Easiest way to take a step back in time is to crack open the top of some old tech gear. Kerry Wong got a Wavetek 1045 RF Power Meter from eBay and cracked it open. It was built in the 80’s. I love how far everything is spaced out and that it looks to be built with serviceability in mind. 

Via: Dangerous Prototypes

“All boards are double sided and components are mounted on a single side only (common practice for through hole components placement). After removing the side panel, each board can be taken out by pulling the two tabs on the board. The two boards that are visible from the top are the control board (A1) and the IEEE interface board (A11).”