Going fishing, maybe I'll get lucky. I have a nice 70 E-body AM radio, but the end of one of the 5 chrome channel pre-select pushbuttons is broken off. I have a replacement button on it from a similar radio, but that button is black on the end, and it bugs me, I'd like to replace it with a nice correct button to match the others. Anyone have a parts radio that has a nice chrome pushbutton you would part with, or a nice spare pushbutton? The chrome would need to be very nice to match. I believe there are a handful of other mopar radio pushbuttons that could work, including from an E-body AM 8 track, but many I find are chrome but black plastic on the end (the black is not a sticker or paint covering chrome underneath). I've thought about adding a piece of chrome tape on the end, but again, it would bug me. If you have one on a parts radio and don't know how to remove it, it's not too hard, just contact me and we can talk through it. Thanks for any help! Jim
Have you looked into "plastic chroming". Decades ago I had my OEM dashpad script done. I think that place is out of business now but there's others. Here's one of the first ones that came up in a Google search.
https://www.mmmetalizing.com/index.html
If you find a place you might consider doing them all for consistency or show whoever a picture of the other 4 for a color match
I think they reproduce the complete 5 chrome buttons, but the price might not be worth it. You can find some decent cheap mopar radios at swap meets like Carlisle and Spring Fling.
@Jay Bee @Cuda Cody Thanks for the suggestions! I hadn't considered rechroming because I figured it would be too much of a hassle and too expensive for one button that I thought might turn up some day at a swap meet, etc. But checking out the mmmetalizing.com link was interesting, so that might be an option.
As far as Mopar swaps, I've only been to midwest swaps like Mopars in The Park in Minnesota. I probably should try to get to some of those bigger meets. Even if I was there, I'd probably make an offer for a button off of a radio, rather than carry a whole radio around for the button - I have extra radios, just none with the correct button, and one hasn't turned up around here yet like I thought it might by now... so I thought I'd ask here and see if someone might have part of a set of five...
I just found a for sale thread from
@mccannix with some sets of 5 NOS chrome knobs for $55.00 shipped from NY state. I don't know how to post the link from this iPad I'm currently using or whether he still has them. The ad was from 4 years ago.
Sorry guys but I am out of those.
I'll check and see if I have anything good used
@Jay Bee @mccannix Thanks for the help, and for checking what you have, a good used button should work and match well.
Jim
Are these buttons unique to e bodies? I have an old c body 8 track, that's in pieces. You are welcome to a botton, if it will work.
Here's mccannix's 4+ year thread with pictures. Hope they're enough to compare with the C-body 8 track buttons
https://forum.e-bodies.org/parts-misc-for-sale/9/nos-chrome-amfm-cuda-challenger-thumbwheel-radio-push-buttons/11040/
Here is a company that you might try. They do radio and 8 track repair and restorations.
https://jvrestorations.com/
I wish there were other units that used the same chrome button, but I dont believe there are.
As stated in the resurected ad by Jay Bee :bigthumb: , I did send one to Greg Ward years back before posting that and he confirmed they are a one year only ( 1970 AM/FM Phillips E-body).
AM only with chrome buttons chrome knob is shorter than these.
Hopefully jvrestorations can help you out.
@floorit426 Thanks for the offer! If yours has 'all chrome' pushbuttons (no black face), and it's made by phillips, it might work. The thing is, I have two 1970 C-Body AM 8 tracks, one for full size Chrysler and one for full size Dodge, and they both have the same pushbuttons, but they are chrome with a black face on the end, and not all chrome like I'm looking for. The reason I know they fit the 70 E-body AM is because that is where I got the button that is on the 70 E-body AM radio now - from one of the C-body AM 8 tracks I have. What I don't have is a Plymouth C-body AM 8 track to compare - if yours was from a Plymouth or for some other reason has all chrome pushbuttons, and it's made by Phillips, a button from it might work.
To add, not long ago, I had a couple of 1970 E-body AM 8 tracks (Phillips), and from what I could tell, the chrome pushbuttons were identical to the '70 E-body AM radio (Phillips). I've never had a 1970 E-body Phillips AM/FM to compare, but from the 'old ad' pics, they look the same. Greg Ward is the expert, but I wonder if it would be true to make this statement, which does not necessarily contradict what Mr. Ward says, but perhaps refines it a little: 'All-chrome radio pushbuttons only came on 1970 E-body Phillips radios, whether AM 8 track, AM only, or AM/FM'. True? Or not?
Now if floorit426 has a Phillips C-body AM 8 track with all-chrome station pre-select buttons, then who knows, but I would be glad to have one to fix my radio!
Thanks for all the help, appreciate the community here!
@MoparLeo Thanks for bird-dogging jvrestorations, that seems like a good option. I might give them a call, but I'll keep my hook in the water here a little longer, maybe something will turn up from a member...
Jim
No problem. Members are sometimes also looking for repairs on their OE units and there aren't many resources out there.
Sorry, no joy, on my end. I checked and the buttons all have the black tips. Good luck. I bet someone will come through, for you.
@floorit426 Hey, thanks very much for the effort, appreciate it!
@mtull Thanks for pointing that auction out. I made an EPay purchase of a bag'o used chrome AM pushbuttons (like 35 in the bag) from the seller, who I think was Greg Ward. I hope there is at least one decent used chrome pushbutton in the bag for my purposes...
Anyway, thanks to all for the assistance!
Jim
Fingers crossed at least one is correct for you're car. Please keep us updated.
@mtull Bag of '70 E-body radio chrome pushbuttons came in, all were correct for the application but most all had chrome finish issues as described in the auction. A few were decent used - I picked out one that was a good match to the other existing pushbuttons and installed it. The radio still needs some silver paint detailing and some cleaning, but the pesky button issue is addressed. Now I have some spare pushbuttons, maybe I'll send some out for rechrome sometime. One person has reached out for a set.... Thanks to all for the help! Jim
:banana: I'm not one for emojis but felt it was warranted in this case. I spent some time earlier this year browsing for plastic chrome services without much luck. I'm sure my search skills are the issue. Please keep us updated if you decide to send those out.
Congratulations on your find!
@mtull :thankyou:
I think it was your 'find', so thanks for pointing me to the first auction - that lead me to another auction by the same seller...
Getting that stash was probably the most economical way of solving your dilemma. You should easily be able to makeup your cost by selling the remainders so basically it'd be a free repair. Congrats, glad to hear of this best possible outcome.
FYI, I checked this out earlier today using extra radios I have, in case anyone is wondering:
These '70-'71 chrome pushbuttons for the Phillips AM radios are not direct replacements for the Motorola 72-74 E-Body AM radio with the black pushbuttons (to turn a 72-74 radio into a 70-71 radio). The chrome buttons are about 1/8" shorter and most importantly, from what I can tell they don't attach to the radio the exact same way. I can't tell how the black buttons come off of the Motorola radio. Maybe someone knows for sure if the Phillips radio pushbuttons can be swapped to the later Motorola, but it doesn't look straightforward to me.