Vintage Radio Into a Speaker for an MP3 Player...

I got this out of the trash pile from when I helped my wifes Grandmother move... This was in the attic of her house for the past 50 years. The wires were all cracked and frayed, the finish was cracked an peeling...
I loved the look of this old radio, I had cleaned it and used it for decoration for about a year before i decided to turn it into a speaker for my IPod.. I used an old radio alarm clock speaker box.

Step 1: Gut the Radio and Repair Any Cracks

There were four screw on the bottom of this radio that I had to remove to slide out the entire radio from the radio case(very convenient). After removing the radio tray I removed the dry rot speaker cloth and wiped the inside with a damp rag. I had to glue and clamp a few spots that were either cracked or separated from another connecting piece... These were such small issues i didnt take any pics. I also removed all the circuitry and tubes i did not need in the radio anymore. what I had left was a bottom tray with a bracket that attached the large round tuner window. I cleaned all these items with warm soap and water and set aside...

Step 2: Sand and Re-finish the Radio Case...

Using a chisel I popped the black speaker grids off of the radio case. They came off pretty easy actually.
Sanded the entire outside with 220 grit sandpaper down to bare wood. Then I sprayed the outside with water based "Polycrylic" wood finish. 2 coats light sanding in-between with 400 grit. After that, using some black paint and a q-tip I touched up the black spots that needed to be touched up. I'm actually pretty happy with the results. I like the look of the wood without the dark stain they had on it previously...

Step 3: Prepare and Mount the New Speakers

I used a set of speaker from an IHome clock radio. The speakers were already conveniently in their own speaker boxes. and even more conveniently, they fit inside the radio and on top of the tray nicely.

After removing the speakers I wired them together and mounted them onto a 3/4"plywood board and then mounted to board to the radio tray positioning the speakers to the front of the radio grill. this took several times of removing and re-positioning until I got it just right.

Step 4: Replace the Speaker Cloth

You need a light material for this. If you price out speaker fabric be ready for ridiculously high prices for something that an old pair of panty hose can do in some cases.. I used an old cloth dollar store shower curtain. It was light enough for what I need.

I cut a 1/4 hard board piece to fit and cover the inside of the radio cabinet behind the speaker hole, I gave about 1/2" extra on all sides to allow for attaching to the inside after wrapping the fabric...

After you have the right size piece to cover the hole trace from the outside around the speaker opening. Cut this piece out using a scroll saw.
Dry fit the piece of wood inside without the fabric to see how it fits... I had to cut a corner to allow for a knob post to go through. This doesn't have to be pretty... Now spray contact adhesive onto the outside (side with the fabric) and then stretch the fabric while you have someone place the frame onto the fabric and hold it for a while (I stacked a few books on it) until I was ready for it. using a hot glue gun, I glued the new speaker frame with cloth in place.

Step 5: Finish It Up and Kick Back With Some Tunes...

Once I got the speaker cloth in the way I wanted it, I had to install the radio tray with the new speakers. This took some more tweaking because of the knobs and glass dome. but after some trial and error I got it in.
I then cut a new back out of some 1/4" hardboard and sprayed it lightly with some black spray paint.
And Its done...
And now its done...
It sounds great, though the volume is a little low.
At a later time (when i know how to do it) I would like to add an amplifier with volume control and on/off switch. as well as possibly light up the inside of the tuner window...
Ahhh, well... another time I guess...

Thanks for looking!

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40 Comments

june16th62

7 years ago

I believe you could fix the low volume issue by installing amplified(computer type) speakers inside- though you'd have to figure out how to operate them once installed inside the antique radio cabinet. Sure that it could be done.

JohnH10

8 years ago on Introduction

Cabinets like this received toned lacquer at the factory and look odd without it. I'd add a few coats of nitrocellulose lacquer with walnut Solarlux added, then more clear lacquer. The ends in particular need plenty of color- here I'd use a canned dark walnut toner.

neon2392

8 years ago on Introduction

I love this clock and since i would have know idea how to get one would you mind telling me the dimensions and type of wood use on this radio

nathanjh13

8 years ago on Introduction

I applaud your effort but on the other hand this can be seen as a
shame? An alternative is to keep the superb tone and overall "magic" of
the original radio (or restore to working) and simply add on an input
connector for a wifi connected device, as shown elsewhere, as well as
here:

http://blog.kf7lze.net/2011/04/20/repairing-antiqu...

This would be the best of both worlds. I'm not having a go, it's a lovely object, but all this effort for mp3 etc blah blah.