Busy day. Started with the SMC1. It has needed very little in the way of adjustments. Working from the get-go it has run like it should. I tested cartridges and needles until I found a combination I liked the sound of. I’m using the purple sapphire needles instead of the yellow diamond. I can hear no difference between the two. This juke has reconed bass speakers in it abd it really makes a difference. Best I can say is the bass sounds firm. I’ll usually make three selections at a time while tinkering with the box to check proper selection and play. The only thing that cropped up was the mech moved a hair too far left when picking up 100/200 and tripped while actually past the record rack. A slight adjustment inward of the limit switch ramp solved that. I will continue to select and play several records each day to check the box out. There are still some cosmetics to do to actually consider the SMC1 finished. I have already contacted a fellow who had asked about availability of any jukeboxes informing him of this one. He and his wife will visit in a couple weeks. Plenty of time to wring out any problems.

I got the animation motor gears back from Fred Mlakar. What a guy! I’m so impressed he would repair these for me. I very carefully mounted these on the motor shafts, vacuumed the interior one more time-the juke looked like someone had thrown a purple fuzz bomb in it. Someday I will get all of it out. Mounted the lamps and they performed perfectly and quietly. I dropped a quarter down the coin slot-nothing. In the process of removing the coin chute a veritable flood of coins came through. Pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters. I got a rebate! The coin mech got jammed and kids most likely poured all the coins they could find down it. I have some very interesting “rebate” stories to share some day. I mounted the mechanism and removed the electrical selector for cleaning. It will get a very thorough look what with that burned contact block contact. Something somehwere in the selection system caused that.

I got another cabinet lock set from the “Z Man” Zuddie S. to replace the set with two left side locks he originally sent for the New G. I really needed only the right side as the left side had the #221 keyed correct lock. I tried like hell to get that left lock to work on the right, mostly to make double sure that yes, he had accidentally sent two of the same locks. I installed the right lock in short order with the lever and latch and now have a dome that can be locked from both sides just like Seeburg intended.

A couple days ago I visited my buddy Jeff R to help him tear down a DS160. He wants to keep some parts to use on another DS he’s restoring and gave me the rest. We spent a couple hours separating the box into two piles amd heaved the carcass to the alley curb. I dragged my booty home piling it around and under the Camaro. I dragged the mechanism out today and tore it down the same way into two piles-good stuff and junk and put it all up. I pile all the junk metal pieces, and at times that has included cabinets, at the edge of the alley. There’s always someone coming by searching for scrap metal. I get a warm and fuzzy feeling helping someone out and an even warmer, fuzzier feeling that I have more junk out of my life.

Back to it after a nice vacation seeing friends and family in the Great Northwest. This means getting back on the New G. I have a buyer and it is my priority. I went out to the garage, cranked up the music, and started re-assembling the mechanism. Motor and clutch done. Applied voltage with a jumper cord and watched it run back and forth manually tripping it occasionally to see how she do. It do fine. Installed the rack aligning it to the mech. Took apart and cleaned the contact block installing the replacement contact. Same thing with the selection slide block. I make sure the two lamp sockets have a clean connection and also the copper slider pieces.

The selection indicator channel had been rechromed but the original yellowed number strip was still attached. I guess it went for a ride through the various tanks at the chrome platers. Didn’t hurt it at all from what I can see. But….that strip has to go. This is a delicate undertaking. I do not have the type rivets originally used. I use a split rivet that can be installed by hand. They are 1/8″ and eleven are cused. Once I get the old rivets out and the old strip removed everthing has to be drilled with a 1/8″ bit. The chrome channel piece, the plastic strip, and the metal bar that backs the plastic strip. I move slowly and pay strict attention to what I’m doing. It’s so easy to make a mistake and mar a cosmetic piece.

These split rivets have an attractive head and short legs perhaps 5/16″ long. I’ll insert a couple through all three pieces for an initial fit and slowly work the split legs apart until I can flatten them gently with a hammer and punch. There’s usually a little mis-alignment which calls for more light handed drilling. Once assembled I’ll run it back and forth over the selection indicator slide to make sure there are no hang ups. Once installed on the rack and the pop meter hood in place the mechanism is starting to look pretty good.