1950s Motorola Hifi, Drexel cabinet model number

[C10sean]

I recently received this 1950s Motorola stereophonic high fidelity in a Drexel cabinet. The model number sticker is torn in half, all I have is SK5 the digit ripped in half may be a 6? My grandmother said she bought it in the early 50s before my mother was born in 56, I'm guessing maybe a 53 any help with identifying this model would be greatly appreciated and literally any other info is welcome.
It's currently not working, when I turn it one the large speaker is just blaring loud on any channel or setting. It has the golden voice speakers. Link to any sort of preventative maintenance or trouble shooting would also be appreciated.

Many thanks!

[electra225]

I'm guessing that the year would be closer to '63 than to '53 because it is stereo. Stereo started in about 1958 or so.

Please refer to the rules and complete your registration. We need you to post your location in your user profile. Welcome to the forum! We have plenty of helpful folks ready to help.

[William]

Welcome, we are glad you are here. Like Greg said, please follow the rules at the top LH part of the forum header and complete registration including your location and an Avatar. Once done, and 2 more posts that are approved, you will have full access to the forum.

It is not 1963, tuner controls were different and the cabinet C10sean is showing does not come up in 1963. My guess, 1959 or 1960. C10sean, if you remove the back of the unit you may be able to find the complete model number. If nothing else, the amp and tuner chassis will have numbers and within those numbers is the year of production.

Bill

[C10sean]

Thanks for the reply, I did read the rules and had not had a chance to make the changes, should be all good now!

As for the hifi, I'll be honest I didn't think about the fact that this may have been sitting in a showroom for a decade before being purchased which sounds like that might have been what happened. I do know it was purchased new.

Is there any sort of model number database to narrow down the year, or narrow it down by the cabinet style.

As for the back I did snap a picture it is is really rough shape, I would like to clean it out, carefully ofcorse. (See attached picture)

Thanks in advance I look forward to leaning lots

[William]

Can you also provide a photo of the amp, it is sitting in the bottom of the cabinet.

Bill

[electra225]

Goodyear, AZ?!! We are practically neighbors. Thank you for the update. I have to be a putz about this because we have more spambots than we can handle sometimes and it's nice to know where everyone is from so we can answer your questions more specifically. I'll wager there will be someone here that can tell you what the model number is. My "specialty" if you will, would be more toward the "other M", Magnavox.

[C10sean]

I completely understand, bots ruin everything good on the internet, I'm here to learn!

Pardon the filth, I just received this unit recently and I'd like to not break anything hence why I'm here.
I restore classic cars so I have an eye for detail and a steady hand, I just don't know how delicate the electronics are. Safe to use a shop vac, compressed air? Welcome any tips.

See photo for amp

[William]

C10sean. I hate to tell you this but your Motorola was manufactured in 1960. The inked numbers that are on the tuner, the "8M60", the "60" is the year it was built. Having said that, and from what I have seen with the back off, it looks very similar to my Motorola SK-52W which is a Drexel MCM cabinet called the Declaration. Yours looks more like the Motorola Triune cabinet.

[C10sean]

I am not bummed in any way I'm just hoping I could narrow down the year and model. Based on what you can see what would your educated guess be on the model number, like stated above, unfortunately the only part of the sticker is the SK5 and what looks like maybe a 6, could also be a 2...

[William]

Thank you! If you would move the white cord wrapped around the one tube so I can see the chassis number of the amp that would help.

Yes, any means necessary to clean the chassis is ok, just be careful, tubes are glass so they do break. And, the paper cones on the speakers are OLD, so they can and do tare easily. Just use common sense and if in doubt, ask. Do you have an old fashion straight suction vacuum? One with a flexible hose, crevice tool and dusting brush. That works the best, smaller hose less damage. Or, maybe your Shopvac has a smaller hose. I would start with the vacuuming first, then a bath with warm water and mild detergent. Be aware that the tubes have numbers on them and those numbers and soapy water do no mix, numbers will probably disappear. Since this is a triple 6BQ5 amp, see tube chart located on the top side of the amp, again be careful there with the vacuum and water, try and keep them matched as you pull them. With mine, I took a piece of paper, made a copy of the tube chart on the amp, it also tells you what circuit the tubes are in, and then kept the like tubes together. In other words, the two 6BQ5's that are for the LH channel are together, the RH channel together and the center channel together.

Safety first, and your Motorola project is not something you can do in a hurry. There are certain components that need to be replaced before you can safely use your Motorola, so please do not turn it back on.

It is not a SK-52, that is what I have and an SK-56 may have the same guts but the cabinet is different.

And, you will really fit in here. We all have other interests besides the vintage consoles and electronics and one of those other interests is classic cars.

I hope this helps!

Bill

[C10sean]

Thank you for all of the great info, I am definitely in no hurry to get it going I just want it to be right when I'm done.

As for the amp see picture

[William]

We both have the same amp, chassis number HS-839A, but different tuners. Mine is HS-823D and yours is HS-897A. Not sure of the difference without looking at a schematic, which by the way you will need before you start working on your Motorola. Please finish removing all the backs on your Motorola so we can see everything. I am hoping you will find your model number in there someplace.

One more thing, after you do a light cleaning with all components in the cabinet, remove the amp and tuner to finish there cleaning. You will be able to see things much better if they are on a bench when you work on them.

Bill

[electra225]

If you have a pressure regulator for your compressor, turn it down to about 30 psi before you blast the chassis. Keep compressed air away from speakers, period. Even a little bit can be too much. Dust won't hurt the speakers. Better to have good dusty speakers than to have nice, clean speakers that have a hole blown in them. Keep moisture away from the tubes, lest you ruin the markings. Again, dust won't hurt them, and learning to clean tubes is a skill you will learn on your own. Trying to talk someone thru the process isn't easy. Like Bill suggested, a vacuum and a detail brush will work better to clean speakers. Take pictures of how everything goes together. Make little drawings if you might be unsure of connections. I use cardboard to cover my workbench top. Not only does that protect the finish on the bench, it makes a good place to write little notes and make drawings of the project. Bill has you on the right track. Good luck.......

While you do the preliminary inspection and cleaning, you should try to find a schematic for your stereo. Bill, does this stereo use the model number of the stereo or the model number of the components to find service literature?

[William]

Either, I will do a little research and get the correct Sam's

Bill

[electra225]

That will be great to get him off to a good start.......

[C10sean]

Great info, thank you both so very much. I'm confident I can get it cleaned up and inspect for issues. ironically I found a hand drawn schematic of the tube layout inside the cabinet.

Side note: it looks like the far right speaker, looking from the back, is missing along with its components. I'll have to deal with that later on down the road.
Everything looks to be in ok shape just very dirty, it sat in the same spot for the last 66 years, I expected worse.

I'll keep note of how it goes and take pictures.

[William]

I kind of figured the "C10" stood for a Chevy pickup. Again, a word of caution. There are two stickers on the amp chassis, and neither are very large. One sticker is on the side of the chassis and the other is nestled down between the tubes. Be very careful, they also contain some schematic type information.

When you get a minute, please provide photos of the speaker compartments.

Bill