"...One thing... I had to replace the counter belt on my deck. Now I have a high mechanical aptitude and must say that the amount of screws and parts you need to disassemble in order to get the belt in place is ridiculous. If it ever breaks again, I'm just leaving it broken.
I know this is an old thread, but there may be other 707 owners that visit in the future... I'm in the process of restoring a 707 and have been doing some work on the inside. I decided to replace the counter belt as part of the process. There is an 'easier' way to replace the belt without removing too much. I replaced mine just yesterday and was stumped at first, but then came up with solution.
0) Remove the left tape base and brake strap guard.
1) Luckily the counter spindle pulley itself is open so the belt can slip over from the back. This is the first step. This step can be time-consuming, but this is the end you want to put on first. You should not have to remove any of the counter assembly to do this. It is a bit tricky, but can be done.
2) I was able to guide the belt back behind the counter mechanism from the front using my hand. Once I could see the belt from the back, I then took a long screwdriver, and gently slipped it over the counter pulley from the rear. This did involve my son holding a flashlight as my third hand.
3) Next, from the front of the deck bring the other end of the belt under the right lower side of the brake strap and proceed to stretch it up and around the left tape base between it and brake strap. You will have to stretch the belt a little, but you can work it around the tape base and strap, by having a third hand moving the brake level/mechanism to loosen the strap as you work the belt around the tape base.
4) Once the belt is behind the tape base spindle that last step is putting it into the small pulley. Voila!
Sorry I didn't take any pictures of this process, since both of hands were busy. :) My bad.
I know this is an old thread, but there may be other 707 owners that visit in the future... I'm in the process of restoring a 707 and have been doing some work on the inside. I decided to replace the counter belt as part of the process. There is an 'easier' way to replace the belt without removing too much. I replaced mine just yesterday and was stumped at first, but then came up with solution.
0) Remove the left tape base and brake strap guard.
1) Luckily the counter spindle pulley itself is open so the belt can slip over from the back. This is the first step. This step can be time-consuming, but this is the end you want to put on first. You should not have to remove any of the counter assembly to do this. It is a bit tricky, but can be done.
2) I was able to guide the belt back behind the counter mechanism from the front using my hand. Once I could see the belt from the back, I then took a long screwdriver, and gently slipped it over the counter pulley from the rear. This did involve my son holding a flashlight as my third hand.
3) Next, from the front of the deck bring the other end of the belt under the right lower side of the brake strap and proceed to stretch it up and around the left tape base between it and brake strap. You will have to stretch the belt a little, but you can work it around the tape base and strap, by having a third hand moving the brake level/mechanism to loosen the strap as you work the belt around the tape base.
4) Once the belt is behind the tape base spindle that last step is putting it into the small pulley. Voila!
Sorry I didn't take any pictures of this process, since both of hands were busy. :) My bad.