Author Topic: How to test a 51' Kaiser radio ?  (Read 2466 times)

JohnFKolb

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How to test a 51' Kaiser radio ?
« on: October 31, 2013, 09:31:36 AM »
My father recently (late April) passed away.  At one point in his life, he owned a '51 Kaiser.  When he sold it, he kept the radio.  I once asked him why, and he stated that it was a good radio that he wanted to keep as a shop radio (my grandfather owned a service station). 

About 10 years ago, I encouraged him to sell it to someone who would actually put it back into a Kaiser.  I put him in contact with a Kaiser mailing list.  He tested the radio (it worked then) but never followed through with selling it. Now that he's gone, I'd like to get this radio into the hands of someone who will put it back in a car or at least use it in some way, if only for parts.  I'd like to test it to determine if it works, because, well, buyers want to know.

Is there anyone in the Baltimore-Washington area that can help me with that ?  Failing that, can someone walk me through the procedure ?  I don't even know if this is 6 volt or 12 volt, positive or negative ground, etc., and I'm afraid of blowing it up (letting the magic smoke out) if I do it wrong.

I'll be able to post pictures later this evening, provided the trick-or-treaters don't keep me too busy.

joefrazer

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Re: How to test a 51' Kaiser radio ?
« Reply #1 on: October 31, 2013, 02:13:42 PM »
KF radios are 6V and were installed positive ground. You'll need a 6V battery or continuous (DC) power supply to test one properly.

Fid

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Re: How to test a 51' Kaiser radio ?
« Reply #2 on: October 31, 2013, 06:13:26 PM »
It's likely you will not have what you need to test it.
You need an antenna and speaker to connect to it. The speaker has a special 3 pin plug (only two of the pins are used). If you don't have that plug you can remove the back of the radio and use jumper clips to connect the speaker to the wires inside.
You need a 6 volt DC power supply that is able to source about 10 amps as the radio is a vacuum tube device - it takes a lot of current.  If you have a battery charger that has a 6 volt setting, you can use that.  The Kaiser cars are positive ground but if the radio still has the original style vibrator in it, you can connect it either way, polarity doesn't matter on non-solid state devices.  Connect one battery cable to power cable, and the other one to the radio chassis to ground it. Plug in a speaker and an antenna and turn it on. 
« Last Edit: November 01, 2013, 09:39:35 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


boatingbill

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Re: How to test a 51' Kaiser radio ?
« Reply #4 on: October 31, 2013, 10:30:55 PM »
JohnFkolb: My 6v battery charger has a 3 amp output so check you charger ( if you can find
one) to make sure it can supply 10 amps.

Fid

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Re: How to test a 51' Kaiser radio ?
« Reply #5 on: October 31, 2013, 11:49:05 PM »
Actually, the radio will play along fine on about 2 amps but it takes more to handle the initial surge before the tubes heat up. That is temporary, or momentary may be a better way to describe it, then it will play along so a 3 amp charger may do it but if it won't play, I'd make sure you tried a larger amp charger.

A little info on the radio you posted. That radio was originally used in the 1949/50 Kaiser Deluxe and 1949/51 Frazer.  The left overs were installed in the early 1951 Kaisers. If someone wants to install it in a 1951 Kaiser, it must be one of the early issue '51 Kaisers with a hump in the firewall to accommodate the longer length of that radio. Early '51 Kaisers have that hump but later ones don't and it will not install in '51 Kaiser that does not have the hump (circled in red in the pictures below). 





It will install in any 1949-51 Frazer but the face plate is different.
Here's how it looks installed in a '51 Kaiser -


That radio does not have the three pin speaker plug which I described. Instead it has a round connector which you do need to connect jumpers from a speaker to since most speakers will not have that round connector on them.
I do repair the KF radios and I know this one quite well so if you want it repaired or you find a buyer who does, contact me.  That radio also has two power wires on it - one (the thinner gauge of the two) connects to the headlight switch so the dial indicator lights will only come on when the headlights are on. The other one, the thicker  of the two, is the main power wire and that's the one you need to connect to make it play.  I recently repaired one of them.
« Last Edit: November 01, 2013, 05:05:12 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

JohnFKolb

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Re: How to test a 51' Kaiser radio ?
« Reply #6 on: October 31, 2013, 11:57:46 PM »
All good info to have.  I'd hate to have someone buy it and not be able to use it.

dusty

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Re: How to test a 51' Kaiser radio ?
« Reply #7 on: November 03, 2013, 05:20:22 PM »
Fid, where did you get the bat. cable neg. terminal to solenoid.

Fid

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Re: How to test a 51' Kaiser radio ?
« Reply #8 on: November 03, 2013, 11:01:15 PM »
I got that cable, and several others, at www.antiquecarbattery.com
The direct link is

http://www.antiqueautobattery.com/accessories.html

Be warned, as we have discussed on here before, I've had to fix just about everything I ever purchased from them.  The cable in the picture, the head fell off it while I was installing it!  I took out my propane torch and soldered it back on myself. It happened on the one I got for one of my Js too.  Also took them several tries to get another one right for me.  But they look correct!   
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