1949 Zenith missing parts?

[ShartZenith]

Okay all you Zenith "roundie" fans. I need a bit of help with a prospect I'm looking at. This TV is coming up for bid at an auction this weekend. I had the auction company shoot a few photos of it to help me decide if I want to travel the distance to bid on it. After staring at the pics I think the power supply may be missing (two loose wires I see?) Besides, didn't 1949 Zenith's have a separate power supply chassis in the bottom of the cabinet as well?
In addition to the missing tubes which I'm aware of, what else do you see amiss in the photos of the chassis? Thanks! Steve, newbie

[Eric H]

It's missing the 1B3 socket and Doorknob cap, (and all the other tubes of course) I'm pretty sure this does have a separate PS.
What about the knobs? don't see those anywhere.

It looks like the same basic chassis used in the 10" Mayflower Porthole and that set uses a separate power supply, you need a picture of the back apron to see if there's a socket for the PS to plug into, it probably has a "Phonevision" jack also.

Rear view of a Mayflower, note the two sockets lower right side (viewed from rear).

http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/zenith_...r_28t925r.html

[Electronic M]

It is also missing at least one channel strip in the tuner, and the top shield of the tuner.

Also if you have or can borrow a CRT tester that can test a type 10BP4 (it is not the type in the set, but should use the same tester settings) I'd reccomend testing the CRT before bidding. The metal cone CRTs most Zenith portholes (and other brands too) use tend to either loose vaccum and become useless, or have such low emission that they can be too dim to watch. If the emission is at or below the lower third of the "bad" range then I'd pass if the bidding surpasses 30$ (and that is assuming that you have your heart set on that exact model).

[John Marinello]

[QUOTE=Electronic M;3017096]It is also missing at least one channel strip in the tuner, and the top shield of the tuner.

Every zenith porthole that I've owned has had one empty slot.

[ChrisW6ATV]

It also appears to be missing one or more stand-up electrolytic capacitors in the second and fourth pictures, and I see what looks like rust in several places including on a wirewound pot. The missing high-voltage parts specifically could mean that the flyback was already found to be bad. That set will be a real project, and I agree with Tom, do not pay much for it if you do buy it. Steve, since you called yourself a "newbie", I do not recommend this as a first TV project at all. That does not mean do not buy it if you can for $20-30, but if you do, store it for a couple of years while you do two or three other full TV restorations. After you have done a couple of other TV sets (and you should start with one that is complete), you will have a better idea of the work required on this one, and you can decide if it is worth the effort at that time. Having said all that, I think these earlier Zeniths are much more scarce than the later (1950-51) ones, so if there is one that is worth restoring from a basket-case, this may be it.

[Phil Nelson]

Originally Posted by ChrisW6ATV

I do not recommend this as a first TV project at all.

Amen to that. This one is dirty, rusty, missing parts, not an easy TV to restore under the best of circumstances.

I would restore a simpler TV or two for practice, as suggested. If you have your heart set on a porthole, keep your eyes out for a nicer one in the meantime. Zenith portholes are pretty common TVs.

Just my $0.02.

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

[Username1]

I have a set like that I got on CL, and there is a picture on here somewhere, but I can't find it. Mine has a built in power supply, the "tv,Phone" plug and slide switch, and a pretty decent cabinet, and all the parts and knobs. I also have not opened it or began working on it. I got it for $50. I believe from a really nice person in the next state who had it from his parents, and kept it in his office for 30 years, and they were moving and no room on the ark. Also got the 78rpm only record player. While you may find better, cheaper, and closer, this set may end up selling for less than $10. and might be a source of parts for another set. You may buy this set and by the time you finish a porthole project this may be your second or third to be completed. You just have to see. And since you will be using it on channel 3 all the time, the missing tuner part might not matter. The cabinet can be your first practice refinish. This might be a good set to make a few mistakes on....

[cwmoser]

The Zenith porthole I restored was a rusty mess too - but mine was complete with all the parts, knobs, back cover, and tubes. I spent a lot of hours restoring mine. My suggestion is to find one that is complete. Finding missing parts is a challenge.

Carl

[ShartZenith]

Although I had a lot of help from a good friend restoring a Philco Predicta Princess this past year and he's said he would help me with a Porthole, based on what you've said and what the set looks like I'm gonna pass on this one. I will keep looking for one within easy driving distance though. Thanks everyone! Steve

[ChrisW6ATV]

Good luck, Steve. You should be able to find a nice one sooner or later.

[Electronic M]

If you are within driving distance of Ohio you may want to atten the anual ETF convention this spring. Last year my goal was to get a porthole, and I returned with a nice Zenith that only needs two parts asside from a recap and cabinet work.
The web page for the meet is here. http://www.earlytelevision.org/2011_convention.html

there is literal tonage of vintage sets brought there anually for sale, and I came to both meets I've attended with a goal of getting a cretain type of vintage set, and both times I got what I wanted.