'70 Skylark/GS with a factory 8 track and AM radio - original to the car. Owner had pulled the AM radio (and saved it) and installed an aftermarket AM/FM/Cassette back in the day. Removed the radio and reinstalled the original. It has a factory front speaker and TWO rear speakers. Factory "rear speaker" blue wire is in place and I'm running the two rear speakers in such a way that they won't hurt the factory radio (talked w/Greg at Turnswitch....the guy that sells the replacement speakers and I ran the wires as he suggested so speaker wiring is fine....no problems). FIRST: Installed the factory AM, hooked everything up and NOTHING from the radio. BUT...the 8 track works fine....front and rear speakers, etc SECOND: Did this again tonight and pulled the "factory fader knob (with the 3 prongs) from the radio and installed a two wire jumper across the top 2 (of the 3) fader holes in the AM radio...SOUND!! TUNES!!! WORKS GREAT!! THIRD: Started looking closer while pushing on the 3 prong fader knob and realized....the prongs aren't long enough to even go down into the holes. The knob stops just where the prongs are AT THE TOP OF THE 3 HOLES but they ARE NOT down in the holes. This isn't the original fader knob from the radio but one I bought recently. The prongs are about 13/16" long.....to use this knob and have the prongs go down into the holes they'd need to be 1-1/2" long or even longer. The knob hasn't been modified or had the prongs cut off, etc. Any ideas? Anyone have a known '70 AM factory radio fader knob to compare the prongs with? Thanks
Is the threaded knob stud out to far or matching the other side, I was experimenting with an old radio (tearing it apart) and I believe you can loosen that nut and thread that stud down into the radio a bit and close the gap. I thought this was how you adjusted the knob distance to the radio, not sure how good the distance from knobs to faceplate is now, just thinking out loud. Fader knob looks correct? Will check my NOS one.
Terry - Pic below showing the threaded shaft with the thicker nut removed....the base of the threaded shaft is formed/shaped such that it's sort of "lock in place"/can't rotate due to the chrome faceplate. I have a second (extra) AM radio here....same radio---AM factory radio from a Skylark and the two threaded shafts stick out the same distance. I'm assuming the original AM radio wasn't "messed with" since it was likely just pulled from the car and thrown in a box when the guy put the AM/FM/cassette in (MANY years ago....probably in the '70's). OF COURSE, the guy wanting to create a FACTORY look to the Realistic AM/FM/Cassette took the fader bezel (or whatever bezel was on that side) from the original AM radio and sliced off any prongs, wallowed out the shaft hole (both original knobs) and slid them on over the shafts on the Realistic AM/FM/Cassette..... .......so.....I have no idea what an ORIGINAL FADER KNOB for a '70 AM radio should look like in terms of the prong length!!! I just figured "I need a correct looking fader knob with the prongs" and got one from a guy on here....can't say we knew it's history......what Buick radio it came from, etc .....although it is the correct "looking"/style knob in terms of the chromed plastic front of it.
Also.....here's a thread I found here on V8B....pic shows a different "style" fader knob and USING A PAIR OF CALIPERS to measure the length of the prongs RELATIVE to the thickness of the chrome portion to come up with a crude "aspect ratio" and doing the same on the fader knob I have here makes me think I have the wrong fader knob.... >The prongs, in the pics/link have a nylon coupler/stop across the prongs....mine does not >Again, using my crude, hold-the-dial-caliper-up-to-the-computer-screen method and comparing it to mine indicates that the prongs on mine have an "aspect ratio" of 1.75 while the fader in the linked-to-thread has a prong aspect ratio of 2.15 Thanks http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.p...r-knob-original-used&highlight=AM+radio+fader
Yep, two different faders. The big cars take the one with the short prongs and the A bodies take the one with the white nylon piece on the pongs. The A body fader prongs are longer
EXCELLENT - Thank you both Jason and Terry for responding and providing ideas and answers. I really appreciate it. Off to the "Parts Wanted" section now.. Thanks again guys.
Patton, Just got done looking thru boxes trying to find my NOS one and found it. Not sure if its correct for 70 (most likely) but correct for 69 part number 7302624 per manual. Prongs measure from face of white part about 1 1/16" to 1 1/8" approx. Hope that helps in your search for one. Edit: Sorry took so long to find and get picture....Jason beat me to answer.
Terry - More excellent info....thanks! When you stated the prong length above....where were you measuring from? Can you measure the length of the prongs from end to end? In other words.....there is that somewhat rectangular white nylon "block" that slips down over the 3 prongs. If that piece was not slipped on over the prongs what would the length of the "bare" prongs be? Thanks, Patton
Terry - I took your pic and added some drawing showing the "total prong length" I'm looking for.......maybe that's how you measured yours but just checking to make sure. Thank you
Patton, That was the length I gave you above, approx 1 1/16" to 1 1/8" total prong length from the face of the plastic to the end of the prong. Terry
I'm not clear on this......you say "....from the face of the PLASTIC..." WHICH plastic are you referring to???? ...there's a plastic disc at the base of the prongs AND a plastic block that the 3 prongs also pass through....see pic below...thank you
Patton, Sorry for the confusion, its from the face of the plastic disc, basically the distance you drawn "total prong length" on the picture i attached is about 1 1/8" inches. Terry
Thanks Terry - I thought you were probably measuring the "total" length but just making sure before I start looking around for one, asking folks to make measurements, etc.
Well.....McGuyvor "showed up" today. Thanks to YOUR PICS AND INPUT/INFO and some creative thinking/parts sourcing I did my first (and hopefully only) "Fader Knob Conversion". This is tested and it works perfectly. The prongs are stable and the black plastic locator/stabilizer block helps in that regard. The "prongs", while appearing to be steel, are brass with a chrome coating.....so they're soft and easy to cut. The "extenders" are electrical butt connectors.....just strip off the plastic layer. It took some detailed filing and fitting to get everything to go together tightly but it can be done.....no glue, no solder...just hand tools (and a small cordless drill) and some imagination. Couldn't let the fader knob I got from James awhile back go to waste....it has nice chrome on it.
