AR88 Front Stainless Attachment - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

thoyer454 · 24th Oct 2022, 12:32 am

Had another AR88 follow me home a while back. Started digging into it today and I noticed that the front panel stainless is not held on by "t" shaped hardware but it clips to a bracket that is spotwelded to the front panel. I've worked on and own many of these receivers and this is the first I've seen attached this way.

Was this a common practice, maybe a manufacturing plant difference?

Tom
W3TA

turretslug · 24th Oct 2022, 4:25 pm

I wonder- whilst one of the good things about these sets is consistency of overall detail over a large production run, there were peripheral detail alterations. With large numbers required urgently for British (in particular, plus others) requirements, it wouldn't surprise me if there was a degree of batch sub-contracting for various parts. My AR88D has a thick and beautifully crisply cut engraved aluminium front panel secured to the chassis with 0BA studs and with fine olive drab crackle paint, the shiny panel finishers being pressed onto a sub-strip secured with 6BA screws- this choice of fasteners makes me think that it was an after-the-event British job, perhaps the RAF who seemed to rather like these sets and used them long into the post-war era.

24th Oct 2022, 12:32 am	#1
thoyer454 Tetrode Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Warminster, Pennsylvania, USA. Posts: 83	AR88 Front Stainless Attachment Had another AR88 follow me home a while back. Started digging into it today and I noticed that the front panel stainless is not held on by "t" shaped hardware but it clips to a bracket that is spotwelded to the front panel. I've worked on and own many of these receivers and this is the first I've seen attached this way. Was this a common practice, maybe a manufacturing plant difference? Tom W3TA

24th Oct 2022, 4:25 pm	#2
turretslug Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Surrey, UK. Posts: 4,400	Re: AR88 Front Stainless Attachment I wonder- whilst one of the good things about these sets is consistency of overall detail over a large production run, there were peripheral detail alterations. With large numbers required urgently for British (in particular, plus others) requirements, it wouldn't surprise me if there was a degree of batch sub-contracting for various parts. My AR88D has a thick and beautifully crisply cut engraved aluminium front panel secured to the chassis with 0BA studs and with fine olive drab crackle paint, the shiny panel finishers being pressed onto a sub-strip secured with 6BA screws- this choice of fasteners makes me think that it was an after-the-event British job, perhaps the RAF who seemed to rather like these sets and used them long into the post-war era.