I recently picked up a Crosley electric grandfather clock at a garage sale with a radio (made around 1940). The clock works, the cabinet is in good shape, the old tube-based radio is toast. Instead of rebuilding the radio, I was thinking of replacing the old radio with a modern one. Is it better to keep it original even if the radio doesn't work? Thanks

The radios are usually not that big of a cost factor to have repaired. Usually a couple of tubes and some capacitors. Why not find some one to repair it? Another approach would be to leave the radio in place but just set a small transistor radio in the back and to any casual observer they will assume the original radio is playing.

Larry