[Boatanchors] SX-71 Restoration (Tip of the Day)

[L L bahr]

I am about to restore my newly acquired SX-71, so I analyzed my SX-71 project today while waiting for all my resistors and capacitors to show up at the doorstep .  I took it out of the cabinet.  WARNING:  You can't lay this thing upside down without risking breaking off IF  transformer slugs!  You need to build a wood jig to hold the chassis upside down while working on the guts of the radio.  My jig will be 3/4 inch plywood a couple inches wider then the receiver width.  There will be a 1x2 across the front top of the jig.  This is the rail to keep the radio from sliding.  There will be a piece of plywood cut the width of the bottom board and around 10 inches tall or so to clear all the slugs by holding the radio so it does not "bottom out.".  This will be mounted vertical at the rear of the bottom board.  There will be a triangle of wood mounted on each end of this vertical board to keep the vertical rear board steadfast. (The receiver has around 3/4 inch of chassis clear and open across the entire rear of the chassis except for around 1 inch which occupies the bolt which holds the rear of the main tuning capacitor.  Thus the rear vertical board needs a 1 inch slot cut out of it to clear the bolt holding the variable capacitor. 

I am sure this situation is true with a lot of boat anchors.  Don't make the mistake  of taking short cuts and ignoring building a jig to protect your radio while working on the underside while it is upside down!  

Lee, w0vt