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First restoration project, GTE 80E

Started by Stormcrash, June 09, 2019, 09:12:46 PM

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Stormcrash

In my first involved cleanup restoration project I picked up a white GTE Automatic Electric 80E on eBay.  The seller described it as needing a bath or 10 and it was definitely scuzzy looking.  When it arrived it was a little more yellowed than showed in the listing but otherwise in pretty good physical shape, though it definitely saw some good use.  Here's the listing and seller photos

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-GTE-Automatic-Electric-Rotary-Dial-Telephone-off-white-green-front-/264329268903?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=ybxIkcZXG1Y2oRDIewu%252F78FFR1w%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc

Stormcrash

And here's after cleanup.  Date stamp on the bottom is Jun 14 83, since it has a "For retail sales only" sticker I'm guessing this was sold as a Fashion Plate telephone. It has the non adjustable single gong ringer inside.

I used goo gone to remove the sticker residue from the dial, cradle and the round spot on the back.  I gave the shell and caps a good washing with soap and used a toothbrush to get into the cracks.  After that some rubbing alcohol to remove some stubborn marks.  A few spots had discolored, including the receiver cap around the holes.  I used a magic eraser carefully to try and remove that on the handset where the cradle rests. 

There are a few tiny brown spots around the cradle that still don't want to come off, along with the brown on the receiver cap but I think it's probably good enough since the phone is already a bit yellowed.  The finger wheel is a little cracked/chipped but I've decided not to replace it for now as it's still solid and tells the tale of the use this phone must have seen over it's life.  Only thing left is cleaning the cord a little better, first time cleaning a hardwired coil cord, and to put a fake number card on the dial :)

AT2796

Andy

RotarDad

Looks great.  I really like the high-visibility green number plate contrasting with the white plastics.
Paul

HarrySmith

Congrats on your first restoration. Looks great!
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

Pourme

It cleaned up nicely.....Congrats on your first restoration!

Go find the next one!
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

.....

#6
Nice work, looks good.
Soak your handset cord in hot water and oxiclean. It should clean up nicely.

tubaman

That's a really nice colour combination.
A very attractive phone - well done!
:)

Stormcrash

Thanks for all the positive comments guys :)

The green facemat is the one it came with and I don't have any other rotary ones, but I agree the green mat with white shell is a nice combination.  Maybe that's why I picked this phone.  I usually avoid white as it isn't my favorite color and yellows easily, but something about this phone compelled me.  It looked so sad in the pictures, but aside from some minor wear just needed a little care and a good bath to make it look good again.  The mat is a little warped with age but in otherwise good shape. I tried to scan and print a copy of it but the thin paper was wavy and it printed slightly larger.  If anyone knows where I can find some more facemats that would be great.

For the handset cord I've cleaned sticky modular cords in the past by soaking in a container of warm soapy water, being sure to keep the ends out of the water.  The challenge on this one is that it's hardwired and I don't want to have to disconnect it from the base, and don't know how to properly disconnect it from the handset, so I've been trying to clean it in situ.  The last bits of grime are on the inside of and between the coils, so I'll probably just have to do the work of slowly working through all the coils individually.

mazda_matt

I liked this colour combination so much that I recreated my own Type 80 TT.

I spray painted the underside of the clear face plate with Key Lime Pie. I think it turned out pretty good.

Thanks again for the funky idea.

-MM
oldphoneworks.com
1-800-843-1320

Coupon Code - CRF10 (10% off)

19and41

Nice looking phones!  That's a model I hadn't seen many of.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
— Arthur C. Clarke

Stormcrash

Matt, that lime faceplate looks great! I guess we should thank whoever originally owned my 80E for putting the green facemat on it given how much we all seem to like it with the white body.

As an update I ended up finishing cleaning the cord by my usual method of soaking in warm soapy water and rinsing under the tap. I was sure to keep the handset and body away from the water and cleaned the very ends by hand as they couldn't be submerged

Stormcrash

Just thought I'd give an update on my 80E. It's been living on my desk next to my computer for the last couple months and has become one of my favorite phones to have out and use.

I even scored a couple NOS sets of 80E face mats so now I can dress it up, though I still do love the lime green and white combo. Thinking of putting in an orange or harvest gold one for fall :)

Dan/Panther


The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

19and41

I've always liked the AE phones as a change of pace and style from the more common WE phones.  Let us see how it looks in it's other colors.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
— Arthur C. Clarke