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My Philco 37-116 Restore - Printable Version

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My Philco 37-116 Restore - dconant - 01-16-2025

Hello, I just got a 37-116 code 122 so I guess I am a member of the 37-116/38-116 club Icon_razz . This thing sure is heavy. I removed the chassis to examine and test the tubes. What a beast. It will be a challenge to work on that chassis. All the tubes tested good except the 6F6. I removed the bottom plate and found all to be original with the exception of an addition of an external phono jack and switch. My first question is how best to remove the speaker. The grille cloth is just about gone so I see that cone in there. I bet that speaker is heavy as well. Is that wood brace holding the back of the speaker glued in? I was thinking maybe I could lay it down and remove the brace and then pull the speaker straight up. 

Thanks,
Dan

RE: My Philco 37-116 Restore - rfeenstra - 01-16-2025

I have restored 2 of these a few years ago.  I believe you can un-bolt the speaker and tip it out of position to remove.  the wood base is probably glued in. these are great, good sounding radios!  They are not, however the easiest to rebuild.  The tuner section can be a bit of a challenge, especially since the police band oscillator coil is often open because of corrosion.  I had to rewind these coils on both of the 37-116's I did.  Do not be discouraged, however. The performance is well worth the patience need to fully rebuild the radio!  I can see that the cone suspension for the passive radiators has deteriorated. Perhaps someone has a solution for that.  Mine were still intact, though beginning the deterioration process.

Here is a link to the tread for one of the 37-116 radios: philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=19530

Also: philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=21139
A much shorter thread on the second 37-116

I do believe there are a couple of other threads on these radios as well.  Do a search.

RE: My Philco 37-116 Restore - morzh - 01-16-2025

OK, since the cloth is missing, you could clearly see that wood cone in front of the speaker.
If you have to remove the speaker, put the radio straight down and after removing the bolts, lift STRAIGHT up. Or you will have a big gaping hole in your speaker cone.

RE: My Philco 37-116 Restore - RodB - 01-16-2025

Passive radiators are available in many sizes and quite inexpensive.

RE: My Philco 37-116 Restore - rfeenstra - 01-16-2025

Oh yes, forgot about that cone!

RE: My Philco 37-116 Restore - dconant - 01-17-2025

Since the grille cloth is just about gone I will need to remove the speaker to replace the grille cloth right?

462ron - 462ron - 01-17-2025

Hi Dan, yes this chassis is a brute. When I got mine 10 years ago, I found this chassis jig to be quite handy. After mounting the chassis to it you can adjust if for multiple angles to work on the radio. I purchased it from a member on here but can’t recall who that was! Have fun, this radio is a lot of work, multiple Bakelite blocks to restuff but no big deal, the tuner on a separate chassis that is crammed full, the #2 band oscillator coil that will most likely need to be rewound and a tedious alignment procedure for the high fidelity IF and AFC system. As for speaker removal, after removing the nut and bolts, I was easily able to remove it while still upright by holding it back as far as possible and carefully bringing it up and tilting it. It is a great sounding set once done!

Ron    

RE: My Philco 37-116 Restore - RodB - 01-17-2025

It appears that the speakers are mounted on the baffle which probably separates from the cabinet with wood screws. You may have to remove the main speaker just to get it out of the way. The grille cloth will attach to the front of the baffle. Be sure to mark the center of the opening on the baffle before removing it. Makes it easier to get the cloth on correctly. Maybe Mike has some comments on removing the baffle.

RE: My Philco 37-116 Restore - dconant - 01-17-2025

Thanks guys for the input. It will likely be late spring before I tackle the cabinet and the speaker.

RE: My Philco 37-116 Restore - morzh - 01-17-2025

I never had to remove the baffle. My grill cloth was not exactly pristine, but not too dirty or ripped.
This said, often times Philco baffles are held to the front panel by several screws; like in 570 grandpa clock.
This holds speaker and the cloth.

See if there are any screws in the corners/along the perimeter of the baffle.

And, yes, to replace the cloth you must remove the speaker. Most everywhere, not just here.