Professional Auto Radio Restoration

Making your Pontiac's Car Radio Work Like New is a Great Investment

By Christopher R. Phillip

Photography by Joe's Classic Radio

A correct restoration of your Pontiac's interior is not complete without attention to your car radio. It's likely that your unit has been affected by the elements of time, and that it does not function or look as originally intended. For other classic Pontiac owners, the original radio may be long gone, but a decent looking replacement on eBay or at a swap meet may seem like a bargain you can't pass up.

Before you go bolting the vintage radio back into your beautiful Pontiac, treat it to a restoration. It's not expensive and will make your Pontiac give you more pleasure at car shows.

High Performance Pontiac had the opportunity to ask one of the best restorers in the business, Joe's Classic Car Radio in Laurens, South Carolina, how it restores a classic Pontiac radio. If you like what you see, check out the source box at the end of the story so you can contact Joe's Classic Car Radio for your radio restoration.

"When the radio is received from the customer, it is unpacked and a visual inspection is performed to verify it arrived without shipping damage," Joe Cilluffo, the company's owner said. "A work order is created for the radio and the radio is placed on a shelf to await restoration." Follow along as we look at the steps of a typical radio restoration. Our subject: a 1959 Pontiac Super Deluxe AM radio manufactured by AC Delco.

The tech takes the radio from... read full caption The tech takes the radio from the shelf to his desk and again performs a full visual inspection. The radio is then connected to an antenna, power, and speaker and fully tested to determine the condition of the radio. The tech then begins disassembly of the radio down into its separate parts. This is what makes the difference between a "repair" and a "restoration". Every part of the radio will be reviewed, cleaned, repaired, and reassembled.	Here we see the main electronic... read full caption Here we see the main electronic portion of the radio. This will be cleaned and most of the electrolytic and paper capacitors will be exchanged with new modern components.	With the metal covers for... read full caption With the metal covers for the radio removed, they are cleaned. These covers are in good shape and won't require much cleaning, but some covers require more extensive rust removal. The point here is to make the covers look as new as possible without looking restored. The radio should look like a clean "survivor" radio when complete.
Shown here are some of the... read full caption Shown here are some of the parts which will be stripped and repainted. Attention to detail here makes a big difference in the final product. Colors and application methods must be carefully determined before removing the original finish.	With the mechanical tuner... read full caption With the mechanical tuner fully disassembled, it can be cleaned and inspected for loose or worn parts, and repaired. The tuner is then reassembled and initial alignments are performed.	A fully prepared tuner looks... read full caption A fully prepared tuner looks almost too good to hide inside the radio. While it will be hidden from view, it will work flawlessly inside the radio.
The majority of the radio... read full caption The majority of the radio is reassembled and the remaining electrolytic and paper capacitors are replaced. The radio is connected again and tested further. Final alignment of the electronic and mechanical tuner is performed and all out of tolerance components are found and replaced. Also, at this point, the AUX Input is added to the radio if one was ordered. [The AUX input allows you to plug in and play an iPod or other device through its connection.]	Here is a shot of the radio... read full caption Here is a shot of the radio after it is completely assembled. The radio will then be tested on all of its functions over the next 72 hours. Note the "aluminum can" capacitor still on the left side of the radio. Since this can is visible from the outside, it is left in place but is completely disconnected and replaced inside the radio.	Some of the tests performed... read full caption Some of the tests performed are verifying proper backlighting at night, power switch operation, volume and tone control operation, dial movement and pushbutton function for setting and retrieving stored stations.
After the radio has tested... read full caption After the radio has tested good for 72 hours, original or reproduction labels are added to the radio in the original location. If an original label can be safely removed, it will be reapplied later. If the original label can not be safely removed or is damaged, it will be replaced with a reproduction if Joe's Classic Car Radio has a template available for it.	Finally the tech completes... read full caption Finally the tech completes the radio by performing a 15 point final inspection according to the work order and signs off that the radio has passed. The radio is then packaged and shipped back to the radio's owner with a lifetime warranty. If anything goes wrong with the radio for the entire time that the customer owns the radio, it will be repaired at no charge. Not a bad deal on a part that has not had a warranty in 50 years.