1950's Zenith Radio Cleanup and Mod

This radio came in a group of stuff I bought at estate sale with some other items that I really wanted. I was just going to donate as it didn't work and was not worth repairing. I decided to take it apart and then came up with the idea of mounting a speaker inside it and using it in my upstairs shop. Then I thought I should be filming this! That's why the video starts after I gutted it. I had never cleaned up something made of bake light so I thought I'd give it a try. It was fun to cut all the little pieces and parts out of the inside and I was amazed what it took back in the day to make a radio work! I hope you enjoy this resto-mod and enjoy my channel. Thanks for watching. #restomod #vintageradio #upcycle #zenith

[@WEABRNC]

“Looks great from 5 feet away” - funny!!
Looks really nice!!

[@westhighlandsshop]

Thanks Web, I might could get away with 4-1/2' LOL. Thanks for watching.

[@Dalesworkshop]

Super job David. Great way to give life back to an old radio. That will look great in your shop

[@westhighlandsshop]

Thanks Dale, just hate to see things like this end up in the landfill!

[@choppermike3329]

Great idea on saving an old radio. It really looks sweet! I think my Grandma had a similar one.😃 Excellent video.

[@westhighlandsshop]

Thank ya Mike. I bet you can still remember the cracking sound when it turned on that unforgettable noise of spinning through the stations!

[@choppermike3329]

@@westhighlandsshop Oh yeah!👍🏻

[@Dancing_Alone_wRentals]

I like the idea of putting a speaker in the case; nothing to go wrong in the future. Looks fantastic! tHanks for the video

[@westhighlandsshop]

Thank you!

[@Dancing_Alone_wRentals]

@@westhighlandsshopestate sales are in the air. You looking this weekend?

[@357magdad]

Cool project!

[@westhighlandsshop]

Thanks Magdad

[@bigvicsworkshop]

Outstanding and rewarding Project! Years ago I made a bunch of bluetooth speakers kind if like u did here using cigar boxes....my fav part was you pulling out and throwing everything in the shop at it to get the paint off! Top notch stuff brother

[@westhighlandsshop]

Thanks Vic. I can get so frustrated with paint, especially trying to get it off something I've never worked with before. I bet those cigar box speakers are pretty cool.

[@Uwannawatch]

That's a cool project David! Who doesn't Love the look of those old radios and glad you could make it work again with a modern twist. I've seen people use Brasso on Bakelite but I've never tried it myself.

[@westhighlandsshop]

Thanks brother. Will definitely give the Brasso a try in another project. Thanks for watching.

[@rollerbald]

Beautifully done David! I have restored many vintage radios but have never used the Bluetooth trick - good idea! Oftentimes the vintage radio guys will used GoJo hand cleaner to clean up Bakelite cases. Yours came out really nice - I am impressed!

[@westhighlandsshop]

Appreciate it Bill. I bet you did some nice ones! I'll keep the Gojo trick in mind and will have to try that on the next one. Thanks for sharing that.

[@knifeswitch5973]

I've restored a few of these H7XX Zeniths. Nice sounding radios and a good example of early FM sets. They're getting harder to find now.

[@westhighlandsshop]

I wish this one was in better shape or working order. Would love to hear that old school sound! I found a couple of stations on Spotify that play some old music with the crackling sound and have enjoyed listening. Thanks for watching.

[@knifeswitch5973]

@@westhighlandsshop sometimes they’re just too far gone. I really like the big face dial radios of the 50’s.