Here are some pictures of my RCA 8T243 and 8T244.

The 8T244 has the same chassis as the 8T243 and has been restored.

The 8T244 has the cool doors that slide into the side.

This chassis uses a drive belt for the channel fine tuning. Does anyone have an idea on a good replacement for the belts? I've seen some people use very thick rubber bands as a temporary replacement but I'm looking for something real.

Maybe Antique Electronic Supply has universal belts? Worth a look. I believe they are at: tubesandmore.com

Good luck.
Robert

I know they sell a kit for making a belt, designed especially for Zenith radios. If the width is correct that should work. If you found a rubber belt that was too long you could do the same thing: cut it and join it back together (carefully) with Krazy Glue.

Here is a picture of the belt.

It's about 1/4 inch in width. The original is made of about 3 layers of material.

Any ideas?

Great Northern sells dial belt material for old Zenith Radios.

http://www.gn4radios.com/

Many radio people replace old Zenith belts by cutting an O-ring to the right length and super-gluing the ends together.

Phil Nelson

For the fine tuning belt I contacted someone who suggested MCM Electronics part number 42-435. They said they've used them in the past and they work good.

I ordered some today from MCM.

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/42-435