By Jenn McKeogh, senior manager, GM News
General Motors is at the forefront of the modern age, delivering cutting-edge technology and innovative designs to our customers. But sometimes, it’s worthwhile to peer back in time and explore technology from a bygone era.
Meet Jayce Delker: an integration engineer at Milford Proving Ground, our test and research facility 40 miles northwest of Detroit. When he’s off the clock, Delker collects, restores and converts vintage radios, a hobby he picked up in his early teens.
Detail work
Delker’s first middle school job was at a local thrift store in Loganville, Georgia, where he became mesmerized by the vintage finds hauled in by customers. One day, a customer brought in an old pocket radio.
“I bought that old radio for $1,” he says. “It didn’t work, of course, so I went on YouTube and found a tutorial on how to fix it. I’ve been obsessed ever since.”
That was in 2012. Delker currently has around 170 old radios, most of them pocket-sized and arranged on a bookshelf in the living room of suburban Detroit home. He also has a few tabletop and floor models. One of his favorite ways to restore radios is by performing Bluetooth conversions, marrying old and new tech into something fit for the modern age.
“With a conversion, you can play songs from your phone but keep that classic sound from the radio hardware. A lot of old-school radio restorers have opinions about Bluetooth conversions, but I think it makes these old machines more accessible.”
In addition to conversions of old radios into modern players he has a handful of rare, historic radios that he’s updated while maintaining all their original technology.
“Most of the radios I refurbish are 1950s handhelds,” he says. “Everyone used to have one. It’s kind of an analog for the smartphones we use today: tech that fits in your pocket and connects to people – in a 1950s diner kind of way.”
Delker sells and swaps his refurbished radios on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and swap meets across the country - but he says that all of the profits “go right back into buying more radios.”
From radios to road
It turns out, there’s a lot more crossover than you might think between Delker’s radio hobby and the automotive world. His father worked in automotive paint and body at a dealership, something he often witnessed as a child - and the attention to cosmetic detail surprisingly transfers to radio restoration.
“I love 1950s radios, many of which are very automotive inspired, full of exaggerated colors and small chrome details,” says Delker. “The stye and aesthetics might be my favorite part of the restoration process.”
In fact, tinkering with radios is why Delker initially became interested in engineering.
“My parents didn’t have a technical background, so I taught myself – that’s how I figured out I loved taking things apart, troubleshooting and fixing things. It’s kind of why I’m here at GM.”
Some of the old radio technology Delker works on is even GM-made. In the 1959 model year, GM’s Delco division created portable radios for certain Buick, Pontiac, and Oldsmobile models that could be taken out of the car dashboard and carried around. This was called a “transportable radio,” and is something Delker says he “loves coming across.”
So, what’s his favorite radio?
That’s an easy one.
“When I was 15 or 16, I bought a 1938 radio from Zenith, an old Chicago-based company,” which is now owned by LG Electronics. “They called it the robot dial, and it has a motorized dial.” says Delker. “I got it for almost nothing. It was in terrible shape, but my Dad and Grandpa helped me fix it up. It’s not the most valuable, but it’s definitely the most sentimental – and it has the best glow-up.”
On the job
Delker kicked off his GM career in 2014 when he applied to GM on a whim at a career fair, just three weeks into his freshmen year at Georgia Tech. The school wanted freshmen to get familiarity with available STEM career paths, but Delker “didn't think [he] would actually get a job.”
“I talked to Ford, GM, and Chrysler – Ford and Chrysler weren’t interested in freshmen, but GM offered me an interview. I thought it would just be great interview experience, but I got an offer to go join GM,” he says.
The summer after his freshmen year, 19-year-old Delker headed to GM’s Milford Proving Ground as a co-op and returned for four follow-up rotations. He joined GM full-time in 2019 on Milford’s vehicle simulation team.
Today, he works as a system integration engineer specializing in vehicle drive modes, where Delker and his colleagues help develop, and test the Drive Mode feature on a variety of GM vehicles. Sport Mode, Track Mode, the GMC HUMMER EV’s Watts to Freedom, and Z-Mode on Corvette are all examples of the team's work.
Even with his role at GM, Delker still finds time to focus on his hobbies: working on old radios, repairing his collection of vintage cars, and upcycling thrifted furniture to his 1950’s vintage house. But for Delker, restoring vintage goods is more than a hobby.
“My hobbies connect me to a past era,” he says. “I love finding new life for old technology. Instead of buying new things and creating waste, I can find a sustainable way to give something new life.”
Off the clock explores the outside interests of GM employees. To nominate someone for this series, drop us a line at news@gm.com.
Check out more from the series: