Bell T-337 Reel to Reel Restoration

After a long search, I recently was able to find a Bell TRW reel to reel tape deck that matched my Bell TRW 2420 amplifier and 2421 receiver. This model appears to be a T-337.

Unfortunately, the device was in bad shape and arrived in even worse condition after being dropped on my driveway by the delivery man. I have some serious concerns with the unit, both cosmetic and electrical:

• missing head cover
• missing control cover plate
• missing reel retainers
• missing all tubes
• original capacitors

Not to mention, the dirty, hardened rubber everywhere, the strong smell of what I would presume is a blown selenium rectifier, and bent chassis from the driveway drop.

This is going a long rehabilitation and I will go step by step in a series of blog posts. Typically, I use these posts to track my progress, retain reference photos, and document my understanding of a circuit for my own later reference and maintenance. But, I hope that someone else may find my work useful to restore their own reel to reel player. If you do, please leave a comment. I would love to see your project!