Elac Turntable

We don't repair turntables, but this one's mine, and since it's an Elac from West Germany, I figure it belongs on this blog.


Last week, halfway through my GTB album, the Elac stopped making noise. I traced the fault to a cracked solder point where the cartridge meets the tone arm. I don't have a solder gun at home (oh the shame!) so I heated a jewelers flathead screwdriver on the stove element and soldered with that. Worked like a charm.

I had to remove the tone arm. That little beauty is supported by the teenyest bearings I've ever seen!


Just look at that! They're just wee!


There you can see a tiny preload lock for a tiny preload screw, for tiny preload-able tone arm bearings.

This is what a turntable made in Germany in the 1960's looks like from underneath.

After putting it all back together, the sound was back. The first album played on the repaired Elac? Air Supply.

Shhhh...don't tell anyone.

I'm lying alone with my head on the phone
Thinking of you till it hurts
I know you hurt too but what else can we do
Tormented and torn apart
I wish I could carry your smile and my heart
For times when my life feels so low
It would make me believe what tomorrow could bring
When today doesn't really know, doesn't really know


Chorus:
I 'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you
I know you were right believing for so long
I 'm all out of love, what am I without you
I can't be too late to say that I was so wrong


I want you to come back and carry me home
Away from this long lonely nights
I'm reaching for you, are you feeling it too
Does the feeling seem oh so right
And what would you say if I called on you now
And said that I can't hold on
There's no easy way, it gets harder each day
Please love me or I'll be gone, I'll be gone


Chorus


Oh, what are you thinking of?
What are you thinking of?
Oh, what are you thinking of?
What are you thinking of?


Chorus(3x)

Parade

We weren't on the parade route, but we close enough for a nice walk. Erich's kids and a whole bunch of their cousins came by, ate some dogs (yep-still got some), and walked/strollered to the parade.

I took some pics of the kids. I either need more practice or a faster camera. They're quick!

Success?

If we sponsored a balloon it would be a bit like this. Instead of a SoCal hot rod, we'd go for a salt flat Karman Ghia, a Killer B Audi, or a '70s Mercedes limo with a wet bar and bulletproof glass...you know, something REALLY cool for the kids.

Not a fan?

A fan.

Hotdog lunch.

Joe brings a sandwich and a sausage. Erich usually has left overs, and I sometimes have PB&J. Lots of times we buy food in the neighbourhood.

This week, we're eating hotdogs. Everyday, all day. All these hotdogs were left after the car wash. We can't get enough of them. Steaming em' in the rice cooker!

Joe brought sauerkraut for the dogs. So good.

Upstairs

Used to be that you could stock pretty much every part you needed to get through a tune-up on a Beetle or a brake job on a 220d. Plugs, points, filters, common gaskets, even some rod bearings.

Now we don't stock much because we can order a part and it'll be here in an hour. Even so, it sure would be nice to be able to walk upstairs and get what you need.

Some day we'll clean out our stock room and sell the old parts on Ebay. No time soon though.


Type II throttle cables are long, and they broke. We were ready.

Wheel bearings and what not.

Some treasure in there. Random Mercedes stuff.

A double ended grinding paste container. Just look at that! Hand drawn logo, one off font. Gorgeous is in the eye of the beholder, but really: take another look.

Start with coarse,

finish with fine.

We miss valve jobs.

Car Wash: A Fundraiser for Pediatric Cancer Research

We washed a whole lot of cars on Saturday. Bikes too. Hot dogs for the kids. A good cause on a nice day, so thanks for coming.

Thanks TR Trades, for the Banner.

Corky brought the Arsenal.

It's not every day the BC road champion washes your bike.

The better half.

Future mechanics.