First post/ Problems with my Panasonic RX 5080

First I want to say I'm new to this forum and I appreciate any help anyone can give me with my boombox. I have recently become the owner of a Panasonic RX 5080 after my father and I saw it sitting in the trash while we were driving down the road. It was covered in paint spots but i took some paint thinner and a wire brush to it very gently. The metal trim along the top edge was snapped in half with one half still attached, so i filed the sharp edges and used spray adhesive to get it back on. I'm missing a couple of knobs including the tuner but I've managed to tune it with a pair of pliers. It's also missing an antenna, but the stations I do get come in very clear. I know the thing sounds beat, but its actually not in bad condition and I hope to get some pictures up soon.
My dad and I were working on it to get it looking and working well, but in an unexpected and unfortunate turn of events my father passed away two weeks ago. My main concern with the boombox right now is that it does run on AC but it wont run on DC power at all. I put brand new batteries in and there seems to be no power at all. I saw a post about a similar problem with a JVC that had to do with a switch where you would plug the power cord in, but I don't know if the same would apply to the Panasonic and I would like to get as much information as possible seeing as I am a little hesitant to open it up. I really don't want to damage it so it'd be great if I could some information from people more experienced than I. Thank you in advance,

Take a peek at the AC inlet jack. If there is a spring loaded tab that retracts when you plug the cord in, then yes, it has that switch. In fact, with few exceptions, they all have it. Try cleaning that switch (you'll likely have to disassemble the boombox to get enough cleaning fluid in to effect a good cleaning. Also check the contacts. If the battery contacts are in poor shape, then a good battery connection can not be made.