I am on negotiations to buy the Zenith on the picture. On this TV the CRT neck protrudes outside the cabinet, or the whole CRT is safe inside the cabinet? I am asking this because the seller says that the TV no longer has the back cover, but he assures that the whole CRT is safe inside the cabinet, that no part of the CRT protrudes outside.

Is he telling the truth?

Missing the back is a bargaining point! The neck most likely protrudes an inch or so from the back of the cabinet. If this is local to you, it may not be an issue - but If you are thinking of having it shipped, require that at least the TV chassis be removed and carefully boxed separately.

I have a GE roundie here ( 1950 table model ) on which the whole CRT is completely inside the cabinet, there's not a single inch protruding outside.

I am wondering if the seller is telling the truth and the case of this Zenith is really identical to the case of my GE.

I have a table model Zenith porthole and the neck is more or less even with the back of the cabinet. There isn't much extra space, though. If I had to ship it, I would: make doubly sure that the chassis is bolted down solidly; make equally sure that the crt is strapped down good to that chassis; temporarily attach some type of plywood or luan to the back, just in case-this assumes that the neck really doesn't stick out.

Somebody here should have the same model and be able to tell us for sure. It may be that there were different crts used on that series, with some metal and some all glass, and the metal ones might be more shallow. If that crt is good I would go extra lengths to make sure it survives because that size can be hard to find, and maybe impossible in your part of the world.

I have a similar 16" Zenith roundie with radio on one side and changer on the other. The perforated metal back has no cup for the end of the tube, however it is "formed", and sticks out about 1.5-2" behind the TV... The base connector for the CRT (a crude wafer socket) sticks out about 0.5- 1" past the back edges of the cabinet... be careful... check for sure with a straightedge.
jr

Hope you get it intact...That one is a HONEY !!

I am on negotiations to buy the Zenith on the picture. On this TV the CRT neck protrudes outside the cabinet, or the whole CRT is safe inside the cabinet? I am asking this because the seller says that the TV no longer has the back cover, but he assures that the whole CRT is safe inside the cabinet, that no part of the CRT protrudes outside.

Is he telling the truth?

I have what would appear to be a very similar model Zenith in mahogany.

As jr tech mentioned the metal rear grill is formed to extend out about 2" from the back edge of the cabinet. My Zenith has a 16GP4 crt whose socket is just exactly flush with the rear edge of the wood cabinet. Even at that it's still mighty vulnerable sitting there like that with no back to protect it. As bgadow has suggested a piece of wood over the back during shipment would be a good idea, or removing the chassis/crt assembly and shipping and packing it separately is even better. Good luck with it.
Bob

IIRC, mine uses a 16EP4 which is 19-5/16" long.... a 16GP4 is only 17-1/4" long, so that might be the difference. Mine is likely an earlier model. It has the ch selector on the left side.
jr

I love these old Zenith portholes. The back cover on mine bulges out about 2" to protect the CRT.

Here is what the back of mine looks like:
http://www.cerant.com/ZenithTV/BackView-withCoverOn-800.JPG

Make sure all the mounting screws are in place holding down the Main Chassis and the Power Supply chassis. You don't want a chassis flopping around during shipment. Also, make sure the wood shelf those chassis's sit on are not loose.

Nice to see someone here purchasing that TV. Post some pictures and keep us informed of your restoration process.

Carl

I am seriously considering going there ( and believe me, this TV is VERY far from where I live ) and doing myself the necessary measures to protect the CRT ( I already know the seller, and I don't put much trust in him ).

I hope is not too eager to see this TV leaving his warehouse quickly, it will take me some time to be able to go there ( the guy is an antiques dealer, and has a warehouse full with stuff ).

The 19AP4 in that set does not stick out beyond the cabinet. Plus, the shelf that the chassis sits on protrudes 2" beyond the back of the cabinet. The original back wrapped around that shelf. I moved one of those with it on laying on its back, but I made sure that the chassis was tight first. I would be more concerned whether the CRT was good or not.

I hope the CRT is good, but if not, I will take it anyway. This type of television is extremely rare here, and as a collector, being able to own one, is like put the hands on the Holy Grail. To tell the whole truth, this was a completely unexpected find. No one really expects, or believe, that finding a Zenith roundie is something possible here. This is only the second roundie Zenith that is known to exist here. And I will not be surprised if those two are the only ones left.

Roundies, in general, are difficult to find here, but the ones made by General Electric are the more "easier" to find. It's estimated that by 1951 there were something like 7000 TV sets in this country. A very small number, and it is certain that very few of those 7000 were Zeniths. Brazilians, in general, didn't buy those high-end brands like Zenith, people here bought General Electric and Admiral. To find a Zenith roundie here, in 2010, was quite a shock. They were so few that it was believed that they were all gone by now.

The set no longer has the knobs for the radio and the "pencil box" door on the TV. If anyone here have both, or one of those itens, please contact me.

I need the schematic for this TV. If anyone can send me the schematic, please send me a message.

I already got the schematic here: http://www.antiqueradios.com/

Captain,

I had sent you an email through VK offering a scan of the service manual. Send me an email back if you would like it.

Hi, I didn't received any e-mail. Maybe something wrong happened. Anyway, I got the service manual at the antiqueradios web site.

I thank you for your offer.

A real miracle has happened: the TV arrived with the CRT intact.

Why is it a miracle? Well, for the following reasons:

1) The neck protrudes a little bit outside the cabinet ( just a little bit, but enough to break ).

2)There's no back cover.

3) To my shock and horror, the chassis is NOT BOLTED TO THE CABINET!!!!

It is a miracle that the tube arrived here in one piece. After a 700km trip on the back of a truck, with the neck exposed and the chassis loose on the cabinet!!! It was the Hand of God, that protected this CRT, of that much I am certain!!!

And I ASKED the seller to make a back cover and to see if the chassis was really bolted to the cabinet. And he lied to me!!! He said that he was going to provide a back cover and that he looked inside and the chassis was bolted. He lied on both instances. I will never buy a TV from that guy again. He is a scoundrel.

The TV had both knobs, and because of the loose chassis it lost one of them ( the on/off knob ). Well, at least it is the lesser of evils. The worse thing that could have happened - the breaking of the CRT - was avoided!!!

The plastic mask that goes inside, around the tube, is cracked in several places and I will have to glue it together. I am thinking of using Super Bonder ( don't know for sure if you guys have that brand in the USA ), what do you guys think?

Also, it no longer has the radio knobs ( and the radio was also loose inside the cabinet, too ).

Together with this roundie Zenith TV came another one, a 1957 21 inch set that I bought from another seller. The other TV is a "Standard Electric" brand, it was manufactured here in Brazil by ITT. Both TVs are on the attached pictures.