[Frank]

I am just about done rebuilding my 37-690, which is quite a job. The condition of the wiring in this set was about what I'm used to seeing in mid 30's Philcos. It was faded, dirty looking, with brittle insulation. I made the decision to replace all of the chassis wiring with new cloth covered wire that is lacquered. I followed the color code when replacing the wire. Also replaced all capacitors, (electrolytics, wax paper, and micas), and resistors too. I wanted a safe, and reliable radio that would perform like it was engineered to perform.

I think that, while you can get by leaving in this old wire, you have to consider that it has aged, and is failing. With a big project like a 37-690, you don't want to have to go back and change anything that could fail. I noticed a lot of places where the wire was in contact with a sharp edge. I found places on some of the wires where the cloth was gone, and the wire was relying on some of the dried out rubber for insulation. I did not like that.

To sum it up, with my big sets, if the wire is not flexible, and there might be a chance for a problem, I do replace it with what is close to original. There are a lot of choices out there for replacement wiring that looks like it belongs in the radio.

This gives me peace of mind for safety and performance.