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I recently came upon a Victrola Colony which looks to be in good condition, however I was unable to lift up the motor board. I am new to Victrolas, but have some experience working on a VV-XIA (broken spring, broken governor, very stuck platter, stuck needle...). The Colony looks like a two piece board, or maybe just the front part is supposed to swing up (like the VV-XI)? I removed the two screws from the main motor board and tried pulling up on the knob/handle in the lower left, but it wouldn't budge. I then removed the 4 screws in the rear board (with tone arm removed), but also no movement. I tried gently sliding a razor along the seams, but it seems the boards are pressed together very tightly towards the middle. The finish looks very clean and does not seem as if it has been refinished. Is it possible the tolerance was too tight and the wood has swollen? Any help on how to lift up the motor would be appreciated. I also tried to access the motor from underneath, but unlike the VV-XIA, there was no access panel from the back of the cabinet. I removed the grill from the front, and removed the screws holding the horn in place (there were screws only on the bottom, left, and right sides - the top side only had two holes) but even the horn seems tightly wedged in with very little clearance.

Is it possible that it has been stored in a damp environment and just needs to sit in a warm house and dry a bit? If you've waited some time and nothing changes I would suggest:

Let the motor run down.
Remove the two screws holding the speed control and set aside the speed control.
Insert a "L" shaped object like an Allen wrench into the hole.
Grab the long portion with vice grips and tap up with a hammer.
If you want to avoid scaring the under side of the motor board wrap the short length in tape.

Be sure to report back with whatever is successful

Jerry Blais

Please forgive a dumb question, but you did completely remove the crank? (That's something I overlooked once when I was trying to pull up the motor board on my VV-4-40, and it took awhile to figure it out. )

After removing the two retaining screws on the motor board, it should simply pull up, using the nickel plated pull knob. If not, I suspect the wood has swelled, as Jerry noted.

OrthoFan

The crank was removed, unfortunately... I let the cabinet air out for about a week now, but the board still seems just as tight, can't get it to move even the slightest.
I was thinking to thread some string through the two screw holes, maybe with a short stick tied on the end to catch it when I lift, but guess that won't work as I'd be pulling on the cabinet instead of just the motor board.
I did notice that the two screws are located further in on the board towards middle whereas other models I've seen have the holes closer to the corners. Might there be a metal rail running along the edge connecting the two parts of the board (I think I saw that on a VV-215 motor being sold)? Do both parts pull up together?

I think my method would have it out in less time than it took to write my suggestion. Stick the short end of a long Allen wrench into the speed control hole. Turn the long end of the wrench vertical. Grab the vertical portion about .25" from the end with vice grips. You should have room to tap up with the side of a hammer. That motor board will come out. You can't hurt a thing by removing the speed control piece. Jerry

A fire wrench will do it for sure... but try Jerry's suggestion first.

I tried an allen key, but with the board's thickness and the hole's tiny size, I'm unable to make the 90 degree turn. I tried the key through the center spindle hole, but being so far from the edges it didn't do much.
With the key's long end wedged into the speed dial hole at an angle, combined with all the force I could muster pulling on the handle, I was able to get the slightest movement. Now the left corner where the handle is located is raised maybe half a millimeter. That board is really wedged or held in there tight.
Might there be an easier way to remove the horn? I can rock the round end where it meets the board up and down ⅛".

OK, how do we attach a one inch section of a nail to something strong enough not to break when the section nail is passed through the hole and the wire or rod or twine is pulled up? Could you wrap a section of nail (several wraps) with a length of flexible copper wire and a few drops of super glue, drop it through the hole, snug the nail to the underside of the motor board and pull up?

I think you create problems when you remove the horn. I am not familiar with the Colony but am assuming the horn has sections and those sections are sealed. You'd have to reseal the horn for best performance. I am just trying to think of an easy way to get that motor board out.

Jerry B.

So this has only two screws holding the motor board in place , so is it a centrally "hinged" motor board which tilts back when lifted as some UK HMV machines ? and if so just get a very large piece of wood at the back of the motor board and smack it hard with a 2 lb hammer to release it works on UK HMV items when stuck

soundgen wrote:So this has only two screws holding the motor board in place , so is it a centrally "hinged" motor board which tilts back when lifted as some UK HMV machines ? and if so just get a very large piece of wood at the back of the motor board and smack it hard with a 2 lb hammer to release it works on UK HMV items when stuck

The motor boards on these machines aren't hinged, the entire assembly just lifts out, so the board and hammer trick wouldn't work here.

Sean