What a full recap actually costs by radio era.
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Electrolytic capacitor kitsRecapping is the first step on any vintage radio restoration. Buy a full kit matched to the radio's model — capacitor plague is universal across 1950s-70s sets.
NOS vacuum tubesNew-old-stock Sylvania, GE, and RCA tubes test better than current production. Match by tube type; most AM table radios run 12AX7, 6V6, 5Y3 combos.
Indoor AM loop antennaA ferrite or air-core loop antenna dramatically improves AM sensitivity on restored sets. Terk and Quantum loop antennas connect to external antenna screws.
Speaker cone + grille clothDeteriorated speaker cones kill otherwise perfect restorations. Buy cone repair kits by speaker diameter; grille cloth from suppliers who stock period patterns.
DeoxIT D5 contact cleanerCrackling volume pots and dead band switches are fixed 80% of the time with DeoxIT D5. The real stuff, not generic contact cleaner — it matters here.
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