[MrFixr55]

Hi apERNA,

Yes, that's C402  [Edited 07/11/26] 401 on the schematic section that you posted.  That's the cap that "grounds" the chassis to the B- "Mecca" that I described.  I wouldn't call the wire wound around it a "gimmick; a gimmick is usually connected only at one end and was very common in the RF transformers of the early 1930s 4 tube TRF radios.  Here, I think it acts as a choke. It and the cap are in series.  I have only seen these in Philcos.

If using the chassis from the parts set as a comparison, change ONLY the electrolytics, jumper the power switch and install a polarized power cord to ensure that the chassis remains at neutral - ground potential  More on that later.  The reason why I am recommending to not recap the paper caps at this point is because paper / foil caps are wound like a Swiss roll.  This causes one plate of the cap to be "inside" the other.  The "outer foil" goes to ground (B-) on "bypass caps" or to the plate of the previous stage in coupling caps.  For example, in the audio stage, the cap that couples the triode plate of the 7C6 to the grid of the 50L6, has the outside foil connect to the plate of the 7C6 and the inner foil to the grid of the 50L6.

The reason that I want you to jumper the power switch is this.  Consider for a moment if C402 401did not exist or was shorted and the chassis was directly connected to one side of the AC Line.  In just about every AC-DC radio, the power switch switches the B- / chassis ground to the power line.  This causes a d**ned if you do / d**ned if you don't situation.  If the plug is in the AC outlet in such a way that the chassis is at neutral v/ ground potential with the power switch closed, all is well.  However, when you turn the set off, the chassis is now hot, through the tube heater string.  The heater string is less than 100 ohm when cold.  Reverse the plug and the opposite happens.  The chassis is safe with the switch open and hot when the switch is closed.  Since you are working with an exposed chassis, this is dangerous.  In fact, I modify all transformerless sets in my collection so that the B- /ow end Heater String "Mecca" is hard wired to the neutral conductor (large pin) and that the switch is between the rectifier plate and heater connection and the Hot leg of the power cord (small pin).

Tuning caps were quite standard in radios of this period.  the AA5 or AA6 radio had an RF stage cap whose value was almost always at 365pF with plates closed, 10pF with plates open, making the antenna loop value pretty similar from model to model.  The only difference is that in the Philco AA5s and AA6s, there is an RF coil in series with the antenna loop that allows the user to connect an external antenna to the set (the green wire).  However, if no external antenna is used, the green wire is grounded to the chassis, thereby at the RF level, shorting out the coil at RF frequencies.  Therefore, you could possibly replace the loop with a loopstick if you find one from a radio using a 10-365pF.  So I don't think that there is any real difference between the loops from your restored radio and your parts set.

It is sounding like much of your problem is coming through the power line.  The Philco radio in your LTD (I wonder if they were actually made by Philco or by Bendix?)  are "permeability" (coil and slug) tuned.  Ford radios in the late 1950s to early 1960s came either from Bendix, Motorola or possibly Philco.  From about 1968 or so, the Ford radios had "Philco" instead of Ford on the dial, as Ford owned Philco from about 1961 to 1974.  I am fairly sure that the radios in

BTW, what model LTD do you have.  I had a 67 Country Squire that Dad gave to me for my 21st birthday in 1976I rebuilt the 390 and replaced the rotted frame on.  Drove it for about 70K miles (160K miles) total when I sold it and bought a 69 Falcon wagon because the cost of the gas was getting to me.  The 69 and later full size Fords had stronger frames because they were made of heavier metal.  Unfortunately, the FE engines were replaced with the 351M / 400 which was nowhere near as good an engine.  Had the Falcon wagon with a 302 (really a Fairlane with 2 headlights and less trim), sold that in 1983 when I got my wife a 78 Fairmont wagon with a 302 2bbl.  That went as fast as lightning, especially for a malaise era car.  wish it had fuel injection!  Put 160K miles on that. It rusted out by 1992 and sold it for $100.  Bought an 80 Lincoln for $450, kept that till 2004.  Bought my 91 Aerostar company car when it went off lease and gave to my wife, the Linc to my son.  Still have the Aerostar.  Replaced the Linc with a 2000 Explorer in 2004 for my wife, son drove the Aerostar till I took it away from him.  My daily driver is my Mom in Law's 2003 Taurus 3.0 Vulcan.  166K miles on it, it's 23 years old but it came from the south and /runs like a Rolex watch! I don't drive it in the snow, so no rust.  I drove the Aerostar instead.  But I would love to have a 70 LTD.  However I collect radios because Ms. Fixr does not let me collect cars.