Read this thread:
http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=80410
If you don't feel comfortable with doing alignment, maybe someone near you will be able to help you. The first IF stages are very sensitive to alignment, so you have to go slow with the procedure, or you'll overshoot the peak. My guess is the reason your radio is doing poorly on the bottom of the scale is due to it needing alignment. Now, one other thing you can check are the wires from the ferrite bar antenna. If any are broken or if the ferrite bar is cracked, the radio will perform poorly.