Next, the '2000 itself.
This rig required a good cleaning both inside and out, a re-paint of the covers and the speaker grille...which was a little challenging without removing the front decal. Knobs were removed and cleaned with soapy water and left to dry while the rest of the radio was being checked out.
The electrical side of things saw all switches and pots get a shot of DeOxIt, then a complete alignment. All checked out - but what about the nasty scratch across the VSWR meter's bezel?
If anyone has to replace a bezel or the movement itself, those meters are Modutec 920048 series - and can be found on Ebay. I just needed the bezel, so I got the cheapest one out there and carefully separated the bezel from the movement with a small X-Acto knife. The OEM meter had its outer edges painted dull black so I masked everything accordingly and shot it with a spray can.
While that was drying I disassembled the radio to get at the old meter. All three function boards (RF, SMO, NB) have to be removed before you can remove the interface board and desolder the old meter. Hint: Take pictures before you dive in.
The X-Acto trick was used again to separate the damaged bezel from the innards, and the new bezel secured in place. Then, back together it all went.
The top and bottom covers were shot with Krylon 8809 Gloss Ivory. A thread on Yahoo's CPI Group listed another Krylon paint (Eggshell White) as a match for the OEM color but none of the stores I visited had the stuff. 8809 matches a slightly faded knob set rather well so the whole radio looks gracefully aged.
To replicate the original finish, spray one tack coat...then a few coverage coats...then a final spatter coat from about 18-24" out. Wait 10-15min between coats for best results.
After the covers were replaced the '2000 was let run for a week or so to verify operation. Works good - sounds good on the air - looks nice too.