Other hobbies involving 80s stuff

[Carcenomy]

Since this was rapidly spiralling out of control in SpidersWeb's WTB thread I figured enough's enough and it's time for a more dedicated other 80s hobbies thread.

My other 80s hobby is cars - I'm really into weird 80s sports coupes. So far I've had a 1982 Toyota Corolla notchback coupe that had been converted to TE71 specifications, a 1988 Mazda Capella C2 GT-R coupe (that's a first generation MX6 if it were NZ new) and my long running hobby car of choice, the Pontiac Fiero.

I currently have a pair of them, a 1987 SE V6 coupe, and a 1986 T-top 4-cylinder coupe. The SE is my weekend runabout, while the T-top is something of a very long term restoration project.


The V6. It's also got the personalized plate 'HAXX0R'...


The T-top before it went into the garage for metalwork.

So what other crazy 80s hobbies does everyone else have?

[SpidersWeb]

Epic

Once upon a time I had the Starion's - loved their 80's charm - nothing says 1980 like red leather, big turbo badges, fake bonnet vents, popup lights, and a lap timer built in to the dashboard (well two of them had it). Unfortunately I sold up a while back but still have all the tools - just bought my first house and it has two driveways and a garage - meaning I can park as many old beasts up as I want and work on whatever.

Should be awesome. Also 80's related I've been making my partner sit through too many movies from then.

Starion shot I posted on the other thread:

White - Japanese Starion GSR-II - 2L Turbo Automatic (rare as hens teeth) - no idea what happened to her - grey cloth interior
Red - Starion EX - 2L Turbo Intercooled with limited slip diff and black leather interior - new owner put in a DOHC 4G63
Grey in garage - Japanese Starion GSR-III - 2L Turbo Intercooled my first, ended up being parted out and sold to a guy doing up a Lancer EX rally car - grey cloth with a factory 3 tier stereo system (tape, FM, and 10 band graphic equiliser)
Black - was originally Gold/Maroon - Japanese Starion GSR-X 1982 - 2L Turbo Automatic (converted to manual) with original VELNAS computer system (lap timer through to fuel economy) red leather

[Carcenomy]

Y'know if you ever wanted back into Starions, I have a chum who's got one tucked in a shed, half-way through a DOHC conversion... his is an '82 Japanese GSR-X, also converted to manual. He's also got an AW11 MR2 SC and now he's building a Lotus 7 replica... the poor old Starion is looking abandoned!

[falco]

I have too many vintage hobbies. Apart from classic computers and game consoles, I have a garage full of Minis (6, ranging from 1959 to 1980), two mid-70s Honda Civics, a random selection of 1970s and early 80s TVs, and some vintage stereo gear. Mainly, 70s Pioneer headphones. Strange, I know...

Hmm, I wonder if it'd be possible to find any NZ-made 70s TVs these days. Majestic, Bell, Thorn, Pye all spring to mind. I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting.

[Carcenomy]

You'd think considering how prolific the Pye Vidmatic was there'd be more, but nope - they're increasingly hard to find now.

[arjoll]

I've got a 1970's Pye T29 black and white TV! The guys from Left & Right borrowed it for their music video last year - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR_tgdvHl2c

It's not 80's stuff, but I've had a bad habit of hoarding vintage electronics/audio gear as well - I've restored a 1949 Antone Cadet radio (the predecessor for the Bell Colt) that dad had as a boy, and his first Ferrograph reel to reel recorder. I've got a 1936 Ekco SW86 radio waiting to be restored (my great-great-grandfather's), two more Ferrographs, a Rola 77 and a couple of other junky ones sitting there. Also six Garrard 401 turntables (one missing its platter) and two SME 3009 tonearms - planning to build up two Garrards and the two tonearms on plinths to make working systems - one for dad, one to keep.

In the more modern era I've also got an Akai GX265, Tascam 32 and Tascam BR-20 reel to reel.... and my current system (bought in 'varsity) consists of a Denon PMA360 amp and Infinity Reference 20's which have just been re-foamed, Marantz CD4000 to replace the original Sony which had a weak laser, Teac W525R (was going to buy a better deck but got a girlfriend-fiancé-wife after varsity instead) and cheap 80's Pioneer turntable. There's also a Teac W990RX (dual well, independent decks, dbx) which I drooled about in the 80's and bought for $20 on trademe about 7 years ago, one of the capstan motors is noisy though.

[falco]

That's something I must get around to sorting out, a 1950s reel to reel recorder. Strangely, it's in good working order, apart from both the motors being seized. Well, one turns very slowly, the other is just stuck.

Even when I worked on TVs in the late 80s, Vidmatics were far less common than the CVIs and Philips TVs. Their engineering seemed OK, but they were horribly unreliable, even compared to the CVIs, which seemed to survive for only days at a time. The Philips TVs were far more expensive from what I recall, but they just didn't break down.

[SpidersWeb]

If interested, I found two valve radios at Trash Palace. Haven't seen any vintage TVs for a very long time though - I remember the Pye's and Thorns. We had a 1980's Phillips growing up - it would break down every time the warranty expired like clock work.

Also found a complete Video 7 camera package dated 1980 - original bag and everything - camera sits on your shoulder and someone holds the LCD viewfinder/recorder unit. If someone wants them, I can collect and post (assuming they haven't gone or been broken).

Carc - I'd love me another Starion, but can't quite afford a project just yet, better buy my lotto ticket.

[Carcenomy]

Falco, that's madness! Everyone had Pyes in the family when I was growing up - my parents only replaced their Vidmatic because us kids had all reached the age where we didn't want to get up to change the channel any more!

[falco]

Yeah, by the 80s the Philips TVs weren't so good. Case in point, my KT3. The chassis (late 70s design) is in perfect working order. But the microcontroller-based tack-on used for the touch controls, remote control etc dead.

My recollections of TV reliability are probably skewed - I spent years working on the things, so like many servicepeople, I had (and still have) a very low opinion of the reliability of the gear!

[cjr]

My recollections of TV reliability are probably skewed - I spent years working on the things, so like many servicepeople, I had (and still have) a very low opinion of the reliability of the gear!

yep..

the TX574 was the worst. K9's better (or, at least, easier to fix) - then everything went and got all digital.

[Radar]

Falco - come visit!!!!
I have a nice early B&W Pye (made in Thames) sitting here looking for a new home. - Its the type that has the screw in coffee table like legs.
Worked when it was last fired up.

And if anyone out there is seriously into vintage NZ Electronics/Radios I have a nice run of issues of "Radio and Electrical review"/"Radio Electronics and Communications" Magazine from the 1950s / 1960s free to a good home. It was the NZ trade industy magazine and it's full of advertisements / schematics / news articles etc.
If you were going to write a history of the Electronics industry in NZ this would be a good palce to start.

My own shed is full of 70s/80s crap - Computers/Consoles/Handheld Games/Arcade Machines/Vinyl/Toys/Electronics (Sansui / Technics / Luxman stereo gear etc.)

[tezza]

Yes, I remember Pye TVs. And the famous Phillips K9. Everyone seemed to by buying these (around $1000?) when NZ went colour (around 1974, in time for the Commonwealth games?). $1000 was a lot in 1974!

[Gibsaw]

Well I have another hobby involving 80's... I'm the guitar player for "Club Nerd".

LOL! Good stuff. Love the name and the playlist.

[caluser2000]

I've got 2 '70s era motorcycles and '5 80s era motorcycles. Mostly Hondas with a Suzuki GSX750Ex and Bmw R80 for variety. A 78 CX500 is my daily ride. It's a bit rough around the edges but starts first pop every day.