[gary rabbitt]

Hello and welcome!

Yes, chassis refers to the metal box in the back of the set. Some call it the 'guts' , but the chassis is the right word.

You mention that you plugged it in years ago and it 'worked' That is a good sign. It shows that all the parts at that time were doing what they should. However, the original parts are around 70 years old and the main 'filter capacitors' can fail at any time. Failure of those otherwise cheap parts can result in damaging an expensive and hard to find part, like a transformer. You have heard an old radio that hums? That is a sign that the filters have already failed.

While you might not understand most on the page I am going to give you, it will give an idea of what I am talking about.

http://www.philcoradio.com/tech/plugin.htm

Also

http://antiqueradio.org/powerup.htm

http://antiqueradio.org/recap.htm

I would suggest that you have the set serviced by someone who knows about repairing old radios. Replacing the filter caps is the minimum you should do to the set. But preferably all the paper caps should be replaced.
That way, you will have a safe, and reliable set for many more years.
Please let us know the area you are in, and perhaps there is someone nearby that could help you out when the time comes. We just don't want you to risk damaging an otherwise good set. Sounds like yours is in great shape, complete, and the accessories are often missing or hard to find.

Good luck, and keep in touch.
Gary.