Nice! Sounds like a fun project! I always wanted a Pioneer turntable (or even receiver) to compliment my Pioneer stereo cabinet. Glad everything turned out good! :)
A few days ago I received a texted photo of an old Pioneer PL-12D turntable that was sent to me by a friend who was out thrift shopping. The thing was dusty and maybe even a bit moldy but otherwise in good shape. Since it was only $19 I told him to pick it up for me and we would make a project out of it. Once he brought it to my house we started cleaning it with a damp cloth and some dish soap. Wow, it really was in excellent shape! Next we disassembled the entire unit and I preceded to clean and oil the motor and platter bearings. After that I installed new foam shock cushions in the plinth springs and sprayed rubber rejuvenator on the rubber motor mount bushings to soften them up. As a final step, I installed an extra Ortofon 2M Red cartridge that I had from a previous turntable and performed a full alignment and arm adjustment. With nervous anticipation I slowly dropped the needle on my favorite Bonnie Raitt album. OMG!!! The beautiful sound that was emitted filled the room to the point that it gave me goose bumps! The project was as Borat would say, "Great Success!"