Now you see the value of visual inspection, by scrutinizing What Is And What Should Never Be (a cool Led Zeppelin song) you isolated two problems, odd behavior of the VR tubes, and the open RF choke. I've seen plenty of 4 pie 2.5mH chokes, but never one sprayed with Cosmoline. That BTW is that brownish stuff that looks like spar varnish the military moisture proofed radios with. You wouldn't want to work on one with that gunk covering everything under the chassis, BELIEVE ME! I see the wire is blown open, melted on the end, but what made the pie become displaced when it was "varnished" in place I can't imagine. No big deal wondering how or why, all that matters is you need a new choke. No problem there, ePay is littered with them, 3 and 4 pie with and without Cosmoline. Oh, in addition to pushing the shorted wire off the socket connection opening the short I'd lift R112 well away from the chassis, it looks like a short waiting to happen. If there's one there is more, time for search and destroy, kill them all and let God sort them out. (;->)