The mechanism was stuck solid on the New G. I was anxious to get it on the bench and find out what the problem might be. I took the side covers, mechanism cover, mirrors, and rear cover off and stashed them in a safe place then pulled the mech and carried it to the bench in the garage. I have two benches. I use the metal topped bench for mech work and try to keep the other one open for smaller projects or jobs. The motor would not turn. It took an hour but I managed to get the motor out. The tough part was getting to the back set screws on the motor couple. Patience is a virtue. So is stubborness.

The turntable or motor couple shaft was the problem. No telling how long this G had sat for the oil to dry and freeze up. This goes through a brass bearing in the bearing bracket assembly or the tower in front of the main gear. Those very rarely freeze up. I removed the tower and started applying a light silicone lubricant while trying to get some up and down movement on the shaft. Once that was accomplished it didn’t take long to get it spinning easily. I reconnected the motor, hooked up the power and ran the mech for a few minutes and started oiling it with my trusty Zoom spout oiler. The clutch was sticky (surprise) so I removed the pinbank and the rack, removed the clutch unit, and went through it cleaning and oiling. Four clutch adjustments later this baby was running pretty smooth. The mech was clean just needed oil badly. The pinbank was laid aside for cleaning at a later time.

This juke was restored in the late 90’s by people who were not jukebox experts. They were cabinet and woodmaking experts. I spotted a lot of little things on the mech that I wanted to improve upon for a first class “tune up” I guess. Or refresh. The original indicator strip and mech cover insert were used and badly yellowed. The stripper plate looked original and was dull as were the brush holders. The top hood over the pop meter was red instead of baby blue. It stuck out worse than the proverbial sore thumb.

I had a clue as to how the mech was painted one day back then when I got one of Bebops cabinets in the shop and saw the newspaper still wrapped around the tonearm for “masking”. There was red overspray everywhere on this mechanism due to just such masking efforts.

The little details are what make or break a restoration. You look at a record clamp and it’s all red may not really register but when you look at one painted and all the nuts and screws have been removed,cleaned, and re-installed the attention to detail makes for a sharper picture in your mind that may not consciously register but does at some level. So, I spent a couple hours with a rag and some thinner wiping off overspray and removing and cleaning screws and nuts and making adjustments. This level of attention to detail satisfies me greatly on doing these jukes.

While on Facebook a week ago I got into a message chat with an old friend, Walt B. who used to run Bebop Music back in the 90’s. We messaged back and forth with him asking about repairs to a 1953 HF100G he had recently got back from a fellow he had sold it to back in the day. He sent several pictures of it. In the midst of our back and forth he mentioned he would be willing to sell it for $1500 as-is. I said “I will take it”. Walt used to be a cabinet maker and his jukebox cabinet work is first class. What immediately caught my eye was the beautiful zebra wood veneer on the box. It also has the custom translucent pilasters with rotating color cylinders. Considering this and the fact it is one of my favorite jukes, this was a no-brainer can’t-let-it-pass decision. We made arrangements to meet today and pick it up.