Sparton 4900 Restoration

[vts1134]

Well I went and found another TV to restore. This one will most likely end up replacing the RCA 730TV1 currently in my living room. I wanted to get something just a bit bigger than that set and also mirror in lid. It needed to have a phono input for my Sonos Connect and an AM/FM tuner for Saturday morning NPR in addition to the TV. Basically it needed to be the family entertainment hub.

I bought the set from a fellow in the Detroit area who cleans out homes. He took it home because he thought he'd like to get it working and keep it for himself. Fortunately for me he doesn't have the same strange brain abnormality that we all share so he decided to get rid of it (you know.. the one that causes people to seek out and collect old TVs ). I bought the set for $100, but it took $200 to get it uShiped to Pittsburgh. When it arrived I was disappointed to see that the top has probably been refinished at some point in the past. Other than the top and a few scratches here and there the cabinet looks to be in pretty good condition. I think a little TLC will make it quite presentable, but I don't know what I'll do about the top just yet.

The set is safe and sound in a warehouse that my boss has graciously let me have some space for now. I have some other projects to finish up and at that point I'll be taking the chassis home to do an electronic restoration. I hope to start that next week or shortly thereafter.

Right away I can see that I need the CRT mask cover on the top of the set. It is cracked in three places where the screws hold it in. If any one has one of these and can help please let me know.

Here is a photo of the set as we were unloading it from our truck into the warehouse. Even in the photo you can see how much shinier the top lid on the left is than the front of the set right below it.