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Need some help/advice with a Thorens TD-160

EJC1

EJC1

Active Member
I got involved restoring a Thorens TD-160 and hit a snag.
This is US 110v 60hz TT
The TT was damaged by UPS and had a broken motor shaft.
So I look for a motor and all I can find are 50HZ motors.
That's fine I bought a motor, installed it and it was working properly at 40.1RPM
I needed a 60HZ pulley. The one that was on the TT was the type that used c-clip retainers and not the brass type with the side screws. So I can't use the original pulley.
I ordered the Audio Silente 60hz pulley, I was able to remove the c-clips to get the spring from the original pulley.
The pulley works and the speed is at 33.4-5.
But I have no retaining ring on the top of the pulley.
Anyone have any ideas how best I can resolve the situation (without buying another motor)?
 
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superglue?

The press on pulleys don't have any retaining parts on one Thorens I have. Other one is the set screw type with clutch.
 
Blue Shadow said:
superglue?

The press on pulleys don't have any retaining parts on one Thorens I have. Other one is the set screw type with clutch.
Click to expand...
The original had c-clips with a wide center spindle over the shaft. I don't know if it was press on but it does appear to have a clutch with spring inside the pulley.

This can't be reused with the new pulley I need the set-screw type for the Audio Silente pulley. I didn't realize that the 50hz retainer would not fit the 60hz. Silly me.
Any ideas on how to proceed? I'm thinking of checking out Home Depot
tomorrow
 
Blue Shadow said:
superglue?

The press on pulleys don't have any retaining parts on one Thorens I have. Other one is the set screw type with clutch.
Click to expand...

Here's a pic of the original.
Yes the shaft was pressed onto a center spindle, But there was a spring inside and the 2 pieces of the pulley were held together on the spindle by the c-clips.
The new one uses the Set screw retainer and that is what I need for the 60HZ pulley

mHTMlv4.jpg
 
FWIW there's two different types of spindles found on the 16X series motors. The very early ones had a wider diameter hollow spindle and the motor pulley retainer "C" clip held to a slot etched to the very tip of it. The brass lock with the two set screws goes on the later thinner diameter spindles. Audio Silente makes note of this in their custom pulley listing:

xHutnRy.jpg


You're going to need a very small mini shaft collar. I've done a real quick search on the www but haven't found anything that small, although there's more than a few makers and vendors with catalogs to look at... If you put in the time you may get lucky.
 
Simone is a real gentleman. He was always helpful with me.

That glue idea was probably just a misunderstanding of the OP.
Some none clutched pulleys on the 165 are actually glued in place.
It's not that far fetched, but naturally inappropriate for a clutched variant.
 
tnsilver said:
Simone is a real gentleman. He was always helpful with me.

That glue idea was probably just a misunderstanding of the OP.
Some none clutched pulleys on the 165 are actually glued in place.
It's not that far fetched, but naturally inappropriate for a clutched variant.
Click to expand...

I doubt that Dave had a misunderstanding. He/Vinyl Nirvana is very familiar with these turntables and I think was simply trying to save the TT from an act of desperation.
I would never dream of gluing a part that uses mechanical retention.

That said, Simone has the part and I should be all set in a couple of days. As long as I had to pay the FedEx from Italy I decided to upgrade my other TD-160 to his 60hz pulley as well.
 
It wasn't Dave that brought this up - just reacted to it - and the OP is a little unclear. I can see where the superglue idea comes from.

Dang! Simone's good! So, it's all sorted then. Nice!
 
It looks like Simone has it all in order and will ship tomorrow. Brass retainer and new spring will be coming.
I also decided to upgrade my other Thorens 160. I figured that I was already paying the shipping may as well get it all done.

The big news from all of this:
Simone is now working on RESHAFTING THE OLD BROKEN MOTORS. You might find this news useful if you have a motor with a broken shaft.
 
EJC1 said:
Simone is now working on RESHAFTING THE OLD BROKEN MOTORS.
Click to expand...
That is important news. Thanks for sharing. Those thin spindles are prone to accidents and bend easily. So far there hasn't been a remedy for it (at least not an elegant one that I'm aware of) and it's a dead end for many Thorens owners with bum shafts. I didn't see any update on the AS website but I'd be looking forward for more info on this. Simone Lucchetti is responsible for the remake of so many unobtanium Thorens parts that it's amazing on it's own. The fact he makes them to the original specs and very often surpasses them is astonishing.
 
When I was in Thorens build and repair mode recently I stalked the bay aggressively to become acquainted with Thorens motor availability and pricing. There tended to be a couple of used 60hz and a few used 50hz motors available at any given time, but they were often unknown condition, buyer beware items. There were a few NOS motors from a seller in Switzerland (IIRC) but they were pricey. I needed a motor for a build and found a fellow AKer who had one from a TD-165 in his stash.
 
I am lucky in that my machinist is at the present moment the most experienced person in the world at replacing severely bent Thorens motor spindles. Unfortunately, he is semi retired and has no desire to take on more work than what I give him. He has promised me that someday he will let me film him so that the technique can be passed on. I keep asking, but he keeps putting me off. I guess the important point is don't throw awaythe old motor with the bent spindle.Someday it will be usable again.
 
ddarch said:
I am lucky in that my machinist is at the present moment the most experienced person in the world at replacing severely bent Thorens motor spindles. Unfortunately, he is semi retired and has no desire to take on more work than what I give him. He has promised me that someday he will let me film him so that the technique can be passed on. I keep asking, but he keeps putting me off. I guess the important point is don't throw awaythe old motor with the bent spindle.Someday it will be usable again.
Click to expand...

Does he actually replace them or straighten the old one? Does he open up the motor?
 
It is stated as I meant..."replacing severely bent spindles." He has worked really hard at mastering the process, so I don't begrudge him keeping the exact technique close to his vest.
 
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