Zenith Chassis Research

[DavGoodlin]

Zeno really has the mid-end of 70s figured out. I never knew what some of those letters meant beyond the year.
Many chassis numbers in the 60's ended with a Z, which must mean something special.

TUD - if you know the post 1971 years, then I offer the rest of the story.
feel free to jump in on this all you Zenith fans out there, I am only but one of many here


I'm probably leaving a few smaller color chassis out... but here are the chassis numbers from the early glory years

29JC20 was the first in 1962, few here are lucky enough to have one in their collections
27KC20 second chassis - 1963 - consumer reports notices Zenith has so few repairs and no need for "factory service"
25LC20 and 25LC30 Third chassis - 1964 (my personal favorite as I have a Space Command and we are the same age)
25MC30 thru 33 fourth chassis - early 1965
24MC30 thru 32 fifth chassis - mid 1965 - narrow HV cage on top of chassis, uses 6Z10 instead of 6BN6 and 6BQ5 for audio det/out tubes
25MC36 first 25" rectangular (25AP22 CRT) chassis - late 1965
***** Zenith is pounding the competition at this point, RCA suffers but not like some others ****
24NC31 last roundie chassis - late 1965 lower cost alternative to a 25" rectangular with legendary durability
25NC38 second 25" rectangular
20XC36 thru 38 (aka 20X1C38) 19"?, 22" and 25" - 1967 many models (I have the full-line 1967 brochure )
15Y6C15 first 15" color chassis 1968 a bulletproof heavy bastard
20Y1C36 thru 48 - 19"?, 22" and 25" 1968
14Z8C50 19" and 16Z8C50 22" thru 25" 1969
14A9C50 19" and 12A12C50/52 22" thru 25" 1970 - SS IF strip and color demods, tube count drops
4B25C19 1st 4-tube hybrid 19" 1971 - not sure of other 19" and under
12B14C50/52 - 25" and 25V" 1971 - still using tubes in VHF tuner
*****1971 was last year for tube count as first number*****
14CC14/15 14" sets 20CC50 19", 25CC50 22" and larger 1972
19DC11/12 19" 4-tube hybrids 19" 1973
25DC56/57 the first all-transistor and IC modular chassis for 25V" models 1973
23EC15 the last four-tube hybrid (except 25V") budget 25" models 1974
25EC58 2nd all-transistor and IC modular chassis for 25V" models 1974
17EC45, 19EC45, 23EC45, 25EC45 the first "vertical chassis" series used from 1974 thru 1978(?)