LWB
Well-Known Member
I’ve now made a second set of replacement side panels for my Sansui AU-D11II amps. I took photos through the process in case this is of interest to others with this amp and who may have the tools to do the job.
The side panels on the AU-D11II are particle board clad with plastic wood-grained laminate. The laminate is not as hard as formica, and the particle board is not a very robust material, so these side panels are easy to damage. I have two of these amps. The first I bought as a basket case. It had been dropped, and wet, and the side panels were completely trashed. My second amp was perfect until the ebayer I bought it from shipped it without proper packing protection. Witness the blunted corner in the first photo.
The particle board sides must have been problematic even for Sansui, because the company introduced a late-production re-enforcement bracket for the attachment of the heavy transformer to the side panel (third item from the right in photo 4). These panels must have been failing in shipment, much as this one in my second photo had, even with the new bracket. Basically, the transformer attachment bracket tears out of the ruptured particle board.
For my replacement panels, I obtained oak butcherblock panels and cut them to 382mm x 147mm. I planed mine to 22mm thick, which is a more substantial look than the original Sansui panels.
Removing the attachment brackets from the Sansui side panels is a destructive process. A table saw is handy to cut away a lot of the particle board and makes it easy to get the ABS brackets apart using a chisel. Measure everything; lay out your dimensions on paper and note hole diameters and locations for the cutting and drilling attachment points on the new panels. A drill press is handy, but not essential.
See next post for part 2 and additional photos
The side panels on the AU-D11II are particle board clad with plastic wood-grained laminate. The laminate is not as hard as formica, and the particle board is not a very robust material, so these side panels are easy to damage. I have two of these amps. The first I bought as a basket case. It had been dropped, and wet, and the side panels were completely trashed. My second amp was perfect until the ebayer I bought it from shipped it without proper packing protection. Witness the blunted corner in the first photo.
The particle board sides must have been problematic even for Sansui, because the company introduced a late-production re-enforcement bracket for the attachment of the heavy transformer to the side panel (third item from the right in photo 4). These panels must have been failing in shipment, much as this one in my second photo had, even with the new bracket. Basically, the transformer attachment bracket tears out of the ruptured particle board.
For my replacement panels, I obtained oak butcherblock panels and cut them to 382mm x 147mm. I planed mine to 22mm thick, which is a more substantial look than the original Sansui panels.
Removing the attachment brackets from the Sansui side panels is a destructive process. A table saw is handy to cut away a lot of the particle board and makes it easy to get the ABS brackets apart using a chisel. Measure everything; lay out your dimensions on paper and note hole diameters and locations for the cutting and drilling attachment points on the new panels. A drill press is handy, but not essential.
See next post for part 2 and additional photos
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