SuzukiSavage.com /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> The Cafe >> My Winter restoration project... /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1318558120 Message started by Sunchasers on 10/13/11 at 19:08:40

Title: My Winter restoration project... Post by Sunchasers on 10/13/11 at 19:08:40 Finally after 35 years, I now have the space, time and means to start restoration on my 1956 Wurlitzer "Centennial" jukebox!  :D Now if I can only find a "jukebox" forum as great as this one for technical support during the process.  Unfortunately, so far I have not found anything close to this forum.  The couple I have found are pretty lame and not much help.  If anyone here knows of one, please let me know! We are definitely blessed to have such a great group of knowledgeable people here who are willing to help!!  ;) A couple "Before" pics..... http://p1.bikepics.com/2011/10/13/bikepics-2286250-200.jpg http://p1.bikepics.com/2011/10/13/bikepics-2286256-200.jpg http://p1.bikepics.com/2011/10/13/bikepics-2286263-200.jpg http://p1.bikepics.com/2011/10/13/bikepics-2286264-200.jpg http://p1.bikepics.com/2011/10/13/bikepics-2286266-200.jpg http://p1.bikepics.com/2011/10/13/bikepics-2286257-200.jpg http://p1.bikepics.com/2011/10/13/bikepics-2286268-200.jpg

Title: Re: My Winter restoration project... Post by justin_o_guy2 on 10/13/11 at 22:47:32 MIte need a snorkel.. I know I would,, The first step & Id be in over my head. No way would  manage that thing in one winter.

Title: Re: My Winter restoration project... Post by Sunchasers on 10/13/11 at 23:59:19 I don't expect to complete it this winter.  While reproduction parts are available, some items will require tracking down NOS or used orginal parts and that will take time.  It will definitely be a "labor of love" but I have waited 35 years to hear it "sing", so another year or two won't kill me.  ;) This is one of the more desirable models so the effort and cost will be worth it.  One (in worse shape than mine) just recently sold on Ebay for $2800, and restored to original working order they can bring up to $10k or more.  Since I got it for "free" 35 years ago, I really have nothing to loose.

Title: Re: My Winter restoration project... Post by justin_o_guy2 on 10/14/11 at 06:00:58 I watch the restoration guy in Las Vegas sometimes,, I really dig this kind of thing, Seeing an old neglected piece go in & come out looking new is way cool.. Ive done some resto work, but on cars. I did a 64 Ford P/U.. didnt even have all the chrome back on when the boss told me a guy offered him $7,000.00 for it at a red light.. That was back in about 93 I guess,, IDK how in the world there could still be NOS parts around for that thing, but I hope you find what you need.. Good Luck,, Ohh,, & the tube type stuff, to get that kind of stuff fixed up, Id look to a short wave radio repairman, or someone who messes with ham radio, LOts of Hams are transistor now, but people who repair them are usually tube trained & able. Its basically a radio sans Ferris discriminator, & an oscillator or 2, so, all that left is,, its an amplifier, & that tube is a simple little ditty,.tube theory is fun, that & antenna theory were the only 2 classes I liked in electronics school. Cleaning without destroying,, good luck.,.

Title: Re: My Winter restoration project... Post by ratz on 10/14/11 at 06:11:45 Thats look like a fun project! I'm in the middle of a Seeburg "Dicotheque" 1965 model.It's newer and more complete than your Wurlitzer,but all the electro-mechanical systems are giving me a learning curve.Not as bad as the pinball machines I've done though. You probably know this,but be sure to replace the power supply capacitors in the supply and the amp,(on the amp,probably just do a total re-cap!)

Title: Re: My Winter restoration project... Post by babyhog on 10/14/11 at 06:54:15 That is pretty neat!  I love old resto projects too, but definitely not mechanical enough to tackle something like that!   I know there was someone on this forum who restored an old jukebox.  Not sure if it was someone who is still around much though.  Try a search.  I love that we can get into conversations about anything, and someone here knows something about whatever the subject is.   Good luck with your project, and keep us posted on progess!

Title: Re: My Winter restoration project... Post by LostArtist on 10/14/11 at 07:03:18 cool man, good luck!  8-)

Title: Re: My Winter restoration project... Post by arteacher on 10/14/11 at 13:49:26 Most if not all of those tubes should still be good, except maybe the power tubes in the amp. You can still get tubes from high end audio suppliers, and you can still get paper wound caps as well, if you want to spend the money to get it original rather than just working. You may not need as many parts as you think, most of the non functionality is probably dirt. Have fun with it but be careful. As you probably know there are very high voltages in there. :o

Title: Re: My Winter restoration project... Post by Sunchasers on 10/14/11 at 19:05:27 It has always lit up and mechanically functioned with the coin op / selection assemblies seeming to work properly all be it sluggish.  But without tubes and stylus cartridge I do not know how it sounds or if it will even complete a play on a 45. I plan to leave refurbishing of the amplifier and stepper units to the Pro's and have leads on a couple of reputable choices from whom to choose for each - these will be the first two items to receive attention. The fun part (for me) will be restoring the title strip displays back to the original configuration.  Fortunately the page turning motor assemblies are still present, just disconnected.  When I plugged them back into the system, they showed signs of life with some very minimal movement. Will be starting the disassembly this weekend.  :)

Title: Re: My Winter restoration project... Post by justin_o_guy2 on 10/14/11 at 21:20:12 Who do you call the pros?

Title: Re: My Winter restoration project... Post by ratz on 10/15/11 at 10:14:40 If you decide to get tubes and caps,try   tubesandmore.com or  angela.com.  I build and repair tube amps for guitar and can usually find parts at these places.

Title: Re: My Winter restoration project... Post by Sunchasers on 10/16/11 at 11:13:07 Thanks Ratz! A "Pro" would be someone well established in the jukebox world, that repairs/restores amps as a living (not a hobby), and comes recommended by the major jukebox retailers and suppliers.  I do extensive research on these types of services before making any decisions.

Title: Re: My Winter restoration project... Post by justin_o_guy2 on 10/16/11 at 15:35:12 IDK what kinda $$$ difference youre looking at, but Id bet a radio repairman could do just as good a job,, Ive sent one off,,it came back fully recapped & with a few tubes replaced for about 125 bucks,

Title: Re: My Winter restoration project... Post by Sunchasers on 10/17/11 at 09:10:26 The prices I've seen so far are $195 + shipping for refurbishing, recap, tubes, and testing. Spent yesterday tagging/labeling connections and removing amp, stepper, power supply, and coin mech.  The more I dig into the "guts" of this thing, the more I am amazed at how good of shape everything appears to be!  But only time will tell for sure. Found a service label stating the needle cartridge was changed in 1961 with 14,9XX plays recorded.  For me, this confirms the current count shown at 39,6XX since I picked the jukebox up in 1972 from storage and it had been there for a number of years prior.

Title: Re: My Winter restoration project... Post by justin_o_guy2 on 10/17/11 at 09:36:17 For that $$$ Id stay with someone experienced & specializing in juke box fixin..

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