1966? Zenith Color Tube TV

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by julianburke

I am guessing year of manufacture is 1966. Chassis number is either 25MC35 or 25MC36. All tubes are there. Last date of power up unknown. Appears to have never been recapped. I saw some of those annoying and unreliable wax paper caps in there and can already say i am not bothering to power this thing on until i replace the wax papers and do a thorough examination of this thing when I have the time.

This model was for the 1968 season. When I was in high school I worked for MusicLand here in Knoxville and we had these on the show stand. I liked the "power channel changer" button. Could have come out in the fall of 1967 but certainly NOT 1966 as the roundies were still around.

MC chassis were 1965 unless there's a Z at the end of the chassis number. NC is 1966, XC is 67, YC is 68, ZC is 69 and they circled back to A for the 1970 model year. If there's a Z at the end of the chassis number that indicates a chassis that got carried over into a second year of production.

In 1965 Zenith rolled out their first rectangular color, but they made and sold roundys that year and at least the next 2 years. The roundy chassis they made the next 2 years was the 24NC31. I own a 24NC31Z set that was a 1967 carryover of the 1966 24NC31. Zenith actually made some production changes on the NC31Z (comparing it to a previous year NC31 parts chassis I have) the most notable being switching to the bell fuses later Zenith's used.