I have a Tasco 10TE-5 that was my first foray into classic world about 10 years ago. It was pretty rough cosmetically and nearly hopeless mechanically. But, it has a pristine and high performance AO objective.
The box is crumbling, the styrofoam is mangled, the eyepieces were mostly missing, and the restored mount is still not great with a lot of irreducible slop in declination and recalcitrant bearings in RA. So it doesn't have much chance of returning to new condition under my watch, as it would with our artists around here.
Last winter I picked up a Sears 6335 in its hain't grey garb, just a beautiful scope and in excellent condition mechanically and cosmetically, with just as nice an objective as the Tasco (it's really the same OTA). I've borrowed a part from the Tasco mount to replace the one missing piece of Sears mount, the altitude standoff gizmo. I also borrowed the trash can lid until I can 3D print a replacement.
SO - since the tube of the Tasco desperately needs a strip and repaint, I'm thinking about chopping off some of the tube and installing a 2" focuser, no so much for eyepieces as to hold rock steady a binoviewer. This will be easy, because the Tasco finder is actually mounted to the focuser, not the tube.
If I do this, will I be kicked out of the classics club? Anyone have any experience with 2" on classic scopes?
-drl
