[R-390] I just HATE it when this happens...

[Mahlon Haunschild]

Hi.  Well...  umm...  OK, here's the story:

Colleague of mine accosts me four/five months ago, asks "You do 
something with R-390s, don't you?"  I cautiously assent that I have been 
known from time to time to dabble in old tube radios, and one of them 
was indeed the R-390A (over the years I've learned not to admit too much 
in such conversations, you see).  Colleague owns up that he has an R-390 
that's been in the attic for ten years, would I be interested in it?  I 
allow as how I wouldn't mind taking a look at it.  What next?  So, he's 
got me thinking about this, and time passes, and I think he's forgotten 
about me, and I meet up with him again, and remind him, and, well, it 
takes him until today to get the receiver to me to take a look at. 
Finally got it home & stripped the covers off of it this evening.

Get this:  it's all Collins, from the '55 contract.  Correct 
silk-screened front panel in nice shape, considering it's almost forty 
years old.  Original Simpson meters.  Interior is surprisingly clean 
except for the crud that filtered through the slots in the top cover 
onto the IF and crystal oscillator decks.  Incredibly, both 
electrolytics test OK on my capacitor checker (they are Spragues, which 
seem to last longer than others I've seen).  Looks like some 
conscientious maintenance activity has applied most of the field 
changes, including replacing the rectifier tubes with s/s rectifiers. 
Dymo tape on top cover (yes, has all three covers) leads me to believe 
that it has the 7/74 HR product detector mod (haven't pulled the IF 
strip yet, so don't know for sure).

Now for the bad news:  the gear train is super-clean, but bone dry.  No 
grease, no oil.  That's bad, because just about every split gear spring 
and the Oldham coupler spring is corroded rotten.  Where can I get some 
of these?  ALso, because of its vintage, it needs a cap kit to replace 
all of the BBsOD.  I can't imagine that they all survived ten years in a 
  Florida attic without some major "life changes", if you know what I mean.

So, the question I'm faced with tonight is:  do I buy it?  As if I need 
another one of these (I've already got two, after all).  MOMMY!  HELP 
ME!  I'M SO CONFUSED!!!!! :)

regards,

Mahlon - K4OQ