Admiral 14R12 Restoration

[Crist Rigott]

Besides my mini project this week I worked on getting the back reconditioned. Much to my surprise it really didn't fit too good! I know when I got the TV it was barely on the TV and it really didn't fit so good.

I got to looking and the left vertical brace was installed to the back too high. It contacted the upper left mounting screw boss by a lot. OK, so I relocate the brace to match the good right side. I place the back into the cabinet and it is too high! The cutouts for the upper mounting holes won't line up. Hmm....

I decide to mount the chassis into the cabinet to see where the problem is. Well it looks like the outline of the back is correct, but all the holes, etc are about 1/4 inch high! My guess during manufacture, the blank outline wasn't inserted fully into the jig or machine that drills/punches out the holes! I also thought that there might have been some rubber biscuits that go under the chassis but there can't be because the controls shafts are centered on the cabinet holes.

There is no way to locate the elongated holes that mount the back to the chassis. I run out off the bottom edge of the back.

So I drew up a new back using my CAD program. I double check all the mounting holes to the chassis and to the cabinet. Much, much, better. Of course I have to make a new back now.

I've included some pictures of this whole mess.

[Kevin Kuehn]

Nice job on the drawing. Yes that back design is a bit of a mystery. I wonder if the Masonite actually shrunk to the extent that the top screws pulled the corners off? I also don't understand the need for what appear to be so many extra screw holes, as if that back spent some time on some other cabinet.

[old_coot88]

That looks like the incorrect back. There also needs to be a lot more ventilation holes near the bottom to get a decent draft on them hot tubes.

[Crist Rigott]

It is the correct back. The elongated screw holes and the interlock connector fit perfectly. Also the cutout for the antenna terminals fits perfectly.

Kevin, the extra screw holes in the pictures are for the screws that hold on the 3/4 x5/8 braces which were removed when I was measuring the back. In my drawings, you can see them as dotted lines.

[Kevin Kuehn]

Originally Posted by Crist Rigott

Kevin, the extra screw holes in the pictures are for the screws that hold on the 3/4 x5/8 braces which were removed when I was measuring the back. In my drawings, you can see them as dotted lines.

Ah. Funny how quickly I can forget stuff. I had to go back to where I we originally discuses the set on CL to see what the back originally looked like mounted. Makes sense now that the corner hole were elongated for expansion and contraction, and then the large washers to cover the holes. But I also have to agree that that back doesn't allow for very good ventilation, but since it's spaced out from the chassis at the bottom I suppose it's suppose to work like a convection oven.

[Crist Rigott]

Now that the mini project is done I'm going to sand, rub out and polish the cabinet. It's been 2 weeks since I shot the clear lacquer.

I also added a resistor and capacitor to blank out the retrace lines per Admiral's instructions. Worked great. I even used an existing terminal strip that had 2 unused terminals very close to the brightness pot.

[Crist Rigott]

Here's the refinished cabinet. It turned out great! Not perfect but real good.

On to making a new back.