Re: Retro fit radio
Posted by HH56 On 2020/2/18 10:53:55
The Aurora kit would probably be a good choice if the entire radio is present but to only use the head unit by itself to control it I do not think would work. Downside to any of the Aurora kits is the radio is frequently modified so it will never work as a stand alone original again. That could be a turn off to the next buyer who values authenticity.
For the most part all the head units consist of is a shaft on the end of mechanical flex cables and electrically on some, a switch or two. There is the lamp for dial illumination and on those for deluxe units there may be pushbuttons to control the tuning motor in the power box. Aside from the flex shaft, the tuning side also has a worm or gear train to rotate the frequency dial. Getting the number of turns it takes to move the Packard frequency dial to a particular station that would match the number of turns it would take to operate a modern stand alone radio so it would be tuning in the same station would be the part which would take some thinking. In round numbers if the Packard took 6 turns of the knob to go end to end on the dial and the modern radio took 5 or 7 there would need to be some sort of gearing change in the mechanical flex cable before it reached the modern radio.
Here is what a typical mid 30s non deluxe type control head looks like internally.
Attach file:
(180.33 KB)
For the most part all the head units consist of is a shaft on the end of mechanical flex cables and electrically on some, a switch or two. There is the lamp for dial illumination and on those for deluxe units there may be pushbuttons to control the tuning motor in the power box. Aside from the flex shaft, the tuning side also has a worm or gear train to rotate the frequency dial. Getting the number of turns it takes to move the Packard frequency dial to a particular station that would match the number of turns it would take to operate a modern stand alone radio so it would be tuning in the same station would be the part which would take some thinking. In round numbers if the Packard took 6 turns of the knob to go end to end on the dial and the modern radio took 5 or 7 there would need to be some sort of gearing change in the mechanical flex cable before it reached the modern radio.
Here is what a typical mid 30s non deluxe type control head looks like internally.
Attach file:
(180.33 KB)
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