[maxhifi]

The turret is the one I'm most worried about, since it's a rubber part whose dimensions are actually critical! I may be able to grind down the idler a little, but I don't own a lathe, so accuracy is going to be a big issue. Years ago I attempted to chuck a Collero idler in my drill press and use a file to resurface it - it was a miserable failure, the drill press had way too much runout to be suitable for that purpose. I'm curious to see what VM can come up with in terms of replacement parts.

I agree with your suggestion to remove the platter when not in use.. I was thinking either that, or install some sort of circuit to turn it on for ten seconds every hour. I could also tie back the turret so it doesn't get a nice imprint of the motor shaft in it like the old one has. I don't think these were built with the intention of lasting 5 years, let alone 60!

As for the cartridge, I've been thinking seriously about rebuilding it. There's plenty of info on the net, and I think it'd be an interesting project in itself - the only issue being that it will still lack vertical motion, making it dangerous for stereo LPs, so replacement with a more modern cartridge is another option I'm looking at.