If you’re reading this post than you’re probably already an old car (or an old truck) aficionado. Maybe you even have one that you drive around. Chances are that the vintage radio in that old car doesn’t work, or maybe it’s not even there. Maybe you’ve even replaced that original AM radio with a modern equivalent.

But you still should know what an old car radio vibrator is and how it works.

Pre-1960 = Vacuum Tube Radio (Diode)

If your old car (or truck) is pre-1960, then it probably has, or had, an AM radio. Back then, FM wasn’t a “thing” and stereo sound wasn’t in cars – yet. And that old car radio probably had tubes to power the amplifier. Unless you had one of the newfangled transistorized car radios, which weren’t installed in a lot of cars by then.

Before modern transistors, vacuum tubes, the antique equivalent of a transistor, powered all electronic equipment. And vacuum tubes powered all car and truck radios. Vacuum tubes were used to amplify the sound from the radio. But vacuum tubes had some drawbacks. They were bulky and used a lot of power.

Vacuum tubes use a lot of power because they work due to a principle called thermionic emission. Thermionic emission essentially works by heating up a metal plate which than knocks some electrons loose, so they can move freely.

These electrons flow in these early vacuum tubes (known as rectifiers as they rectify the voltage in one direction only) between an anode and a cathode in a vacuum environment (hence vacuum). Thus creating what’s known as a diode. This diode acts like a one-way switch for electricity, allowing electrical current to flow one way only – like a transistor.

This diode, with only an anode and a cathode is interesting, but has limited use in our example.

The Triode, Circa 1907

In 1907, electronics pioneer Lee DeForest added a third electrode to the vacuum diode, creating a triode. This new triode enabled the vacuum tube to be used an an amplifier of electrical signals. This was (and is) quite useful as weak radio signals could then be amplified and directed through a loudspeaker for enjoyment for all.

While making amplified sound a reality, the vacuum tube uses quite a lot of electricity. Heating the metal plates really gobbles up the power in a vacuum tube.

And this big electricity appetite is where an old car radio vibrator comes in real handy!

Turn DC Into AC, Turn Up The Voltage!

The vast majority of old cars had a 6 volt electrical system, which was just fine for running the basic systems – starter, ignition and lights, etc. But those old tube radios needed much higher voltages, usually between 50 volts and 250 volts. Furthermore, DC 6 volts can’t be stepped up (increased) to the levels needed to run the vacuum tubes that amplify the sound for the radio.

This is where the old car radio vibrator comes in handy. The mechanical vibrator has contact points that are mounted on strips of flexible, springy metal. These contact points are made to vibrate by an electromagnet, making the points open and close very fast. The direct current (DC) voltage from the car battery is applied to these contact points, and the interruptions in current as the points open and close effectively generates a square wave, which looks a lot like alternating current (AC).

We know that alternating current can easily be stepped up – or stepped down – with a simple transformer. And all old car radios have a transformer that will increase this AC voltage up to an amount that will power the old car radio!

Thanks to the simple but effective old car vibrator it’s now possible for the radio to get the voltage it needs and we have a working radio!

Here are some of the great pages where I got my information for this article;

engineering.com – vacuum tubes

radiosforoldcars.com vibrators advantages

pekorf.com

tubesandmore.com

wikipedia.org

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The 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo was Chevy’s first dive into the personal luxury field. And what a dive it was! Near perfect proportions and Chevy pricing and reliability.

The first series Monte Carlos (1970, 1971 and 1972) were perfectly proportioned and based on the Chevelle. A long hood and short deck plus a quality interior that optionally included bucket seats and a console, The Monte was a great addition to Chevy’s line up for 1070.

Engines included a base 350 2-barrel all the way up to a 454 4 barrel  in the Monte Carlo SS.

Radio options included AM, AM 8-track and AM/FM 8-track. The great

1970 Monte Carlo Radios

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1988 Monte Carlo Radios

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[lwptoc]

1962 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1963 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1964 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1965 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1966 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1967 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1962 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1968 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1969 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1970 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1971 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1972 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1973 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1974 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1975 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1976 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1977 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1978 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

1979 Chevrolet II – Nova Radios

Images courtesy of Old Car Brochures

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[lwptoc]

First introduced in the late 1940s by the Delco division of the General Motors (GM) company, the Wonder Bar radio was one of the earliest car radios capable of seeking out the next strong signal, effectively allowing you to instantly switch stations with the touch of a button – or a bar on the radio itself.

The auto-seek function worked a lot differently than the ones found on modern radios, but the basic concept was the same. There was also a sensitivity knob that allowed the driver to determine what fidelity strength they wanted to skip between.

After dialing in a setting, the rest of the task was handled by a simple press of the Wonder Bar, triggering the radio’s ability to skip to the next signal that matched the chosen fidelity. The driver could then continue pressing the bar until finding a station of their liking.

Most radios these days have a purely electronic auto-seek functionality, and it is a feature that is largely taken for granted. Modern radios are able to seek forwards and backwards, and there’s no need for a sensitivity setting at all. Vintage radios like this were amazing in their use of technology of the times.

The Wonder Bar radio was truly revolutionary in its design, and it easily helped pave the way for the highly convenient radio station seeking features most automobile and even standalone radios are equipped with today.

While these radios are now relatively scarce given technological advancements, their place in car history can not be forgotten.

Many drivers of old cars opt to replace the vintage radios with more modern sound systems, but there are those purists who still appreciate the Wonder Bar given its crucial historical value, and just plain coolness!

Here’s the Wonder Bar Radio In Action!

Wonder Bar radios for sale!

Corvette Wonder Bar Radios

Cadillac Wonder Bar Radios

Buick Wonder Bar Radios

Chevrolet Wonder Bar Radios

Oldsmobile Wonder Bar Radios

Pontiac Wonder Bar Radios

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The first generation of Thunderbirds, also known as “Baby Birds” first appeared in 1955. They were Ford’s answer to the Chevrolet Corvette, the famous fiberglass creation from 1953. But, early on, the Corvette was a failure as compared with the first-generation Thunderbirds. Over 60,000 Baby Birds were made, and around 20,000 Corvettes were made through 1957.

It’s true that these Thunderbirds were really not sports cars. They were more of a luxury tourer with options such as automatic transmission, power windows, power seat, power steering and power brakes.

Most of the Thunderbirds of this era came with the optional Wonder Bar radio.

1955 Ford Thunderbird Radios

1956 Ford Thunderbird Radios

1957 Ford Thunderbird Radios

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The Tempest/Lemans originally came standard with a 4-cylinder engine, called the “Trophy 4″ at 194.5 cubic inches. This engine was essentially one-half of a 389 V8.  These compacts also came with a swing axle rear suspension from the Corvair.

In 1964 the Tempest and Lemans  was built with a full perimeter frame (no more unit body) and gained 3″ in wheelbase for a total of 115”.

The GTO, a high performance for the the Tempest was introduced in 1964 as the first of the high performance mid-sized cars of the 1960’s. The GTO, designed and put into production by John Delorean violated an engine size rule within GM at the time – no more than one cubic inch for every pound of weight. The largest engine up to 1964 was the 326 cubic inch V8 for about 3,300 lbs of car.

The 1964 GTO was the one that every other manufacturer chased.

1961 Tempest, LeMans, GTO Radios

1962 Tempest, LeMans, GTO Radios

1963 Tempest, LeMans, GTO Radios

1964 Tempest, LeMans, GTO Radios

1965 Tempest, LeMans, GTO Radios

1967 Tempest, LeMans, GTO Radios

1968 Tempest, LeMans, GTO Radios

1969 Tempest, LeMans, GTO Radios

1970 Tempest, LeMans, GTO Radios

1971 Tempest, LeMans, GTO Radios

1961 Tempest, LeMans, GTO Radios

1972 Tempest, LeMans, GTO Radios

1972 Tempest, LeMans, GTO Radios

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1974 Tempest, LeMans, GTO Radios

1975 Tempest, LeMans, GTO Radios

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Check out vintage Pontiac radios HERE!

1961 Pontiac Radios

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1975 Pontiac Radios

1961 Pontiac brochure courtesy of oldcarbrochures.com

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1966 Ford Bronco Radios

1967 Ford Bronco Radios

1968 Ford Bronco Radios

1969 Ford Bronco Radios

1970 Ford Bronco Radios

1971 Ford Bronco Radios

1972 Ford Bronco Radios

1973 Ford Bronco Radios

1974 Ford Bronco Radios

1975 Ford Bronco Radios

1976 Ford Bronco Radios

1977 Ford Bronco Radios

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1961 Pontiac Radios

1962 Pontiac Radios

1963 Pontiac Radios

1964 Pontiac Radios

1965 Pontiac Radios

1966 Pontiac Radios

1967 Pontiac Radios

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The Ford F100 and F150 are the iconic truck collectibles – and the radios for these trucks are extremely rare.

The vast majority of these tough Ford trucks were work trucks and creature comforts were just not installed on these trucks.

The great news is that you can still find some radios for these great trucks.

1946 Ford Truck Radios

1947 Ford Truck Radios

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1961 Ford Truck Radios

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1979 Ford Truck Radios

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