[drh4683]

This was another good weekend at the estates. A TV was found at an Oak Lawn, IL estate sale at 9529 S. Kolmar Ave. It was a late 60's raised ranch, some of my favorite types of homes and all original inside with the avocado appliances.
In the back room I found a nice end of an era Zenith Chromacolor II console in the plain jane cabinet with the peg legs. Its a 1978 model with the 25KC45 chassis. Of course it worked just fine like any chorma II. It looked nice in that huge back room that backed up to the kitchen. When I first spotted it, I thought it would be an early production 25FC45 from '75 but it was just as nice to find a late model instead. This one has a chassis built in February, '78 and the set was assembled in March. Its also built at the Springfield, MO plant. Not sure when they opened that, but I think it was around 1975 or so. During the production of the CCII, zenith started to phase out some of their TV production in Chicago and built new plants in Missouri and they also opened their big plant in Reynosa, Mexico back around 1974 I believe.
You started to see modules etc. made in Mexico and eventually some TV's. I have a Reynosa assembled Zenith CCII table set from '78 and its just as nice as the others but I would always prefer the US built sets. Not sure when zenith phased out TV production all together in Chicago though. I think the CCII was the end and Springfield, MO became the number one plant starting at the beginning of the system 3 which also was introduced in 1978. Seems like 1978 was the beginning of the end for Zenith as the company it was in all the years prior.

I don't think this Particular set was ever serviced though, but there was a TV shop tag on back probably from where it was bought new. I got it for $45. Its also nice to find this model that doesnt have a broken off volume slider pot. Obviously not one of zeniths better designs as I've seen these snapped off on so many sets in the past. Zenith used this plain peg leg cabinet like this for their low end economy sets from the late 60's all the way up until the mid 80's. I like the plain simple clean cut cabinets though, so this is a keeper. Consider its a '78 when most of the nicer "high end cabinets" of that time period were not so attractive in my opinion.