The Krylon premium 18k gold plate paint I ordered came in today so I went ahead and cleaned up the control panel and gave it a few coats. Once it dried, I went in with a white paint pen and touched up the "Zenith" logo. I could have done a cleaner job and I wouldn't say the paint is anywhere near as glossy as I'd wished, but at least it's a proper shade of gold. I'd clear-coat it but honestly, I don't how that would work out over this paint. But overall, I'm pretty pleased with it.
After I replaced those ceramic capacitors, I've been able to turn the A.G.C. delay down without being ravaged with buzz nearly as badly as before. So, the contrast is much better now although it might could still do with some improvement. I'm not sure how these sets performed when new, so maybe they didn't contrast all that great for all I now. When I play DVD's now, the sound is quite good when playing the actual episodes. Only the menu screens cause a lot of buzz. I get the same effect on the cable channels. Some are pretty watchable, others are still distorted and buzzy. The one's that do sound okay, often buzz when the screen goes from bright to dark, etc.
Here's some things I still need to attend to:
Missing knobs ( fine tuning, tone control, contrast, etc. I've got 3, and I think I should have at least 4 more )
AC Line Cord ( non-polarized brown cheater cord would be fine )
Chassis Bolts ( It was never bolted down from day one. Yep... explains why the old CRT was trashed, huh? )
At least for the moment, it's a mostly functional vintage television! Sure is a lot more entertaining than a fish tank.