Finally fired up the '54 6 volt Wonderbar.
When I bought this car it was known to me that Bubba converted it to 12 volts. He installed a 12 volt battery, starter, generator, voltage regulator and 12 volt headlights and tail lights. What he didn't do was change or protect the dash lights, heater motor, Wonderbar radio, or anything else. He burned up a bunch of the wiring and made Scotchlock repairs and splices everywhere. Can you say fire!
I removed the rats nest of wiring, ordered a new complete full car harness from Lectric Limited and sent what as left of the Wonderbar Radio to NCRS member Jerry Rudbeck to see if it could be salvaged.
Jerry sent me progress emails with terminology only an aerospace engineer could understand. "The capacitive rectumspector was dissolved by the entroscopic thermalskeptor resistor after the influx of 12 volts/900 amps applied by Bubba that tried to drive the passenger side speaker cone through the back of the dash when the key as turned on. But I have it fixed now and have been listening to it on a weak radio station that is airing a replay of Bethoven's 22nd recorded when he was 12, while I complete the restoration of the Wonderbar from 1953 #12."
Friday Night, September 17 (my dad's 82nd birthday), I hooked up 6 volts to the battery side of my new LL harness through a 15 amp fuse, hooked the ground wire up to the negative terminal and slowly turned the key on. With the door opened I noticed I had something I had never seen in this car before. The dome lights were on!
I reached over to turn on the Wonderbar Radio like I was sneaking up on a rattle snake snoozing on a rock. I twisted the dial and heard the click of the radio turning on. About 30 seconds later I as getting the latest news and weather from AM 640, KFI loud and clear in my shop where most AM radios struggle to get a signal. I never touched the antenna trim screw, either. I called my mom and dad who are vacationing in Durango, Colorado, so they could hear it. My dad is a retired aerospace engineer (Hughes Aircraft) who helped develop missle radar guidance systems so he was thrilled (but he didn't want to touch this radio). But first I called my wife at home so she could hear it. They think I'm nuts!
Thanks, Jerry!
I removed the rats nest of wiring, ordered a new complete full car harness from Lectric Limited and sent what as left of the Wonderbar Radio to NCRS member Jerry Rudbeck to see if it could be salvaged.
Jerry sent me progress emails with terminology only an aerospace engineer could understand. "The capacitive rectumspector was dissolved by the entroscopic thermalskeptor resistor after the influx of 12 volts/900 amps applied by Bubba that tried to drive the passenger side speaker cone through the back of the dash when the key as turned on. But I have it fixed now and have been listening to it on a weak radio station that is airing a replay of Bethoven's 22nd recorded when he was 12, while I complete the restoration of the Wonderbar from 1953 #12."
Friday Night, September 17 (my dad's 82nd birthday), I hooked up 6 volts to the battery side of my new LL harness through a 15 amp fuse, hooked the ground wire up to the negative terminal and slowly turned the key on. With the door opened I noticed I had something I had never seen in this car before. The dome lights were on!
I reached over to turn on the Wonderbar Radio like I was sneaking up on a rattle snake snoozing on a rock. I twisted the dial and heard the click of the radio turning on. About 30 seconds later I as getting the latest news and weather from AM 640, KFI loud and clear in my shop where most AM radios struggle to get a signal. I never touched the antenna trim screw, either. I called my mom and dad who are vacationing in Durango, Colorado, so they could hear it. My dad is a retired aerospace engineer (Hughes Aircraft) who helped develop missle radar guidance systems so he was thrilled (but he didn't want to touch this radio). But first I called my wife at home so she could hear it. They think I'm nuts!
Thanks, Jerry!
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