Zenith MJ-1035 panel scratches--can they be removed?; interlock cords

[Jeffhs]

After quite a bit of work, I finally got my Zenith MJ-1035 operating again--not perfectly yet (still some hum, probably filter caps going bad, and it needs a new dial cord), but it works well enough (gets many stations and would sound absolutely great, if not for that hum) that I don't want to do too much with it under the chassis at the moment. However, I now notice that there is a scratch about an inch or two long on the front panel near the stereo indicator (to the right of it), extending to the dial scale for the volume control, as well as several other light (but noticeable) scratches elsewhere on the panel. Is there any way to remove these scratches, say by buffing them out?

BTW, I also had to replace the AC interlock cord when the original cracked near the point where the cord enters the female connector (the one that fits the interlock pins on the chassis), leaving a potentially dangerous bare spot at that point. I am currently using a cord from an old Sony transistor portable; the cord seems to fit the interlock on the Zenith well enough, but I had to make an external FM antenna (from the center conductor of an old video cable my cat chewed up a couple years ago) because the replacement cord does not have a capacity coupler as did the original, to allow the power cord to act as an FM antenna. Are these interlock cords with the coupling device still available? I am reasonably certain the original cord is beyond repair, due to the location of the crack in the insulation.

Thanks in advance.

[Chad Hauris]

It seems like you may be able to slip the FM antenna coupling device off of the old cord...I have used insulated wire wrapped around the outside of the power cord for several inches and connected that wire to the FM antenna terminal and it seemed to work as well.

[Jeffhs]

Chad -

Thanks for the prompt reply.

I managed to remove the coupling unit from the original line cord of my MJ1035, but am now having the dickens of a time reinstalling the coupler on the replacement cord. The replacement has somewhat thicker insulation than did the original cord, so when I try to fit the coupling unit onto the new cord it just won't go. Goodness knows I tried to put the thing on the cord--tried for about an hour and a half, but no luck. Putting the metal coupler by itself on the cord is no problem, but when I slip the small cardboard insulator into the clip and try to install the latter, no go--the cardboard piece is thick enough to close the opening of the clip so that there is practically no way I can slip the coupler onto the cord. I have since gone back to using an external FM wire antenna, which works well enough in this signal area (local to all Cleveland FM stations, 35-40 miles from most transmitters). The MJ1035 deserves to get as much signal as possible anyway, as it is a very fine set for its age--the fact that it was introduced by Zenith the same year (1961) the FCC authorized stereo FM broadcasting in the U.S. notwithstanding. Stereo FM, like color and digital TV, demands strong, clear signals anyway, so it makes sense to use the best possible antenna on stereo receivers even if you are in a good signal area.

I posted my question about the scratches on the panel of my MJ1035 to the rec.radio+phono Usenet newsgroup the other day and found an answer earlier this evening. Turns out that scratches on a thin metal strip such as is used on the front of the MJ1035 really cannot be removed, so I guess I'll have to live with them; fortunately they aren't visible from a distance.