'59 Chevrolet push button radio help

We installed an N.O.S. factory push ****on radio, out of the original box, into my '59 El Camino this evening. Unfortunately, after installation , we found that none of the ****ons will push in. Any suggestions? Thanks, Mike

 

take it apart, clean off all the old hardened grease, add new grease.

I think you're supposed to try it before you install it

 

Thanks for the input. I didn't personally install it. The trim shop installing my new interior did.

 

Oh.

Hope the radio works, capacitors do strange things when they get old.

 

Yeah, like not work!!

 

Actually, it's not life or death. I haven't had a radio in my cars for a long time. I just thought it would be nice to listen to the news once in a while.

 

hell dude just leave it there and install a updated system that uses a ipod. the whole system can be hidden.

 

That would like putting a hidden radio in my roadster...No thanks.

 

If it doesn't work, it should be easy and cheap to fix.

 

Thats crazy, never heard of that problem before, but I am getting ready to start troubleshooting mine. It's also a push ****on and lights up but no volume, probably a tube but don't know yet. I really like your El Camino, I have it for my screensaver at work.

 

The push****ons simply move a tuning bar that in turn moves the iron tuning slugs in or out of the tuning coils. In your case the tuning bar seems to be stuck. Take the cover(s) off to access the tuning bar and put some 3 in 1 oil on each of the pivot points.

Another thing, does the radio tune with the tuning knob? Try tuning (using the tuning knob) to a middle of the band station, then try pushing any of the push ****ons and see if the tuning pointer moves to either end. It might be as simple as the push****ons are all set to one end or the other of the radio band. To reset each ****on, tune using the knob, then pull the desired ****on out, then push back in.

The capacitors on these later model radios should not be as big a problem as the earlier ******** type radios. The early model radios have voltages in the hundreds of volts, whereas the 59 and newer radios did not use a ******** and only ran at 12 volts. Your problem could be a tube, but from what you mentioned, it sounds like a fuse or the DS501 output transistor. The tubes are for tuning and for automatic volume control. The radio tuning dial lamp is powered by a separate circuit than the radio itself.

 

Thanks a million to everyone that responded. I was a little scrambled last night after I'd installed the radio. It worked the day I bought the radio. I took it apart this morning and there was a small piece of small s**** steel stuck in the rt side of the ****on mechanism. I cleaned it, re-installed the radio and it's working. Thanks again,Mike