Hi Tallhair. I took the face off and cleaned up the window and it came up allright. Radio works but the tape player wasn't when I got it. I put on a new belt and cleaned it up a bit inside and that got it working again. Only problem is I can't seem to adjust the play speed. At the moment it sounds like the chipmunks on speed. :laughing9: Trying to find someone local who knows something about these things and isn't too bad on price. Unless you know of an adjustment inside somewhere?
I was gonna paint them but they're not engraved lettering. Probably originally done with a stencil. Since my hands not that steady, I went with the lettering decals from Performance Car Graphics. Don't know if they'll last but they look ok at the moment. I painted the lettering on the brake handle, but that was easy because it was engraved. I could fill the groove up with the paint brush and wipe the excess off the surface without having to worry about wiping away the actual lettering. :VB toast:
Monroe, there're several things you can do to clean that pinch roller in your 8 track.... try cleaning it with alcohol first, then with lighter fluid (Naphtha). If that doesn't work, they used to make a platen cleaner for typewriters (IF you can find it nowadays, it was for cleaning the big rubber roller that moved the paper and the two rollers on the hold down bar) If none of these work, your last best bet would be to use lacquer thinner. Lacquer thinner will clean, soften and swell the roller, but the swelling will go down after a day or two. I use it quite a bit for weatherstripping that is otherwise in good shape, but has paint on it or is too stiff to use until it's cleaned up.
Looking better and better every day
