Packard-Bell Model 621 Radio Ground Safety

[Scottman]

I am starting into electronics, emphasis on old radios. I was given the PB Model 621 but was told to be very careful since I would have a 50-50 chance of plugging it in and having the chassis be hot. Given that, is there a way to change the power cord and have one with the larger spade to minimize this potential hazard? Bottom line is I don't want to kill myself when I plug the radio in. Thanks for being here as I just found this site and joined.

[iteratee]

It's using a shared chasis-neutral. You need to separate them so there's a dedicated earth ground and have the chasis connected only to earth, not neutral. This is rather critical to fix before use.