Thanks...

If I run out of ideas to fix it, I will probably do that - retrofit with a newer unit - but I want to give it my best effort to be 100% original. It's pretty neat to watch the old thing crackle and come to life after half a minute, makes houseguests "Ooh!" and "Aah!" every time!

When I get the chance to crack it open again, I think I need to ground out the tube, check the flyback unit, and start changing capacitors. Anyone have any clue on what it costs to get all new caps for a project like this? Should I expect to spend $50? $100? $500? What if I just focus on the larger capacitors, starting with the power supply caps and working smaller from there?

I'm still waiting on my repair guide ordered a month ago (?! deadbeat sellers....) from Half.com. I definitely want to read that through before starting back in on this.