[ProgressCity]

 What I would suggest, before stripping the cabinet down to bare steel, is test the spray paint with some alcohol and see if it thins out or wipes off. Then, barring that, try dabbing a small section at a time with lacquer thinner and see if you can soften the paint and gently scrape it or scrub it off with 0000 steel wool. This will depend on how think the paint it of course. If the original paint finish can be salvaged with hand work that would be best, if the cabinet was stripped and repainted it basically becomes just slightly better then a Spanish Brown 511 repainted Labrador Grey, but if it's too far gone it's too far gone. Maybe investigate what a museum furniture conservator would do to get the spray paint off, they have to handle such things on a daily basis. With regard to the escucheon, as far as I know nobody has ever made reproductions of these, the original was bronze or brass, if it's aluminum looking then someone painted it that way.
Regards
Arran

I tried with Lacquer thinner AFTER alcohol.   There's nothing original under there...JUST metal unfortunately.

I also soaked the escutcheon in lacquer thinner and then jasco paint stripper which is ridiculously strong stuff.  It's definitely not painted and is just a thin piece of what may be chromed metal, which means I now have to find the right escutcheon. I've attached 2 photos of the one that was on this radio. It pretty thin and flexible.

I DID however think about the paint restoration for a bit, and asked a friend of mine who's been featured countless times in vintage hot rod and car culture magazines for his work.    He's with a featured paint shop up in Yucaipa that's willing to take it on.  Coincidentally I'm heading up there tomorrow.

There are no records of the paint colors and codes that Philco used to paint these are there?  I figured since vintage car paint codes often turn up that I might be able to get the originals to accurately recreate the paint.

Thanks!