Ok, I'll be brave. I'm the person who did the bulk of the work on this Predicta, so feel free to rip into me if you feel the need, but hear me out, before you do.

First, I did not find this set during some miraculous time travel...in pristine shape, with low hours, fully operational...no, the thing was old and filthy and mildly battered, hadn't worked in decades, and was in need of a great deal of TLC. In case it isn't completely obvious, I gave it that. The cabinet was lovingly restored. The mouse turds were removed from the interior. I spent more time with a Q-tip and tiny brushes and a dental pick than I care to remember. The knobs were painstakingly cleaned, as were the filthy areas of the blonde wood finish surrounding them. The paintwork was carefully redone. The head unit was carefully cleaned and polished. Aesthetically, the set is worlds better off than it was a couple of months ago. I think you're making some pretty faulty assumptions about what it was like when I got it, based on how it looks now.

Let me ask you...if I stumble across a '57 Chevy, up on blocks, that hasn't run in 10 years, what am I to do? The motor is siezed, and I don't know if it's been bored before, but the numbers match. The body is rusted out in spots, and rodents have made the interior their home for longer than the thing was ever driven. Am I obligated to return it to dead stock? Where do you draw the line? Can I use brake pads that aren't asbestos? Is it Ok to put modern rubber compounds into the components that would benefit? Are folks who put modern mechanicals into classic cars guilty of defiling them? Can I powdercoat things? Can I use Imron paint? Can I install seat belts? It's a slippery slope. I know. I love old machines with every ounce of my being, and I'm not sure I know how to answer questions like these.

This Predicta was that '57 Chevy. It's not like Philco only built 10 of them. It's not like this was the best remaining example. No destruction was involved. It was a beat-up old set that I lovingly brought back to life. Not the life that you might've wished for it, but it's a proud, incredible object again.

I do worry about inspiring other people to use too many of these classic sets for novel purposes. I agree that it would be a shame if that were to happen, and *particularly* if it's done poorly. I *did* take considerable care to do as few things as possible to this set which couldn't be reversed. I saved all of the components (even though the Predicta showed no signs of life when I got it, they may be useful spares for later, or for somebody else). I love these sets, and I'll be bringing another one back to full standard operational glory one of these days.

Ok...have at it...tell me there are no parallels between automobiles and consumer electronics...tell me that the only valid thing to do with an old machine is to take it back to original factory condition...ignore technical service bulletins that fixed Philco's engineering errors...set aside all modern materials...use only period instruments while testing components (where is there a drug store with a tube tester?)...fear the Russians...pretend it's 1958...Duck and Cover!

In automobiles, the place for the purist is the Concours de Elegance, where cars lose points if a fastener shows signs of having ever encountered a wrench. There are also Hot-Rod shows, where the machines are obviously well-loved, too. Is one set of enthusiasts more right than the other?

I honestly don't know.

Scott