zeno wrote:

I have already decided not to worry about
keeping this thing "original", eg. will be putting in a new power plug, key
jack, and coax connector etc....

It is certainly your radio and you can do as you wish,
but I urge you to reconsider; this isn't a old Craig CB rig
or and Eico 753. This radio has historic significance.

Extensive modification is needless
and will turn your historic relic into a junkbox nothing.
You can get the rig on the air with a good signal
without drilling a single hole or chopping out anything.
It's as simple as disconnecting
one wire and adjusting one relay contact.
If you need pins to fit the power connector on the back,
send me your address and I'll send you some.
Moreover, if you do the butchery to put the filiments on
12 volts AC, you are defeating part of the engineering solution
designed to keep the rigs stable.
My rigs are original design and work great with
good power out and little or no chirp.

First- throw out ALL those "conversion" articles from
the 50s, 60s and 70s. The first ones were written by
people who knew nothing about getting these rigs going
and the rest just parroted what the first wrote.
I can't tell you how many rigs went from "war relic"
to "trash can" because of some conversion "author."
The rigs are NOT TVI machines, chirp factories,
harmonic generators or any of the other myths
you've heard. These were born out of people flailing
around blindly without any understanding of how
the rig was designed to work.

I have lots of information on how to get these going
with little work and no irreversable mods.
I'm headed to work. If anyone cares to read them,
I will post them when I get home this evening.

73 DE Dave Stinson AB5S