Turntable Bearing wheel for Rockola 1458

[johnlivo]

Hi Gang,

I continue to make progress on the restoration of my 1958 Rockola Jukebox (Model 1458)

My question at this time relates to the turntable. It spins ok, but just ok with a bit of a bump sound every time I spin it with my finger (no power on yet at this point).  When I remove the turntable from it's resting place, I do not find any kind of bearings.  I would assume it should be spinning on some kind of a bearing wheel with four or so ball bearings in it that would allow this turntable to spin smoothly and quietly.

I have done some work on 45 record players and on my RCA player it is called a "Turntable Thrust Bearing".  A small washer looking round disk with five or six small ball bearings in it that the turntable spins on. 

I assume my Rockola turntable also needs something like this? If so, any idea where I can purchase one of these? And what exactly would it be called? 

Thanks in advance!

John in Portland

[Ron Rich]

Hi John,
Nope--look atchyour "Partz Catalog"--ainna used-- the "thump" you hear is maybe a "flat spot" on the idler wheel ?? Ron Rich

[johnlivo]

Morning Rich! Thanks for your response. Not sure, but will wait until my Manual arrives and until I can put on a new idler rubber ring and see what it actually does when the idler is turning the turntable, as I am just spinning it by hand at this point.

Sure hope my manual arrives soon!

I found a guy about two hours from me who has been working on Jukeboxes for about as long as you have. And like you seems to be most schooled on Seeburgs. Says that most of the machines here in Oregon and Washington in the day were mostly all Seeburgs too because that is mainly all that the guy who reigned in this area chose to use.

His name is Frank. Has a real wealth of knowledge of not only the machines, but the history. A little bit of a downer to me though to, but I suppose realistic as he told me all the challenges with a pin bank on a 1958 Rockola, and how speakers only last 15 years, and how mine would probably need to be re-coned, and on and on.

I am still a ways from powering up my machine, but still trying to think positive.

While looking through my machine I was surprised to find an old capacitor even on the little motor that turns the title strip barrel. So, I will replace that one as well. And then while looking at parts for my machine on the webpage of that German Jukebox Parts Company, Stamann Musicboxen I found that there is also a very large can with two big caps in what they call the Standard Credit Units device. I searched around my machine and was able to find that.

Not sure if it is bad or not, but will try to check it with a friend. Lots of little things I am doing, in the end I hope it all makes a difference, and that this machine will come back to life.

One thing that I have no experience at is cleaning and working with switches, and there is a ton of them in this machine. I guess that is an area I will have to grow in, and I am glad that there is a lot of info about them on this site.

Well, thanks for listening and for your support!

Have a great day!
John in Portland, OR

[Ron Rich]

Hi John,
See our FAQ's section on contact points--
I dis-agree with "Frank", on speakers--Unless subjected to out of spec. power, or "fingers", "speakers", seem to last forever ? The dual cap in the pricing unit can be replaced with two single caps. The "small cap" you found on the motor if a "ceramic disc" type should still be fine--if a "paper style", replace it--It's most likely for "noise suppression". Ron Rich

[johnlivo]

Great, thanks for the words of encouragement Ron! Like you, I also thought speakers last forever, and was not even thinking about those.

Yes, I will replace that big capacitor can with two separate caps. The one on the small motor is also a paper style, so will replace all of those.

Good News! My manual finally arrived today. I think that is good news for you also as I can at last use the correct terminology for all these parts that I really didn't know what to call! LOL

Thank you for all your patience and support thus far!

While looking through the Manual, I found two more caps to replace in what is called the "Control Box Assembly"

I am finally feeling like I know my way around this machine some, so a lot less intimidated and uplifted!

So, there is my homework for the next few days. After that I will be checking resistors throughout, and then I think doing some reading on switches in the FAQs section. Thanks for the advice, and good night.

John in Portland, OR

[Startgroove]

In agreement with Rich on the speakers. I've a few machines from the late twenties, and many from the thirties. Never had to re-cone any of those, except if the cone was so badly damaged that it could not be successfully repaired. Re-coning speakers is no longer as inexpensive as it used to be (back in the 70's, I could have a 15" Seeburg Symphonola speaker re-coned for $35). It costs around $70 to re-cone a smaller speaker now. Best to save your speaker if possible.

[Ron Rich]

Hi Russie,
NOTHIN's as "in-expensive as it used to be" ! I remember being a kid, working my first "real (after school) job" in a gas station-- I sold gas as low as 19.9 cents a gallon ! I was making a whole 50 cents, an hour then --- after 3 months, my boss came to me and said "-- I'm not paying you 50 cents an hour from now on'-- at which point my face hit the floor as I thought he was going to cut my pay, or I had been canned--He continued-- "--you're getting a raise to 75 cents an hour--" That, to me, at that time was BIG money !! LOL, Ron Rich

[Startgroove]

Yep, I also remember those rates... In high school, it was not unusual to drive into a Richfield station and say "I'll take a dollars worth of Ethyl". I could cruise Van Nuys Boulevard until midnight on that and have some left over. Before that, my first ever electronic project purchase was a 1N34A detector diode for a crystal radio I was building for a grammar school project, which cost me 7 cents! Ah, to reminisce!!!

[johnlivo]

I don't remember gas being quite as cheap as you guys, but my brother had a Honda 50, that he passed on to me when he bought himself a real motorcycle. I was only about 10 or 11 when I would "break into" my own piggy bank, and using whatever change fell out the bottom use that to fill up my tank on the Honda 50 at the Standard station that was within pushable distance from our house on our way to the trails. We would gas up, then push our bikes across one more big road; on the other side of that road was our playground of open fields, ponds and woods.

[Ron Rich]

I forgot to note-- that 19.9 cents was during a "price war" -- It got down to 17.9 that day, but I was too busy to lower the pump prices between the time I got a call to do so, and about an hour later, when the oil co. called to tell me to raise it back to 19.9. "Normal price", in those days (1958) was 29.9. ( told my boss when he came in--he said "good !" Ron Rich