Pioneer SX1980 - you wont believe this.

Riding my bike home yesterday a few blocks from my home and I see this house being gut renovated with a bunch of guys carting out loads of rubble using buckets to a truck waiting outside. As a foot step to get up into the truck they are stepping an old old receiver they must have found in the house. Although at this stage I could not make out the make of model but I could see it was a genuine "monster" so of course I rushed over. Excitedly but not too much in case I tipped them off to the value of their "foot-step" I asked one of them if I could have it and he said no - it was a good foot step. I offered him $20 and looking confused as to why someone wanted this filthy thing, he took the money and even helped me move it.
I then balanced it on the bars of my bike (which was not easy) and wheeled it home - not easy with an 80lb unit.
As you can see though it's pretty rough but thankfully it looks like it was never dropped. The front panel is the main issue and it look like it was used as a backdrop to a spray paint exercise so I'm not sure how to remove the black paint. The glass is also broken but and quite a few knobs missing bu this can be replaced. The case is rough but I've re-veneered a few SX's so this will be fine as will be the grill and heat sinks with a coat of paint. And this is even before try to see if it functions (which I assume it does not).

 

Another pic.

 

Hate to say it, but unless the inside looks a lot better than the outside I don't know if that one's coming back. Maybe you can get a couple good boards out of it?

 

I’ll be watching this thread closely as progress develops. It’s possible this could turn out to be quite the find. It’s amazing how much beauty can be hidden by dirt and other crud. Take your time and work up a plan.

 

IMO, it was WELL worth the $20 and the balancing act.

I like a challenge. The glass is a $20 item at any shop worth its rent. You could sink a LOT into this unit before going upside-down.

Depending upon the type of paint/overspray, it might be cleaned up with the proper solvent. I would not touch the face plate, but experiment on one of the knobs. Begin with the least aggressive solvent, such as mineral spirits, and allow at least 30 minutes to soften the paint. It would be less likely to damage the labels on the face plate. If mineral spirits/turpentine is sufficient to soften and remove the paint, you'll be lucky. Whatever you do, DO NOT use any abrasive to remove the paint, including things like ScotchBrite or Magic Eraser pads. They are very likely to damage the anodized finish.

If mineral spirits will not soften the paint, move on to enamel reducer and try again, allowing at least 30 minutes to see if the paint softens.

Then progress to lacquer thinner. Failing that, try methyl-ethyl ketone (MEK), which is likely to damage the faceplate labels.

If nothing else, you easily have ten times your investment in parts alone. A single good heat sink, dirty or not, can go for $150+.

 

The rare black face model.



Good luck with the resto.

 

Regardless of the eventual outcome, you've got a hell of a lot more than $20 worth of salvageable parts there

I hate to part stuff out as much as the next guy, but sometimes you've got to let them go to someone else that needs the parts.

 

If you manged this feat, restoration is a cinch I had to sych myself, huff and puff, just to get it up the basement stairs. I did learn to carry them with the back against your body.
Looks like no broken shafts which is good. Good luck with what you end up doing with it.

 

There's a lot of talk in the News about
"Black face" these days

 

That just a Crying Ficken Shame!!

Some people
Just Disturbing

 

Let's see the inside.

 

A little DeOxit and she'll be right as rain.

 

That would be "mint condition" on Craigslist.
However the black face suggestion might be worth considering if you can't get it cleaned up

 

That’s what I keep on saying about these short sighted subjective people that continually buy vintage equipment then use it until it burns up. Sometimes.....I wish stereo equipment had never come back popular again, at this rate most vintage equipment will be gone in ten years due to these selfish people. Like who pays hundreds of dollars on something and just lets the money go up in smoke. For a person not to consider the age of the equipment and not to consider the reduced longevity must indicate a lack of cognitive development. Anyone that thinks that original untouched equipment should last forever because of how great it is does not understand or does not want to be bothered learning to use a multimeter and check the values of each internal component. But that is what comes with corporate consumerism....entitlement !!! If a person buys a stock original 1965 GTO they are always popping the hood checking to see if everything is right before driving down the road. But I do think there is a basic problem with many comprehending the method of evaluating many things in life....

 

Post pictures of the innards when you can. Someone should be horsewhipped for allowing that receiver to be abused like that.

 

I cleaned it up a bit (it was filled with gravel -probably from the shoes of the workers as stood on it) but it does not look too bad inside. I think the black spray paint is the worst issue - it's quite thick. But it looks like the front panel lettering around the twist knobs is engraved. Is this so? That means I could use paint thinners to clean it all off? And does the burn marks on the pwr supply board look unusual - I hear these units run hot.

 

Pioneer SX-1280 Dial Panel Assembly & Blind Sash AAG-148
$28.99 on the bay now

 

Pioneer SX-1280 Stereo Receiver Original Face Plate
$48.99 on ebay
no affiliation

 

for about a hundo you can cosmetically be fine and just hope that she's fine electrically.

 

Unfortunately the 1280 has a smaller face plate and dial panel than the 1980 :-( You had me all excited there for a moment...