I started out the day doing cabinet work on the SMC2. Cleaning, vacuuming. I removed the coin return cup and the cash box door frame, sandblasted and painted both brown. That sounds easier than it was. The mechanism mounting rack had to come out to access one screw on the coin cup. It needed cleaning as well as it was quite oily. Getting it out is a wrestling match. Once out I sprayed it down with Oil Eater and rinsed it off leaving it in the inferno we call summer here in Texas to dry. The cabinet finish on this juke is a brown kind of simulated leather look. The parts I painted were originally brown and the new paint will match well with the cabinet.

I picked up where I left off with the SMC2 mechanism by cleaning the clutch pieces, oiling and re-assembling. It is very important on every clutch to remove the rod that goes through the clutch clevis-the thing that actually moves the clutch unit up and down and clean it and its bore well. Seeburg used some kind of wax based oil that over time dried up and left the wax. I’ve seen these stuck so bad it took a hammer and punch to get it out. I also broke a clutch unit doing that. They’re made out of cast aluminum. After that if I can’t get the rod out with gentle persuasion I’ll get my heat gun, heat the area well, and then push it out. This is the new accepted method for me. I learn the hard way but I learn quickly. After installing the clutch I immediately did the four clutch adjustments per the manual. After running the mechanism with a power cord I aligned the rack to the mech and installed the whole thing into the SMC2 cabinet.

Tracy L stopped by with the R mechanism I had done for him a couple months earlier. He mentioned a few problems with it and I was happy to look at it. The plan was for me to do what I could on the bench then put it on the New G to run and test. Showing off the New G, pointing out what I had done here and there, the gawdawful hum decided to come back. I’m glad it did but at the same time was mortified. We were planning on him picking it up Sunday so I was worried, hoping I could figure out this intermittant hum by then.

The Old G has never had a diffuser glass-the piece that goes between the upper lamp and titlestrips and the mechanism. It tidys up the view by obscuring the electrical selector assembly and the rear of the titlestrip holders. I had meant to order one from Victory Glass more than once and had forgotten. I call it bathroom glass since it has that frosted look like all backyard bathroom windows I’ve ever seen. Well, with the New G having one for proper sizing I thought this was an opportunity to get one cut now that I have a go-to glass company. I took the glass to Country Glass and explained what I would like. They call it satin finish. They also called it $60 to have one cut. Too much. I moped on out of there with glass in hand feeling certain I could order one from Victory Glass for much less. I was about half way home when it hit me. I have a sandblaster!!! I could get a clear piece of glass cut and then use the sandblaster to frost it. And that is just what I did. The clear piece of 1/8″ glass cost a cool $20. Took me about 40 minutes to get it “frosted” evenly. I mounted it and am very pleased with myself and the results.

I spent the rest of the morning fully assembling the New G mechanism while listening to records on it. No hum. Side covers, rear cover, and the newly painted pop meter hood. It was a pretty close match to the older Baby Blue but definitely a shade or two “off”. It still looked tremendously better than the red hood. The rear mirrors were installed. Then the stripper plate and mechanism cover. Then both rear doors. Then some polishing and cleaning. Now I have a finished working G.

After lunch I went out to the garage and started re-assembling the SMC2 mech. I’ll take the mech off the base to get to the wheels underneath for inspection and lubrication first. I’ll work my way around the mechanism oiling and working by hand. Anything sticky or jammed or broken gets taken care of. Spent a couple hours doing this. Took the clutch apart but stopped there. Getting too hot.