[jrblasde]

Good afternoon! You mentioned that it looks as though someone has attempted repairs before. You may want to compare the existing circuitry against the schematics provided here at the PhilcoRadio.com link. Navigate to Library, and then go to Service Info. These are the best reference to use for a baseline. I also like to refer to the Rider's manuals for many of these older Philco radios, because Rider often added diagrams showing the physical location of each component on the chassis. I've found these before on Antique Electronic Supply's website, and find that they are incredibly faithful to the Philco schematics. One more thing--you mentioned the potential for reversed polarity on your voltmeter. The Philco service manual will tell you if you need to invert the probes of your voltmeter. I have seen this in writing before, while aligning my 49-906.

As morzh mentioned, I would also recommend a recap. It will behoove you to test for any out-of-tolerance resistors as well. Wildly out-of-tolerance resistors will change your plate voltages.