Scratch 5E3 Build from junque and some new parts

Hey guys. I am pretty new around here and don't post much, but I thought that you all might enjoy a build thread. I started this back about a year ago, so hopefully it won't take that much time to finish. As of today, 12/12/14 all I need to do is finish the wiring. I have all the parts and am pretty close so here is what we have. So without further ado, here is what I did.


About a year and a have ago, I started thinking about building about building an amp. I have restored antique radios for years. I had even worked on a few vintage amps and knew that they are much simpler than old radios. So I started looking around and found that lot’s of people build amps from kits so it was pretty easy to do. I just didn’t want to spend a ton of money, so since I am into Ham radio, I knew that radio swaps are a great place for parts on the cheap.


First thing I needed was a nametag so I found this online and snagged it





I decided that the 5E3 would be my first build, and that it would be done with mostly old parts. I am not much or a wood worker, so I decided to look around for a dead Solid state amp to use the cabinet from. I placed a WTB ad on Craigslist and ended up getting a bunch of junk really, really cheap. I was picky and that I only wanted a 12” speaker. I settled on a Crate amp that I got for $10. It was complete, so I had to tear it down.








So I pulled it apart.





All empty, ready new, older guts LOL











This Chassis sucks, I don’t want to put this much work in this chassis




I got buddy that might be able to make me a new chassis at work, so I design a new chassis in AutoCAD



Maybe I got ahead of myself, I got a bunch of parts from this 1950’s console radio that I picked up from Craigslist curb alert. Has a push/pull 6V6 output, tons of tubes, transformers, sockets, pretty much all the expensive crap I would have had to buy



Here is the transformer that I am using. Pulled from chassis



I decided that the crappy wafer sockets in the console where not going to good enough for this build, so I started looking around the swaps for some sockets.

I found a box of sockets for $15, so I picked it up. These are just the octals. Lot’s of good crap here.



Here is the chassis drilled, painted in Hammertone paint, and mocked up components.



Now they are finish installed. (6L6 PA tubs installed as I wanted to make sure they fit, will be part of a future upgrade.



Time to start wiring, this is where I am today 12/12/17




Hope to have it done soon!

 

Yeah it was pretty ugly, so I decided to paint it. I got the sockets in your neck of the woods last may, over at the mudfest at Zenia, lol