Hello, I want to start the cabinet restoration on my Zenith G500. I would appreciate any tips on removing the plastic grill and dial from the cabinet. I read that there are some clips holding it that can be a problem. Thanks.

Yes, the plastic grill front is secured by tinnerman nuts over plastic studs. It's very easy to snap off the studs. I don't know of any easy way to get them off except to take your time and work carefully.

I've had success in the past rotating the metal retainers slowly and more or less forming threads on the plastic posts. You could describe it as 'unscrewing them'. Use extreme caution though. If you pry them you are almost certainly going to break the posts. Later, I just screw them back on very gently. As stated above, they break off very easy and you can't simply glue them back on.

Unless you are planning to recover the cabinet with new Tolex, you might consider just leaving it on. If I recall, you should be able to remove the brass dial bezel and dial cover for cleaning or replacement without removing the plastic front.

If you need a new dial cover, here's where I got mine. They do good work and are fast. I've purchased several dial covers from them. Radiodaze carries them too, and I think Mark Oppat may have one as well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ZENITH-TRANS-OCEANIC-8G005Y-G-500-5G40-Radio-Dial-Cover-/150788301243?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item231baee1bb

Thank you for the information. When I pulled the chassis and could see the four clips, I remembered that I had worked with these spring clips before in my other Trans-Oceanics. I use a very sharp awl that looks like an ice pick. The sharp end is angled at 90 degrees . I very very carefully take the pressure off the post. These spring clips have two fingers that grip the post. This awl lets you take the pressure off the clip fingers while very carefully putting a little upward pressure on the clip. Carefully go back and forth between the two fingers of the clip. With great care and patience I was able to remove all four clips with no damage to any of the post. I also used the same method to remove the two clips holding the speaker cloth. Maybe I'm just lucky. Proceed with caution.

Good work! Could you post a picture of the awl you used? I might want to make one. I'm always running in to those tinnerman nuts on old radios and rarely get them off without breaking something.

Hi Ed. I'll try to post a couple pictures next weekend. Thanks

HF sells a set of picks/awls with hooks, right angles, etc.. I keep a set on my bench. Check their website. They're cheap but useful. I just received the latest flyer and they are #66836-FCH.

I looked those up, they look pretty handy and on sale for $1.99.

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-pick-and-hook-set-66836.html

Hi Ed. I looked at the posting of the four tool set. The fourth one on the right is very very close to what I use. between the two on the far right, they should be able to get the job done. Its very important to move the clips up the post very little at a time. Sometimes you can hear the spring fingers click when they are released by the tool on the post. Thanks.