[Sean]

Ben,

When you are talking about AC there is no positive wire and no negative wire. There is the Hot wire and the Neutral wire (the Hot wire can be both positive and negative at times because it is alternating current). I replaced the original power cord with a polarized power cord (a 6' extension cord with the outlet end cut off). This will ensure that the plug is always plugged into an outlet the same way so that the same wire is always connected to the Hot side of the line (as long as the outlet was wired properly). The Hot wire is connected through the fuse to the power switch. The Neutral wire is connected to the lug on the block that is furthest away from the ground terminal. You would need to check if your plug is a polarized type if you want to wire it the same as mine. I would consider the white striped wire to be the neutral wire.

The way you have your diagram makes sense. You are correct that it may not be wired on the same side of the lugs as mine but electrically they are the same.

When I restuff bakelite block caps, I use a heat gun to soften the tar inside. I made a small tool with a dowel rod and some scrap brazing rod (you could use a piece of brass or copper rod also) that is small enough in diameter to fit inside the rivets where the capacitor leads come through to connect to the terminals. I clip or unsolder the capacitor leads from the terminals, heat the capacitor body until the tar softens, then use the tool to push the guts of the capacitor out the back side through the rivets. Do this over a trash can and the guts are easily disposed of. This leaves a pretty clean pocket pocket inside for you to install your new caps. I used to chip the tar out but found it makes more of a mess, takes longer, and there is a risk of cracking the outside of the bakelite block.