Found 1977 Chromaclor II - Should I Get It?

[compucat]

This set has been sitting in a local thrift store for well over a year. It is a 19" table model priced at $23 or so. Sorry I don't have the model number or a picture of it. I have never really looked at it seriously until I read all the posts here praising the quality of Chromacolor sets. I don't know if it works. It has the single knob varactor tuner with channel inserts for UHF that are backlit through a window. The cabinet is in great shape except for the large door that covers the controls. The metal grille has dents in it. It has a slide volume control and Color Sentry button. The antennas are intact and perfectly straight. The set weighs quite a bit and feels built like a tank.

Is this set worth buying? Could I get a replacement for that control door? If I could, the set would be in just about mint condition. I would like to rescue it, but only if I could get it to pristine condition. I have too many sets already and am trying not to acquire a bunch of junk that I may never fix. Do the '77 models have the dreaded four lead cap problem? Will this set have that legendary Chromacolor picture which I hear blows away new sets? Can one still get picture tubes and flybacks for these sets? I am a BIG Zenith fan and I can hardly pass one in the thrift store without wanting to take it home and nurse it back to health. That's how I got this great 1960s 12" B&W portable that I am watching now. It is in pristine condition cosmetically and electronically. Those hand wired chassis were the best ever.

[3Guncolor]

A 77' Zenith will have the safe orange 4 lead cap in the HO. It's very hard to find parts like the control door. Flybacks almost never go bad on those sets but NOS parts are around still. CRT's are hard to find but they are very long lifed in those sets.

I would buy it to for the fun of getting it going again then at the very least save it for parts.

Steve