Lancer 33 driver help

[billiam62]

I am a newbie here. I have a pair of Lancer 33s that belonged to my father. They need a refoam. The drivers do not have any markings on the back as to which version the actually are. The back of the cone has a number printed on it "LE8101." I am assuming that any LE8 refoam kit will work? In looking at the driver, I am a little confused. The dustcap does not appear to be felt because it is too smooth. Could it have been an aluminum cap that was painted at the factory? I am going to attempt to do this without shimming, but I want that option available just in case. I would like to know if I will need to order the aluminum cap or a felt one.

Also, I was contemplating adding a tweeter to this and building myself a different box and crossover. Has this been done before and can someone point me in the direction of a write-up if there is one?

Your help is greatly appreciate

[John W]

Yes, this is definitely a painted LE8.
The dust cap is aluminum. You will probably have a hard time finding a good replacement, so I would try and leave it on if you can.
Do you still have the plastic trim ring that goes along the top of the surround, next to the basket? This will probably be needed to get the new surround securely attached. The lip on these is fairly narrow.

[billiam62]

Yes, this is definitely a painted LE8.
The dust cap is aluminum. You will probably have a hard time finding a good replacement, so I would try and leave it on if you can.
Do you still have the plastic trim ring that goes along the top of the surround, next to the basket? This will probably be needed to get the new surround securely attached. The lip on these is fairly narrow.

It did not come with a plastic trim. I gently pulled (pried and yanked) the grill cover off of the speaker and that is how it appeared. I am almost positive that this has never been opened. I will check the other one. In watching you tube, I did see someone install a plastic trim ring on one that was being refoamed. However, I have not seen anybody advertising one. Do you know where I can get some?

PS - The other driver does not have the plastic trim ring either.

[John W]

No, I'm not sure where you can get this trim.

Are the surrounds cracked, on the edges. From the pictures it is hard to tell. If they are just hard and stiff, you may try loosening them up a little with brake fluid.
Do a search for Lansaloy, Brake fluid treatment.

[billiam62]

No, I'm not sure where you can get this trim.

Are the surrounds cracked, on the edges. From the pictures it is hard to tell. If they are just hard and stiff, you may try loosening them up a little with brake fluid.
Do a search for Lansaloy, Brake fluid treatment.

The driver that I took pictures of is in the best shape. The other driver is definitely showing multiple cracks.

[martin2395]

I would like to suggest to just refoam all the drivers. My experience with treating old Lansaloy surrounds with brake fluid is that they became way too soft and spongy which caused VC rubbing on higher volume levels, due to sagged cone.

I also think that you should try to remove the paint from the dustcap as it will affect the HF extension. The paint on the cone is not a big deal unless it's very thick.

[billiam62]

I would like to suggest to just refoam all the drivers. My experience with treating old Lansaloy surrounds with brake fluid is that they became way too soft and spongy which caused VC rubbing on higher volume levels, due to sagged cone.

I also think that you should try to remove the paint from the dustcap as it will affect the HF extension. The paint on the cone is not a big deal unless it's very thick.

Thank you for the advice on removing the paint. I have been able to get that off pretty well. I would like to ask if anybody has a way to remove the foam surround from the bottom side of the cone?

[Mr. Widget]

I would like to ask if anybody has a way to remove the foam surround from the bottom side of the cone?

Check this out: http://www.audioheritage.org/vbullet...d-Step-by-step


Widget

[SEAWOLF97]

I would like to ask if anybody has a way to remove the foam surround from the bottom side of the cone?

I had the same question for my local refoam/supply company.

They said to grasp the cone edge between thumb and forefinger and rub it
back & forth with the lower finger, thumb holding to minimize movement.
It's always worked for me* .. the foam just crumbles away.


*except on LE14-H1 where gap is too small

[Val]

Check this out: http://www.audioheritage.org/vbullet...d-Step-by-step


Widget

A few years ago I put new surrounds on by following the instructions Widget references. These are great instructions and as long as there isn't other damage (like to the voice coil) it is a pretty straight forward process. The refoam kits I bought all came with instructions, glue and the 30Hz tone CD used for ensuring the cone remains centered while the glue is drying. I was nervous the first time I did it and now it is a pretty fun process.

[billiam62]

I had the same question for my local refoam/supply company.

They said to grasp the cone edge between thumb and forefinger and rub it
back & forth with the lower finger, thumb holding to minimize movement.
It's always worked for me* .. the foam just crumbles away.


*except on LE14-H1 where gap is too small

I found the opposite on the LE8. The foam surround was still quite attached and "stretchy". For the one driver that I have done, it took me probably close to an hour to get the underside foam removed by carefully scraping with an xacto knife, pulling with tweezers, etc. I don't think I would ever want to do this for someone else.