Did you put the cloth damper on the BD head ? I can`t see that being done at the factory.

No, the felt strips are on both batter and resonant heads.

Wondered that myself.

Really? You don't see that effecting the value?

I'm quite positive these will clean up nicely. I see nothing but surface dirt and fingerprints on the chrome. I'm just afraid it will hurt the originality. Once they've been taken apart, they are no longer Factory Original.

Am I crazy here?:confused:

Absolutely detail them. The value of ware and scratches is genuine, but dirt and dust hold moisture. Clean them well.

Just looked into the felt dampers, All the 67 catalogs have them in the add. They are factory and so is the location of them. Very important to leave them were they are.

Thank you for checking into that. I am very detail oriented (OCD), so that is good to know.

I would leave the lugs on and clean and wax everything.

Creighton

That`s good advise Creighton, we don`t want tool marks on fasteners inside.

That sounds like good advice. I am beginning to think about using paint tape instead of disassembling them to clean. That avoids the tool marks and any misalignment.

Tape each lug off, clean the rims and hardware.

Thanks for the advice!

It sounds like you're in love & if so I see zero harm in removing all hardware and using Simichrome polish on all lugs, tone controls & hoops (I never do much w/ tension rods). It's clear that you'll take great care doing this! It sounds like you don't NEED to do any of this, however.

I do not see any reason to be worried about removing the felt on the BD's & replacing them??? The kit will still be "factory original" which is the same as calling it a "collector kit." (When I looked at the ebay photos they did not look "factory original" to me as they do look like they were played, however infrequently that may have been; FO would be in the boxes and untouched).

If you're not a heavy hitter (like someone else mentioned) by all means play the original heads as NONE will sound as good as these original Rogers.

Take a breath ... and enjoy your treasure!

CHRIS