Pioneer SX-9000

I'm backed up here with posts to do!

Here's the stereo update...

Yes another one...

The newer black box NAD sounded clean,

crisp but kinda boring.

The wife even asked why it was there.

We rarely used the cool remote feature.

Bummer too was the quick fix 

was starting to glitch.

Remember that twisty wire?

The right side would occassionally disappear.

Well during a weekend lunch break,

what pops up but an old pioneer receiver.

I'll jump on anything that'll be in the c-note range!

Within an hour of the sellers posting,

it was already dissected on the table.

The insides were dusty,

and a quick vacuum cleaned things up.

Here's a big bomb drop.

I've officially peaked 

and started slippin down the slope.

There's something called the trombone slide,

that has nothing to do with playing music.

My close-up vision was a little fuzzy,

and leave it to the wifey to get on it.

Maybe too many hours on this little phone...

I'm wearing 1.25 readers right now!

Holey Chit...

I'm hesitant on getting throw-aways,

or a really pimp pair that I'll end up trashing.

Whatever the case having crisp vision again is nice,

especially when fiddling with this little chit.

Ok where were we...

Early Pioneer's used this funky speaker plug.

I tried modifying some spades,

and it worked great,

until I plugged it in.

The receiver sounded like a$$.

The seller said it was his pops',

and had it plugged in.

No way!

This needed the contact cleaner treatment big time.

huffing station

Nothin like a huffin Sunday morning!

Bring the whole family for the fun...

I ended up having to cut those spades off,

to plug the Sansui in temporarily.

Basically wasting the last spade connectors.

That's what I get for not testing it out first.

The new wire fix was easy,

soldering the wire ends flat with fresh solder,

making them more ridgid.

Worked!

1972 Pioneer sx-9000

Here's a quick front view.

Dig the trick little secret door,

and the cabinetry level wood.

That distracts from the simple meter-less display.

All hooked up again after some burn in time,

and the early sound was back.

Definitely not as technical as the NAD,

more of a Bloody Mary morning haze.

Grateful Dead bootleg recordings 

are so much better through 70's solid state!

We tested it for flick night,

watching Star Wars 7,

one of the few movies we've seen on the big screen...

Twice!

Hey what can I say,

other than standin in line for the original

Star Wars was passed to the next generation.

The movie was great,

but the AMC theaters sound system sucked.

We're used to getting knocked out by the explosions 

in our home theatre!

Pioneer SX-9000

For now the 1972 pioneer 

will be in the main position,

until the next one!

TP

cheap seat

Once in a great while I won't finish a project.

In a conversation the other day,

we were talking how it's human nature to not let people down.

There is a breaking point!

This could have been a fun project.

The idea was scratched out,

and it was obvious the guy was clueless how to make it real.

Micromanaged and hovered over every step,

the product seemed never up to his standards.

After getting shortchanged at the midpoint,

my interest slowly fizzled out.

I can handle being the trained monkey,

but give me the candy not the wrapper!

On the plus side,

this little project got me back into fiberglassing!

TP

Hurtlocker Truck - part 239

While laying on my back,

I realized how close and how far 

the Hurtlocker is from road duty.

Little by little key pieces are taking shape.

Stainless brake lines are getting routed.

Patience is the key here.

It's like driving through traffic,

slow and steady,

rushing just causes accidents.

These brake parts are shipped like precious cargo.

Each fitting has it's own box and bag.

That's how they make a $2 part worth $12.

Thanks to tips and suggestions from

my Uncle Steve and Brandon,

no lines were done more than once!

We went through plenty of dish soap to get the windows in.

Success with the rope and soap method,

followed by the Sharpie bead install tool.

So glad this didn't crack.

The front windshield was a little easier.

Next up was covering all the metal work with insulation.

Trimmed glued and taped,

a lot of fitting for a precut kit.

These strips are sound dampeners,

absorbing the resonance on the sheetmetal.

Totally different then last year at this time.

I'll have to do a before and after post later on.

Can't believe I'm seeing carpet and upholstery swatches.

Ken's got some choices to make!

TP

wack-a-mole

The hardest part of chopping a top isn't the metalwork,
it's figuring out all the glass.
Each piece is custom,
and I'm realizing its a slow process.

wack-a-mole aka Jakob

With the help of mole man Jakob,
cardboard templates were cut for each hole...

stool time

...then transferred to some cheap MDF.

window templates

I found a great online supplier of different window seals.
Hopefully this link will work but if not search Rock Auto Parts.
This was the biggest concern with the window installation,
as the original 1940 ford window is pre-molded to the shape.
In addition the front window is modified with the center strip.
One night I found the rubber moulding on ebay,
then cross referenced the Fairchild manufacturer
and they had the cheapest deal.
Hey it's worth the $20 savings!

perfect chopped window rubber moulding

There are a ton of different sizes,
and this had the smallest dimensions.

chopped 1940 ford coupe

Well I'm finding out this is a hassle.
It's not a quick evening project that's for sure.
My templates were way to big.
I think there needs to be mores slop to fit the rubber seal.

chopped 1939/1940 ford rear windows

No problem really,
as I also found out the insides of the window frames need a ton of work.
I'll probably use the scrap plexiglass I've got for the rear windows,
like I did for the green 40,
and pretend to change it out later on.

Later!

TP

justified splurge

Every couple weeks
 I'm able to do a quick early pass thru the friday swap meet.
I consider myself a good scrounger,
with the ability to pass on deals that seem out of my interest.

treasures

So what the heck happened this particular friday?
The only thing I was on the hunt for was one of those wooden clamps,
and somehow all this junk ended up in our yard.
And I thought I was in downsize mode!

$6 score - airco torches + hobie oceanside sunglasses

The first score was a pile of old torch parts.
All I wanted was that green Y splitter,
to use as a backgasser for welding stainless.
When the guy said $5 I was contemplating it,
and then he said "no that's for all that stuff"...
how could I say no!?
Even came with that baby blue manbag in the top photo.
The two mini aircraft torches are AIRCO 9100's,
and way on the top is an early corn cob wartime AIRCO torch.

I had barely stood up when I spied those black glasses.
They looked like some cheesy liquor store homey glasses,
but I recognized the rubber inlay in the arms as Hobies.

How to check polarized glasses

"$1 he said and they're yours"
They were a little dirty,
but they were less scratched then the pair I was wearing.
These should have polarized lenses,
and an easy way to check is to cross the lens with another polarized lens.
They should black each other out.

how to check polarized lens

There goes another buck!
Hobies are my favorite by far,
easy on my eyes.
I wear glasses almost all day even in the house.
These are a bit big but they'll be perfect for thrashing around.

TP self portrait

The biggest money dump was this pile of gloves.
I can make a $5 pair of cheap leather driving gloves
last for months with medium duty welding use,
so I didn't need 13 pair of bitchin Tillman TIG gloves,
and 7 pair of the driving gloves.

glove score

Dang it when he said $45 for the whole pile!
Now I need to figure out 20 - 4 letter 2 word nicknames for each pair.
These should last about 25 years.

junk

Ok so now I blew over $50 on stuff I really didn't need,
and I was down to the last 2 rows.
From a mile away I saw that darned orange vase...

We haven't found one of these since we moved down to San Diego,

and in that time we've broken one of them!

This one was a tall one,

and I was expecting the seller to say $30 or $40.

L.E. Smith Bittersweet swung vase collection

When he said $10 next thing you know
I'm carrying around a baseball bat sized piece of orange glass.
One more for the fridge-top collection!
Get me outta here!

package deal

Rounding the corner to the last row,
I finally spied the only thing that was on my mental list.
One of those wooden clamps.
Of course it had to come in a package deal.
An almost new Dayton porta-power hydraulic pump,
3 quarts of oil - hey a flathead loves oil!
and 2 clamps...
all for $25...
Holey chit there goes $80 for the day.
I had to get outta there!

It took a while to recuperate from that spending spree.

It's not like the money was burning a hole in my pocket.

You know when looking at the pile,

it all together seems like a good deal.

That's cause I didn't tell of some of the things I passed up!

modified portable band saw

So what was so special about that wood clamp?
If you guys remember the band saw story...
perich brothers (and sister): trigger
An easy to use temporary base was needed.
I was prepared to screw one of the jaws to some plywood,
but this soft jaw clamp works perfect just like this.
I may shorten the studs a bit and make it a one trick pony.

Jakob Perich test cutter

The other trick was using a foot switch
from a busted Foredome flex shaft grinder.
The hand trigger was zip-tied down,
and the power cord extended to reach the floor.
If an 11 year old can work this thing than I'm happy.

Macey Perich photobomb

Til next time...

TP