwi_steve - 02-26-2016

Well, a new toy just appeared on my bench... this 37-640EZ (E for export, Z for New Zealand (I assume)).  My understanding is that this cabinet was NZ made, but the chassis is a US-made export version and probably doesn't differ much to the standard US model other than the mains transformer.

[Image: http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff222/4wdstuff/Philco%2037-640%20EZ/20160226_165542_zpsaupw4h1t.jpg]

[Image: http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff222/4wdstuff/Philco%2037-640%20EZ/20160226_165437_zps50tepxp7.jpg]

Its in a bit of a state - the grille cloth is in good condition but I don't think its original to this cabinet, since I also have a 37-630EZ which has (I believe) factory cloth - which looks like the US cloth (but I'm open to opinions on that).  Its also got a couple of capacitors screwed either side of the speaker and wired to a rats nest I have yet to decipher, but it also includes a switch that some thoughtful person has drilled a hole in the cabinet for reasons unknown - possibly an extension speaker arrangement of some sort - I'll know more when I can get myself off the couch (I'm currently suffering from the worst recorded case of man-flu ever  Icon_neutral )

[Image: http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff222/4wdstuff/Philco%2037-640%20EZ/20160226_165451_zpsl2qnqb34.jpg]

The dial is cracked in several places and completely blank in one place where it looks like it has sat for years in the sun... and the glass is missing from the dial (although I have a spare NOS one I got for my 37-61 I can use)... And maybe the worst bit is the missing shadow-meter... I've had a quick look, but it doesn't appear to be there at all.  Icon_sad

So I'm thinking I could possibly (and this is simply because I'm thinking bigger numbers are better, but I'm sure I can be educated on that fact Icon_razz ) make one really nice 37-640 from the two, and one not too bad 67-630 with the remains.  I'll also put an advert up for a shadow-meter - how common are those to find (and with good coils?) ?

And is the main (only?) difference the push-pull output on the -640?

Here is the 37-630, which is in very nice original (I believe) condition:

[Image: http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff222/4wdstuff/Philco%2037-630%20EZ/20130802_210659_zpshagl8qi9.jpg]

[Image: http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff222/4wdstuff/Philco%2037-630%20EZ/20130802_210712_zpse3ectlvm.jpg]

Either way, I have a few other jobs to finish before I get into either of these... but its certainly tempting to get stuck into them... I love these radios.  I've got a couple of sets of new rubbers sitting here for the tuning sub-chassis and to go under the main chassis and enough tube shields to do one, but I'll probably need to find a couple more of those too... I don't recall how many the -630 is supposed to have.

Anyway... more toys  Icon_biggrin

RE: Nice 37-630, not so nice 37-640... what to do... - kiwi_steve - 02-26-2016

Couldn't help myself so I dragged myself off the couch and pulled the chassis for a look - so far it appears to be in pretty unmolested condition... a few caps replaced, including the electro's. There is a Hunts cap standing up in the pair of electro's in the back corner... that doesn't seem original, but it looks well replaced and if it wasn't marked I wouldn't have known it wasn't a Philco one...

[Image: http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff222/4wdstuff/Philco%2037-640%20EZ/20160226_185718_zpsxcih0aml.jpg]

Hopefully I can avoid the temptation to do a quick recap... maybe I'll go to bed instead...

RE: Nice 37-630, not so nice 37-640... what to do... - titan1a - 02-26-2016

I'm having a 37-665B restored. As with yours, trying to find a shadowmeter and the two metal mounting clips is a real exercise! It isn't unusual to find Philco radios without them or the appropriate wiring. I lucked out by combing the Internet far and wide and snagged the last one on a very unusual website. Snagging the clips and escutcheon required daily searching Ebay for WEEKS! You'll probably have little trouble getting a replacement dial. Mine most be redone as mine as a "rare bird." I believe your only hope is to find a beat-up radio that can be cannibalized. Just don't quit! You have a good radio.

RE: Nice 37-630, not so nice 37-640... what to do... - KCMike - 02-26-2016

 Both cabinets look pretty good to me and the 630 is mostly there. If you have the resources to get parts, you could try to just restore both of them. They are both a nice design. Good luck.

RE: Nice 37-630, not so nice 37-640... what to do... - kiwi_steve - 02-26-2016

(02-26-2016, 04:59 AM)titan1a Wrote:  I'm having a 37-665B restored. As with yours, trying to find a shadowmeter and the two metal mounting clips is a real exercise! It isn't unusual to find Philco radios without them or the appropriate wiring. I lucked out by combing the Internet far and wide and snagged the last one on a very unusual website. Snagging the clips and escutcheon required daily searching Ebay for WEEKS! You'll probably have little trouble getting a replacement dial. Mine most be redone as mine as a "rare bird." I believe your only hope is to find a beat-up radio that can be cannibalized. Just don't quit! You have a good radio.
Fortunately the clips and escutcheon are all there - its just the meter I'm missing.  The problem with getting a beat up radio for spares is that I would just want to restore that too and probably end up worse off parts-wise Icon_lol


(02-26-2016, 10:41 AM)Mike Wrote:   Both cabinets look pretty good to me and the 630 is mostly there. If you have the resources to get parts, you could try to just restore both of them. They are both a nice design. Good luck.
Yep the 630 is in stunning condition all things considered and I had always intended to do it up the way it deserves... its just having the 640 chassis that makes me wonder if I should 'upgrade' it and have a stunning 640... and have a not-quite-so-good 630.  I will restore them both in time (within the limits of my abilities) because I love how these look.  

I also like the idea that they're a pain in the butt to restore due to the sub-chassis... I get so many radios working in under an hour (often well under) by simply recapping them that something with a bit of a challenge is always welcome... and this presents mechanical and electronic challenges.  I can't just throw a few caps at it and call it working, so I may as well fully restore it since its coming nearly completely apart anyway.

The cabinet on the 640 is not as good as it appears - there is some bad veneer (rippled and split) on the front right and a hole in the side and what I think is a brush-coat of poly... the Philco label is missing so I suspect its been stripped at some point.  I'm going to teach myself to lacquer spray soon (Preval sprayers have arrived) so it might be a good one to do once I figure out how... and I have some spare decals I got for my 89B... so neither of these will become a parts radio, but one of them will probably look a little better (more authentic maybe) than the other.

Cheers

Steve

RE: Nice 37-630, not so nice 37-640... what to do... - Ron Ramirez - 02-26-2016

kiwi_steve Wrote:Nice 37-630, not so nice 37-640... what to do...

Here's what to do:

Send the cabinet (just the empty cabinet) that's "not so nice" to Ron in the States. Icon_biggrin

Seriously, I would love to be able to get my mitts on one of those NZ Philco cabinets of that very style. They look so much better than the USA 37-640B which is much plainer and has photofinish. The New Zealand version needs no photofinish, it is quite beautiful on its own...in my opinion.

But I know the shipping, even for an empty cabinet, would be a killer...$$$$ Icon_sad

Quote:(E for export, Z for New Zealand (I assume))

Yes, E stands for export. But the Z does not stand for New Zealand. Most if not all Philco export chassis from around 1937 on had model numbers ending in "EZ" to indicate export models. What the "Z" stands for, I haven't a clue.

RE: Nice 37-630, not so nice 37-640... what to do... - kiwi_steve - 02-27-2016

(02-26-2016, 08:08 PM)Ron Ramirez Wrote:  Send the cabinet (just the empty cabinet) that's "not so nice" to Ron in the States. Icon_biggrin

Seriously, I would love to be able to get my mitts on one of those NZ Philco cabinets of that very style. They look so much better than the USA 37-640B which is much plainer and has photofinish. The New Zealand version needs no photofinish, it is quite beautiful on its own...in my opinion.

But I know the shipping, even for an empty cabinet, would be a killer...$$$$ Icon_sad

You're right, its one of the few situations where I think we got a better finished product... 

Sending from there to here was somewhere in the ballpark of $350 for an empty 89B cabinet... I can't imagine it will be much different from here to you... and if I did that you would need to send me something in return... which means we'd both be broke... but hey, we'd both be happy! Icon_lol 

I might price it up just out of interest if I get a chance

Ron Ramirez Wrote:
Quote:(E for export, Z for New Zealand (I assume))

Yes, E stands for export. But the Z does not stand for New Zealand. Most if not all Philco export chassis from around 1937 on had model numbers ending in "EZ" to indicate export models. What the "Z" stands for, I haven't a clue.

Oh, darn.  It seemed so obvious, and Z is the prefix other manufacturers used for NZ sets (for example Pye would use P or PE as a prefix for many of their radios in England, while they used PZ for the Kiwi ones).

RE: Nice 37-630, not so nice 37-640... what to do... - kiwi_steve - 02-27-2016

Actually based on my calculations (rough at best, but close enough for the purpose) it would be just under $100 to get a 37-640 cabinet the the US... much cheaper than getting a cabinet back here which would be 3 times that figure not including posting it to the shipping centre in Portland Oregon. Unless there is a cheaper way I don't know about (which is likely).

RE: Nice 37-630, not so nice 37-640... what to do... - Ron Ramirez - 02-27-2016

The design of your New Zealand 37-630B/37-640B appears to be based upon the USA 37-650/37-660/37-665B. Only the NZ makers added that slanted front panel, which really sets it off and makes it look even better than the USA cabinets, I think.

Had a similar design been used here, Philco may have sold more of those models than they did.

As for the "Z" in "EZ", I can't explain it, but it appears on most of the Philco Tropic sets in my collection. All of those were built in Philadelphia for export to other countries; most of which appear to have ended up in South America but I've heard of them being in Africa and Europe as well. There's also that oddball 38-250EZ that I have yet to find any information on.