Not sure about the AR-2 speakers, but I assume they are very similar to the AR-2ax speakers, which I have. The bad news is that you will almost certainly have to do some work on them. The good news is that it isn't really all that difficult, and the results make it more than worth doing.
Basically:
(1) Remove the grills. This has to be done carefully, first pulling out any staples and/or nails/screws you find (usually staples). Then, using a wide thing like a paint scraper, gently pry and lift around the edges. Don't force it or you'll break things; just go gently until the glue loosens up and the grills come free. They will, if you are patient and keep working at it, and have taken all the staples out.
(2) You will need to remove the woofers to get access to the inside where the crossover is (mounted on the back wall of the box).
(3) BEWARE! The "rock wool" or fiberglass stuff used as dampening inside these speakers will cause horrible itching if you get it on your skin. Wear protective gloves (regular rubber kitchen gloves should do, but heavier ones might be better) and don't have exposed skin. Carefully lift out the wool stuff and put it in a big plastic bag. It's probably best to throw it out, and replace it with some less obnoxious stuff, like dacron pillow stuffing.
(4) Once you have that out, you can remove the crossover. You don't have to, but it is much easier to work on it if it is removed first. If you decide to remove it, you should need to de-solder a few wires to get it out; take a picture and mark (using taped-on labels) which ones go where, so you can re-solder them correctly. The crossover will come out through the hole where the woofer was.
(5) You will need to replace the capacitor. There should be (if I remember right) only one capacitor. Solen makes an excellent replacement.
(6) Here is the tricky part: there is a rotary control for the tweeter, which is almost always corroded, due to a chemical reaction involving the two dissimilar metals, accelerated by the sulfurous fumes given off by the rock wool stuff. This needs to be cleaned. A dremel tool works best for this. Here you have several options: clean it up, and if it isn't corroded beyond redemption, leave it in. It will probably gradually corrode up again. Or you can solder the wire at the end ("full") position and leave it that way, no longer adjustable. Or you can replace it with a modern L-pad. Or you can take it out completely, replacing it with a resistor. Search under "AR-2" and "AR-2ax" and you'll find threads with detailed discussions of these options, and lots of pics and how-to explanations with more detail than I'm giving here. Once you have the crossover fixed up, replace it, using something like silicon caulk or rope caulk to make it air-tight, and wire everything back up.
(7) The woofer surrounds on these should be made out of coated cloth, not foam. They will last almost forever with occasional re-doping, but after time the coating weakens, dries,hardens and shrinks, and becomes porous. There are several things that can be used to re-dope them, including diluted silicon caulk and even Elmer's Glue-All; again, search (as mentioned above) and you'll find discussions of the pros and cons of each of the alternatives you can use.
(8) Re-mount the woofer, using something like rope caulk (duct caulk) to make the seal between the basket and the front baffle air-tight. It is important that no air can escape from the box behind the woofers; not from around the woofer, nor around the crossover board, nor through the woofer surround cloth, nor anywhere else.
(9) The last part is entirely up to you: re-do the cabinets cosmetically, using something like Howard's Restore-a-Finish or repeated coats of rubbed Tung Oil. Similarly, clean or re-cover the cloth grills.
It sounds like a lot of work the way I describe it, but if you read up on it first, actually doing it seems a lot easier than you'd expect. It's a nice project for a couple hours on a weekend, and the rewards afterwards are well worth it. These early AR speakers really sound nice!
:thmbsp:
Be sure to read up on these using the search function here, and do search both the 2 and 2ax models to get all the info/suggestions. Just follow the suggestions, and once you've done one, you'll wonder why you ever thought it would be such a chore. It isn't, really; anyone can do it. Good luck! :thmbsp:
. havent had the time to look thru all of em yet. one box set of jackie gleason never been opened. whoo hooo. i remember seeing some amps sitting around when i was little but havent found them yet. i am not familiar with the ar2's so what do i need to watch for. they have a date of May 1960 in pencil on the back. do i need to refoam these or did they use cloth surrounds? i really hate to open the case up if i don't have to. which terminal denotes the "red" wire side and which terminal denotes the "black" wire side. and which reciever would be better to power them until i find the amps? my kenwood kr-9600 or 2600?. i know he had several garrard model 210 tt's as one is still at the store. are these 210's worth cleaning up and using or will they cause more problems than their worth? woooohooooo!! 
