Another very rare bird goes for peanuts

[electrolux~137]

IIRC, the last Atlas on eBay went for some insane crazy amount. Wonder what's up now -- has the saturation level of old vacuum cleaners finally met its peak, or is the in-the-toilet economy discouraging people from frivolous purchases, or ??

I was very surprised by this.



http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380232818513

 

[kirbyotronic]

Charlie...

See my thread...

 

[electrolux~137]

Well, I'm glad to know a collector got it instead of some jerk who wants to use it for vacuuming out his car!

The one in the bottom photo is a different model -- it's not the over-the-top Atlas.

I have one too, but it doesn't have the original hose.

 

[camelotshadow]

glorius vac

 

[electrolux~137]

Hey Christine, good to hear from you!!

 

[camelotshadow]

hi charlie

most of my vacs r gone
donated by necessity to free up space..something we all must face..oh well summer is just slipping by

 

[deliriousdan]

Did anyone notice the nameplate? New Britain was misspelled...

 

[crevicetool]

Dan!!!!

What an amazing eye you have!!! I just checked mine and it's spelled wrong on there too!!!

That is too freakin' funny!!!!

I'll be darned......

Rick

 

[crevicetool]

send it back Alex.....

 

[midcenturymike]

Are these really that rare?

They seem to popping up almost weekly. Is it just coincidence that two should appear in a week? Or are there a lot of these floating around, waiting to be restored?

Michael

 

[electrolux~137]

I've only seen a few of them in my lifetime, so I believe it's quite a rare machine. But Crevicetool would know more about that.

 

[arh1953]

Can't you just see a fleet of those Atlases being used to vacuum the lobby of the Fontanbleau? Mrs. America vacuuming her Mid-Century ranch living room in her ballerina length strapless formal? Oh for fun!!

 

[portable]

Hey!

How come there's no mention in that ad of Landers Frary & Clark or Universal? Very strange.....

 

[crevicetool]

John,

Thanks to Toby - he loaned me his manual for his President tank cleaner - those were built for the State Vacuum companies in the south east. One of which is still in business in Tampa Florida.

I have a Super Chief, identical to the President, which I think was built by LF&C for a department store chain (only guessing here). Doug in Canada has examples of the same line of machines branded under a different name which escapes me at the moment.

In the cases of President and Super Chief, the tag on the bottom of the machine says "motor built by Landers, Frary and Clark. On the bottom of the Atlas, the tag reads "Manufactured by Landers, Frary and Clark. I knew for a while that they built the Atlas for the sewing machine store chain.

In the manuals for any of the above machines, Universal is never mentioned at all, and if the customer requires service or parts - they are merely instructed to see their dealer. In my Universal manuals, the trademark is present almost every other word.

Such as "insert your Universal's hose into the Universal wand with a slight twist and press the switch located on the top of your Universal with a touch of the toe"...

Rick

 

[midcenturymike]

So, what's inside of this big, bulky red bread box of a

Is there any sound deadening motor insulation? Are there exhaust/noise baffles within the case? Or, is it just an empty box with a motor, bag chamber, and an exhaust outlet, similar to a Compact?
It seems odd that they could command that amount of money for a machine whose only differences from the BOL model were cosmetic. (Not that I am trying to talk down these machines. TAIL FINS! What a hot mess!)

Michael

 

[crevicetool]

Michael,

Here's the differences between the Universal Jet99 and the Atlas.
Here's photos of my two examples during the rebuilding...

Jet99 before... It don't look too bad here...

 

[crevicetool]

It was the inside that was a wreck! That first photo never gets big for what ever reason....

This thing was sitting in water. It was still damp when it arrived. But it ran.

 

[crevicetool]

After rebuilding: There is an inner-chamber...

 

[crevicetool]

Then there's an outer cover/motor mount. There is NO insulating blanket, but the exhaust is delivered opposite of the outlet in the first cover. The sound level is about that of an Electrolux Super J. But the motor is a lot bigger, with 5" fans. It pulls about 67 on the Suck-O-Meter. The bottom of the motor is a rubber mount/gasket.

 

[crevicetool]

In this shot you can see the "false bottom" that directs the airflow to the bag chamber. Also shown is the top rubber motor mount.

 

[crevicetool]

Bag chamber attached. Again a little picture. Must have been with my old camera.

 

[crevicetool]

In the Atlas.....

And the Whirlwind (whoops - a name I forgot about) - the motor sits conventionally, and there is duct-work for the inlet to the bag chamber. The gasket at this end is also the motor mount. The rear mount (cheap in my opinion) also prevents the motor from turning. There is a gasket at the top end of the bag chamber where it seats against the bread-box top cover. There is also a gasket between the two halves. NO baffling NO insulating blanket. The entire body is filled with exhaust until it finally exits at the blower port.The machine is quite loud.

 

[crevicetool]

Completed machines: After......Jet99

 

[crevicetool]

And the Atlas.

 

[crevicetool]

This is a picture of me when I was 18 with my 1941 Chevrolet Special Deluxe Sport Sedan after I brought it home.

 

[crevicetool]

yeah I know, what does that have to do with vacuum cleaners...

 

[akabent]

John Denver!!!

Works for me!
RB

 

[midcenturymike]

Wow Rick! Great work on both machines!

and, Thank you for the tutorial and slide show!.

So, as I understand it now, the Jet 99 was better built, more quiet, and less expensive than the Atlas?

That's a great car! Do you still have it?

Michael

 

[electrolux~137]

ALL TOGETHER NOW:


Take me home, country roads
To the place I belong
West Virgina, Mountain Mama
Take me home, country roads