Author Topic: Part I found  (Read 1871 times)

Fid

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3853
    • View Profile
    • Email
Part I found
« on: September 21, 2014, 03:10:12 PM »
Disclaimer:  This is not a test of anyone's KF knowledge, it's just a little fun. If you don't like fun, please skip this thread. 

I was at a swap meet this morning and digging through a box of knobs/controls etc. and I found this rolling around the bottom of the box. I asked the vendor how much he wanted for it and he said "Just take it."  Does anyone recognize it?  Oh, it is a factory issue KF part but it is not listed or pictured in any of the factory parts books or shop manuals.  And, it's a hard part to find.
1953 Henry J Corsair Deluxe
Edgar Kaiser's custom 1951 Henry J
1951 Kaiser Special
1952 Allstate Deluxe

Need your classic car radio repaired? I repair vacuum tube radios

joefrazer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4041
    • View Profile
Re: Part I found
« Reply #1 on: September 21, 2014, 04:30:03 PM »
Looks like the center push button used on the early KF radios. And you're right, they are not easy to find!

Fid

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3853
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Part I found
« Reply #2 on: September 21, 2014, 05:26:43 PM »
You are correct Joe.  When I asked the  guy how much he wanted for it he didn't even ask me what it was, he just said "Take it." I was willing to pay him few $$ but when he told me to just to take it, I did not haggle.  It always falls off the radio when it's removed from a car or moved or whatever because it is not fastened on with anything. It just simply slips over the metal shaft and is held in place when the face plate is installed.  The radio was also used in the Henry J and it took me a long time to find one for mine -
That's it in the center between the ash tray and dial face.

Looks a little different when mounted in a Kaiser but still identifiable.  And it is missing on the one that Jake posted a picture of. It likely just fell off in the manner mentioned.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2016, 09:10:50 PM by Fid »
1953 Henry J Corsair Deluxe
Edgar Kaiser's custom 1951 Henry J
1951 Kaiser Special
1952 Allstate Deluxe

Need your classic car radio repaired? I repair vacuum tube radios

Fid

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3853
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Part I found
« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2014, 09:02:02 PM »
Addendum - when hunting for part numbers, there are those which are not listed in the Parts Book for a particular model or series and only listed in the installation / user manuals for certain accessories. And as is the case with this, some of those manuals do not break them down into components.  I found this part listed two places - there is an illustration/description of it in the accessory Owner's Manual for the 100219 "Custom Radio" kit for the Henry J. Part is shown and identified but no part number listed. The radio itself is listed in the 1947/48 KF Parts Books under "Accessories" and not broken down or illustrated. It is simply listed as part number 200001, radio.  There is a part number listed for it in document "ER-5-230 Radio Service Data for 1947 Kaiser-Frazer Auto Radio" which was published by GE, the manufacturer of the units. It lists it as "RDB-012  BUTTON-Station selector button (Kaiser)."  That makes sense because only the Kaiser would've used this since the '47/'48 Frazer actually had a push button as part of the dash motif. I remember my '48 Frazer had it, the center of the horizontal division sections pushed in and sprung back making it ready for factory radio installation if desired. The number RDB-012  is  likely a GE part number as it is not the KF format. Pretty cool stuff.
« Last Edit: September 21, 2014, 09:04:43 PM by Fid »
1953 Henry J Corsair Deluxe
Edgar Kaiser's custom 1951 Henry J
1951 Kaiser Special
1952 Allstate Deluxe

Need your classic car radio repaired? I repair vacuum tube radios

Fid

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3853
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Part I found
« Reply #4 on: September 22, 2014, 05:51:28 PM »
Actually Jake, after reading  that GE manual, if it came out of a '47/'48 Frazer, it would not have had it. Here's how it looked installed in a '47/'48 Kaiser

We had a chrome plug in this one as the button, as usual, was missing when we got the radio.
« Last Edit: December 12, 2016, 01:59:09 PM by Fid »
1953 Henry J Corsair Deluxe
Edgar Kaiser's custom 1951 Henry J
1951 Kaiser Special
1952 Allstate Deluxe

Need your classic car radio repaired? I repair vacuum tube radios