Re: Vacation Car - 56 Patrician
Posted by HH56 On 2020/5/6 12:07:36
Just FYI in case it was removed with the install of the modern radio. The original radio tuner section has a stud on the back of the case which is for a strap screwed to the bottom of the defroster channel. Purpose is to take the majority of the weight of the radio head. The holes in the dash keep it firmly located but the strap has the bulk of the job keeping the head level and unable to vibrate.
Just to reiterate what Leeedy said about the AC vents. Guard them with your life and if you have an unbroken pair then consider yourself exceedingly fortunate and be very careful mounting them and also in opening and closing them. The hinge pins at the back of the lid section go thru a very thin section of the bakelite and are exceedingly weak. That is where most of the vents are broken and there is not much in the way of repair other than trying to mold a strong enough surface that can be finished and painted out of an epoxy product. Cross your fingers and toes that it can be reinforced under the lid with a very thin metal which can be molded in the epoxy and will hold onto what is available of the original bakelite longer than the first time the lid is opened again. The threaded portion of the hinge which is part of the vent bottom and screwed to the dash top is a bit stronger but carelessness or extra force cause those to break off too.
Finding serviceable vents is indeed an issue. There was what a seller called an almost NOS set that went for, if I remember, $1500 on ebay three or four years back. A set that looked serviceable but also like there might have been some damage went for near a thousand and those are the only ones I have seen offered.
Here is a view of the firewall showing the strap for the radio head.
Attach file:
(173.88 KB)
Just to reiterate what Leeedy said about the AC vents. Guard them with your life and if you have an unbroken pair then consider yourself exceedingly fortunate and be very careful mounting them and also in opening and closing them. The hinge pins at the back of the lid section go thru a very thin section of the bakelite and are exceedingly weak. That is where most of the vents are broken and there is not much in the way of repair other than trying to mold a strong enough surface that can be finished and painted out of an epoxy product. Cross your fingers and toes that it can be reinforced under the lid with a very thin metal which can be molded in the epoxy and will hold onto what is available of the original bakelite longer than the first time the lid is opened again. The threaded portion of the hinge which is part of the vent bottom and screwed to the dash top is a bit stronger but carelessness or extra force cause those to break off too.
Finding serviceable vents is indeed an issue. There was what a seller called an almost NOS set that went for, if I remember, $1500 on ebay three or four years back. A set that looked serviceable but also like there might have been some damage went for near a thousand and those are the only ones I have seen offered.
Here is a view of the firewall showing the strap for the radio head.
Attach file:
(173.88 KB)
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