I am planning to order a Wonderbar radio face kit for my "58. In preparation, I removed the face plate, but when it came to the push bar and push buttons, I'm a little confused. I was told the push bar has a release on the back. I can't find it. The push buttons won't budge and as a young farm boy years ago, my father told me to never force something if you don't know how it comes apart. So, any suggestions? Thanks again in advance.
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Re: Wonderbar Radio
David,
The buttons and bar are a press fit. There are little barbs that hold them on.
Take a screwdriver and wedge it between the buttons and the shoulder on the shafts, and pry on them a little. Once they come loose a little they will coe right off. The repalcement kits have setscrews to hold them in place, but the setscrews are hidden by the face.
Regards, John Mcgraw -
Wonderbar Radio
Thanks John,
My father was right, find someone who's been there and done it, then do it right.
David
NCRS # 5133Comment
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Consider....
restoration vs. replacement here. The repro face plate assy along with various buttons will have subtile differences in comparision to the original parts you're removing (like John said, set screws vs. press fit; Corvette Central PN's on the backside vs. original Delco PN's) and once you've installed a reproduction face plate kit you'll see how a savvy judge with flash light and a GOOD set of eyes can look closely to distinguish the repro from the real McCoy original part....
If you shop around your neck of the woods, you should find a ma/pa chrome plating shop that WILL take on pot metal work with 'best efforts' guarantee at removing residual pit from the original surfaces. Rememember, these parts were turned out fast/cheap in the first place and were NOT without a sporadic blemish here/there originally....
In my book, it's about a wash in terms of cost to have your original pieces 'restored' vs. installing the reproduction components and you have the satisfaction of knowing what's on your radio is REAL vs. kinda/sorta correct....
Last, beware removing the WB face plate. The local/distance switch that controls station seek sensitivity is L-shaped and you have to carefully wiggle/sniggle the bezel off the radio chassis to prevent scratching/deformation. This switch was originally anodized with a reddish coating and it's REAL easy to leave 'telltale' scratches if you aren't careful....Comment
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Re: Consider....
David,
If you restore your originals, you will need to be extremely careful re-installing them. I will usually grasp the shaft tightly with a set of vise grips before I tap the buttons back on with a plastic hammer. It is easy to damage the mechanisim if you do not hold the shaft securly. I would agree with Jack on the cost of restoration of the originals, It costs about as much for new replacements as it does to have the originals re-plated. There are those that are not good canidates for re-plating due to excessive pitting, and there is the down time while waiting for them to return, but if judging is in your plans it is pretty hard to beat the originals.
Regards, John McGrawComment
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Wonderbar Radio
Thanks again for all of the good advice. Having the car judged, i.e. NCRS, is not in my plan. I am keeping all of the original take-off parts, so maybe someday the next owner can totally restore the car. The car is an excellent driver and will have new paint, interior, re-chroming and stainless repaired and buffed when I finish.
Regards,
DavidComment
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