Bucket list item added to collection

[rivstg1]

Finally got it! Galaxie Prestige 990( a Royal 888 with different name). I had looked at it at a thrift store, waited till today when it was half off ( chancing it , no doubt, it could have been bought by someone else in the one day interim). It’s very quiet surprisingly . I serviced it ( checked crushed, cleaned commentator , set brushroll height , changed belt,& oiled the ports) as well cleaned and polished it. I always wanted a removable head Royal ( like Kirbys) so this was a great find. It shows 400 watts, is that a 3amp rating? It’s nothing like the Royal 4000 (9amp) I have, but very pleasant to use.
Polishing made quiet the difference !!What ya’ll think? with some real elbow grease and determination , this 1972 model turned out well.

Check out the wild adaptation of the power head plate compared to a Kirby. In using it, I find it more cumbersome to remove/attach than a kirby . The belt lifter needs the ‘hook’ that Kirbys use to better grab the belt. It just has an ‘arm’ and most of the time it catches the belt right in the middle of the belt. That action hastened a belt breakage ( older belt though).

It’s odd though , the valve nipple that is sucked inward when a good ‘seal’ is made with the nozzle to the carpet has not been ‘going in’ much unlike all my other Royals . Is there an possible issue with that belt cover/nipple/seal not working right? I can’t seem to get it to retract much ?

 

[elecroluxmodel1]

Dang...

That is one amazing Royal! You did a good job on the polishing! Do you have any pictures of it before you polished it? I have always wanted an all metal Royal but every time I find one, a local business buys it. In my area, commercial businesses buy these all metal Royals like hotcakes! Have a great day!

 

[lesinutah]

Nice

I know I'm being nice. I have the 990 electro hygiene 990. It's very cool but I dig blue over red. I have an 880 with the same nozzle with belt lifter and front motor housing as your model. I just need to get the clip to hold the top of the nozzle on and it will be a 880 888 hybrid.
Have you seen the yellow version I believe it's the galaxie prestige just like yours.
The seal question Jeff would know.

 

[hygiene903]

Hi Kelton!

As I said in posts on the Facebook groups, congrats on a great find! As for the adjust-o-rite button not going in, there are several variables that could cause it. First is the O-ring on the fan case. Check it to see if it is worn down anywhere or if there might be any gouges in it or chunks missing. Also, the adjust-o-rite could be sticking--check by pushing it in with your finger and making sure it pops back out like it should. If it seems to be sticking you might want to try giving it a shot of WD-40 and see if that helps. A damaged fan could also be a possibility, as a broken blade will cause a loss of suction or airflow. And finally, could be the carpet. There are some types of carpet (shag for example) where the adjust-o-rite just doesn't work quite right.
I know what you mean about the belt lifter too. Wish I had an answer for you there. I've tried bending it slightly but it doesn't seem to help.
Hope this info is helpful.
Jeff

 

[vacmadman]

Nice job Kelton

You did a wonderful job restoring that Royal. It looks fantastic!! I agree with Christian about the before pictures, next time you do a restore take some before pictures as well. That is a vacuum to be proud of, and I would love to find one for my collection. Pictured is my Easy Clean from around 1980 made by Royal.

 

[watsonw]

Lovely machine

....lovely job you have done, if only we had these over here!!


Regards, Walter, West Midlands, England. UK.

 

[rivstg1]

@electroluxmodel1. Surprisingly, I forgot to take before pics@!#/%!!!!

Jeff the adjust-to-rite does push in & pops back out easily. In'm sure its not the carpet as my other Royals react nicely there too. The fan blades loo unblemished but the rubber seal is rather flat... Barely a ridge when running ones finger over it. Is that seal a common one for Royals? None of my other ones have ever needed a new one

@ vacmadman. Your kind, but the front of the nozzle is oddly hazy or something, gonna have to go at with my bench polisher I suspect. Is never seen an Easyclean derivative of Royals before yours!!

@Watson. Your unfortunately missing out! Heehee. I dig aluminum bodied old Macs like this and others ( VacMadman has lots!)

@Les. I like the red ones too bit I've never seen a yellow trimmed one!! :-O

 

[madman]

400w / 120v = 3.33A

You did a great job on it. Looks like new.

 

[hygiene903]

Kelton,

Did a little checking in an old parts book from 2007, and it shows a nozzle sealing gasket used in all metal uprights with a part #1285427000. Unfortunately, since Royal has been taken over by TTI and the metal uprights have been discontinued, I'm not sure if it would be readily available at a Royal dealer, but since it is basically an O-ring, I'm thinking you might be able to get one at a local hardware or auto parts store. Vac Parts Plus, an online store run by the Henry Co., used to be a good source for Royal parts, but haven't dealt with them in quite a while. They also used to have an ebay store, think it was called Henry's Vintage Vac Parts, but I believe they shut down the ebay store.
Hope this is helpful.
Jeff

 

[rivstg1]

Jeff

thanks for that info and doing the digging !!! I'll look into it and show to my ex Kirby and vac technician friend who is amazingly resourceful from 40years in the field for this! I will report back too.

I'm a Royal fan for sure....this one is extra special so I want it working properly.

 

[lesinutah]

Call

The henry vacuum store. I would bet my bottom dollar they have the part.
Be careful with the red tab on the lifter it's prone to break.
Royals are very easy to polish up. I polished up 4 and sold 2 and have 2 left. I have an 8.0 amp 18 inch royal from mid 1990s. I got a parts machine 562, omega and royal for $10.
It's got a grey bag a little oxidized but everything is in great condition. It sounds sweet.
I'd post pics and a video but there lost in the cloud.
Still nice vacuums.