VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Radios, Tools, Accessories 1938 radios

Are the 1938 radio heads similar in dimension to the 1937 control head? I know the dimensions of the dash place are different.

Can you use a 37 radio in a 38 dash plate?

While Ray checks in here regularly this question may get a better response in the Radios, Tools and Accessories forum. You can click "Notify" and ask the moderator to move this thread to that forum.

I will comment on this post when it is moved to the Radios & Accessories.

https://vccachat.org/ubbthreads.php/forums/33/1/Radios_Tools_Accessories

Click on the link. There are dozens of sub-topic headings. I see you have only posted a few times. Maybe this will help out. It takes a while to get use to all the forums.

Ray.

With respect, please educate me.

It seems to me that the questions posed by ray88 are clearly with in the scope of the 37-42 forum even more than they would be in the accessories, radio, etc forum. And, they are specific 37-42 technical questions.

My reasoning is based on the fact that the questions are best couched within the 37-42 forum than the accessory, radio, et al, as the latter would take in all radios for all years covered by VCCA.

What am I missing is the element that would cause need for ray88's questions to be moved. I assume that some logic would prompt the moving but I fail to see it. Again, it seems the questions are more in keeping with the forum where ray88 posted it.

Is your condition for response based on some notion that to do so in one forum would be more appropriate than the other or what? If so, please tell us what those conditions are.

Please help me understand.

Thanks,
Charlie

I agree. This guy has only posted 5 posts! I think giving him a break would be under the catagory of being a nice guy. This is a one of a kind forum. No other forum has this many sub-topic sections and moderators.How about a little free info to help a brother out.

OK

Sorry for breaking the "rules"

It loos like someone has moved it for me. I surely won't make that mistake again.

Hi ray88,

You have a very good first name. HA!

As to your radio question, the control heads for the 1937 and 38 appear to be the same, however they are different. Each control head is designed for use with a specific radio box. The cables may be totally different, there may be more or less wires that come from the control head to the box. The dials may be different colors. Some strange things happen with control heads. For example the 1936 control head can be found with the exact opposite marked dial. One is clockwise and the other is counterclockwise. Makes life interesting. To confuse things in the 1938 department is the confusion cased by the introduction of the DELCO control head. As a rule each 38 control head will work correctly with only one box. The market was flooded in 1938 by a large quantity of DELCO control heads that are believed to be part of a sales technique where dealers were to install a control head in their 38 cars and not the antenna and box. The idea was the new owner would become fixed on the control head and return to the dealer to purchase the complete radio. This caused a problem as the DELCO and Chevrolet control heads required their own bezel which was not interchangeable.

One of the problems I have in answering questions about radios is that dealers usually installed the radio of choice by the owner, and it may be a DELCO, Motorola, or other aftermarket radios. Question, is an aftermarket radio installed by the dealer considered a CORRECT radio?

PS: Just a quick note to other posters on this thread. To answer your questions, it was a matter of housekeeping. This explanation should be posted under radios for ease of access by other members who wanted information about radios would not go to some other thread for radio information.

Ray

Thank you for the info.

Ray

Ray,

Re the Post Script.

Good explanation.

On hindsight I suppose I was splitting hairs. Sometimes, as in the instant case, it is hard to decide whether to post in the year forum or in one of the MrGoodwrench forums. Thus, after wrestling with the question for some time, it may be, to the poster, a toss-up. Nonetheless, your explanation tilted the instant matter in the latter forum.

As always, thanks for sharing you expertise in accerories, radios, etc.

Charlie

EXPLANATION: I'm the person who MOVED the original post. No offense intended. I was just following up on an Administrator's request.

Upon further reflection, the post COULD HAVE STAYED where it was. Here's the rationale.

The Mr. Goodwrench forums were created for topics that are GENERAL in nature, and usually apply to MULTIPLE YEARS. So an easy example is any 6 volt questions should probably go there, rather than a YEAR-FORUM. Any 6 volt discussion will likely be of interest to multiple years and lot of different cars.

But a SPECIFIC YEAR RADIO question could just as easily stayed in the specific year forum.

Now.... having said that... If you want one of our "radio experts" to see a postings, whether it's 1936, or 1938 or 1948, you MIGHT want to post it in the RADIO forum. It is unlikely that they will always monitor multiple years of car discussions looking for radio topics. So the BEST CHANCE of getting a response would be to place it in the "technology-specific" forum for RADIOS.

But, I see nothing wrong with putting it in the year-forum if that's what is desired. Next time, I'll pause a mill-second longer before I move a topic.

Please... carry on. Thanks.

<<And don't continue discussing this "move" here. Go to General if you have anything to add to this.>>

THANKS Ray...good job

Great answer on the relationship of the control head to the radio box, but unless I am misreading, the first Ray (ray88) was asking about the fit of the control head into the dash, that is, whether a 37 control head will fit into a 38 dash. Steve had previously told me that the dash plate dimensions are different, which is what Ray already knows, but I am also curious as to the underlying question about the fit into the dash itself.

I suspect that my 37 has a 38 radio because it has a "tone" button behind the volume. If, however, the 37s and 38s are not interchangeable because of different dash dimensions, then maybe I do in fact have a 37.

Physically, the control heads will fit. The bezel must be for the year of the car. The 37 is much narrower than the 38. Also the Chevrolet control heads will not fit the DELCO bezels due to the size of the hole in the center.

Consider also that the wiring may not match the box. Each control head is box specific.

If this does not answer your question, query me again.

NOTE: (I assumed that ray88 was happy with the reply as he did not ask for different/more information.)

When Chevrolet radios were mentioned as opposed to Delco, were they also labeled United Motors radios? How long did this struggle between the two suppliers continue?

I believe that 1948 was the last year the UMS division of GM stopped offering radios.

The last UMS radio was 1931/32. The next radio was a Chevrolet and featured the BOWTIE and a key lock.

Ray, Weren't the universal radios sold through UMS?

There is nothing in my material about UMS after 1932. With the exception of the 1940/41 5 tube universal radio,(car or truck), all are marked with some form of Chevrolet. This could be the shape of the bezel, something in the shape of a bowtie, or the word Chevrolet. This was the system until DELCO was placed on the face of the radios.

Thanks for all of the replies. I now have a lot more info on these radios.

Initially, I started out looking for just a control head to fill the dash hole. I also considered finding a complete radio (non working) and eventually fixing it myself. Having done a fair amount of repairs mostly on TV and radio, I figured I could get something working.

After looking around for a short period of time, I found a varied mixture of radio parts. The purpose of my post was to understand what was available in 38 and what pieces fit together. I now have a better understanding. Thanks everyone.

I have seen Chevrolet part numbers for 38 radios but am not sure if I have ran across part numbers for the Delco units. I am trying to figure out how to identify pieces before buying.

I would also like to add if anyone has any 38 radio pieces for sale, (or knows a good source) I would be interested.

I am interested in getting a control head and bezel and possibly an entire radio. I have found a few control heads without bezels and may be interested in just a bezel. Knowing now that the opening for the dial is different it makes matching parts more difficult.

thanks again

ray

I found working on my 38 radio a pleasure. Everything is large and heavy duty. The vibrator was an older model and quite large. I replaced it with a solid state unit and the more common base.

Question:for 1938 would a Delco radio head be "correct as supplied from a dealer" if mated to a Chevrolet radio box? Of course the Delco head and the Chevy box would need to be "compatable models" as to electrical and mechanical connection to each other.

Yes, that is a correct radio, provided you have mated all the correct parts. For a correct radio for the 38 it takes a search for the parts that work as they should. Part of the confusion is that Chevrolet sold many control heads that were to be installed in the cars at the dealer to entice the new car owner to come back and purchase the remainder of the radio. I have always wondered what happened to the box and the speakers that were not sold. Should be a lot of NOS radios out there somewhere. One of the most difficult parts to find is the correct control cables.

When I purchased the 1938 Delco radio head as an NOS item it came in a Delco box for just the radio head with cables and hook up wires with plugs. I suppose the radio component parts of the tuner head, radio box and antennae were all stocked or ordered as separate parts that were not necessarily ever built as complete radio assemblies? Not sure how the radio manufacturers were able to calculate how many of each item to make and stock since these accessories were installed by dealers (either as the tuner head only or complete radios)and then the specifications would change it seems year to year. This is probably why the NOS Delco heads are still around in the original boxes. My goal at this point would be to at least have the radio be "correct as would have been available from the Chevy dealers in 1938" and of course have a radio that works. Thanks for responding with some good information.