busted transport tascam 488 mkII

[lawnmowersongs]

I've got a 488 with some busted gears in the transport, and can't find the relevant parts anywhere. I have a tech who can fix it if I can find the parts, but so far I've had no luck. I've been looking for parts machines that have an intact transport, and I'll probably keep at that, but I've also heard of 488s that have been modified to use a belt transport. Is this worth it? I'd like to keep the original transport but the belt might be a more easily maintainable solution.

If the belt route is best, does anyone know of any techs in Oregon who can do it? The Eugene area would be best, but I could probably get up to Portland too.

Thanks

 

[altruistica]

Are the parts that are busted plastic or metal? If plastic, could you have new ones fabricated from a 3-D printing firm?
Al