Electrolux 1205

[crevicetool]

Unless I missed it somewhere within the thread, hasn't Electrolux always made their own motors? I've got an Electrolux News magazine announcing the debut of the Super J (Sept. 1975) It goes to great lengths about how they had to re-tool all of production lines to accommodate the manufacture of the larger motor. At great expense too.

Fred - every time I see your trio of blue machines, I have to say WOW!

 

[Real1]

Well, I bought Nathan's 1205 he offered me and another 1205 on ebay. I'm gonna use the best body with the best motor...even if it means swapping parts. The same guy on ebay had a really nice looking turquoise G, but I already have two. Part of me says I can never have enough G's and another part of me say, "You're a chump."

Soon I'll post pics of my meager collection, including the shop vacs and the two Dirt Devils I rebuilt. I've been polishing the metal bits with; Luster Pad Metal Polish. We clean motorcycle chrome exhaust pipes with a product called Blue Job....yeah I know, bad choice of words, but I think it might work great on metal vacuum, non-painted parts..;-)

Nobody understands the addiction of this hobby but you guys.;-) Thanks for being here!

Kevin

 

[Real1]

Crevicetool....I've been told that when the Diamond Jubilee came out, it was the first use of a non in-house motor.

Floor-a-matic....I'm not following you on the hose (two plug-ins)?.....even after going to the link. This however, is one thing I deviate from with traditionalists. I buy the newest hose I can find with the most features. I paid like $80 for the hose I use on the G. Very modern with the pistol grip....I would have even gone with the one that had the on/off switch on the pistol grip if it had been listed for the G.

Those cloth/fabric hoses in time with a lot of use, just fail. I can see collecting them with their original hoses for display, but not for hard use. When I replaced the last cloth/fabric hose, my suction went up about a third I'm guessing.

Kevin

 

[crevicetool]

OH oh, we have yet another one that has a thing for shiny metal. You may want to post pics of your motorcycles too! Nothin' better than getting blinded by the reflection of the sun by a Harley crossing your path. I take my vacuum parts to a motorcycle chrome/polishing shop when I'm restoring one of my machines. I was surprised just how interested they are in these old vacuums.

If you look on reply #19 in that link, floor-a-matic is speaking of that blue hose. The plug from the power nozzle can be inserted in from either the front or rear of that square junction block just above the hose handle.

Interestingly enough, the early 1205's also came with two connectors on the machine itself. The automatic connection through the hose coupling, and an additional one at the bottom of the bag/front cover. This would accommodate a pig-tail type hose. When repairing, that front cover is a nightmare of wires and connections. I don't know if we have ever solved the mystery why Lux did that.

I completely agree with you on hoses. The original hoses were beautiful both the fabric and some of the later saran covered examples. They really put a lot of effort into making them part of the "decor". I think my favorite is the Lux XXX hose in shades of gray, black and white. However I find them stiff, not so easy to use, heavy - and they broke down readily. Take a look at how the weave is splitting and breaking in that same picture(reply#19). Give me a good vinyl hose anytime.

Rick

 

[crevicetool]

Not to get off-topic here, but you gotta get one of these! A Lux model LX. This is a machine I restored. I polished the aluminium, but the side rails and the cordwinder were re-chromed at the bike shop.

 

[crevicetool]

Rear view.

 

[electrolux~137]

 


 


 


<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: medium;">That's a beautiful LX. Was the metal shop able to re-chrome the cord winder without removing the cord? Just wondering how that was done.</span>


 

 

[crevicetool]

Nope. I disassembled the whole unit and took in only the two steel outer halves.

 

[Real1]

Now that's what I'm talking about, metalwise....LOL! That XXX is incredible-you should be proud. I'm just not that interested in models that far back....but I can certainly appreciate those of you that are! I think the G is as far back as I'd like to go, again, very subjective.

Certainly....I have a long way to go on my polishing efforts. Just a matter of elbow grease, but not to exceed the factory luster.

My MC BTW, is not a Harley. I looked at everything made back in '95 and decided on a Suzuki. The fit & finish on comparable Harley's at the time were indifferent-pre Evo motor. It was a good choice; still have the bike and it still 'blinds you' when it goes by;-)

Cervicetool; I went through that whole thread again and understand now about the two plug arrangement, thanks. Like we both agree, give us a modern hose to actually use, anytime!

Kevin

 

[floor-a-matic]

Electrolux LX

Nice Lux LX there. The LX is one of my dream vacs; so are the XXX, AE, 1956 Thrift T & G.

 

[kirbyezee1914]

Dating

Does anyone know how to date these. I just got one, and wanted to know. Thanks!

 

[human]

1205 design changes

Here's what I recall from a thread earlier this year. You should be able to roughly determine your unit's year of manufacture by comparing its features to the list below:

1968--the earliest 1205's have a pigtail connector for the power nozzle below the hose port in addition to electrical connections integrated into the hose port. The earliest examples have the lettering for the control panel lithographed onto a metal plate.
1969-1970--No pigtail connector. The only electrical connector for the power nozzle is the one integrated into the hose port. The front panel around the hose port is the same light teal (color matches the side panels) as the 1968 version. Lettering for the control panel is now molded into the plastic bezel. FWIW, this is the version of the 1205 that I have.
1971--The front panel around the hose port is now a darker teal/jade color to match the control panel above it.
1972--textured metal side panels introduced. This will be a feature of all subsequent Electrolux metal canisters.
1974--1205-J (aka the Golden J) introduced with gaudy gold paint scheme, redesigned control panel and handle.

Others may correct me if I'm off a bit. I won't be offended.

 

[kirbyezee1914]

Thanks!

Do you know how to date the 1401-b's?

 

[human]

The model 1401 was introduced in 1975 as the "Super J". It is slightly longer than the 1205 to accommodate a more powerful motor. Like the "Golden J"(model 1210) introduced the year before, it has a garish gold paint scheme. The 1401b is better known as the "Olympia One". It's basically the same machine as the Super J except for its chocolate brown paint scheme. The Olympia One ran from 1978-1982. Earlier models were identical to the Super J except for the color, while later ones. had thicker rear wheels and an updated handle design like the Silverado, which succeeded it. Silverado model 1505 (1982-1984) featured a gray paint scheme but was otherwise essentially the same machine as its immediate predecessors.

It is interesting to note that the 1205 is the only one of the metal square canister Electrolux vacuums manufactured between 1968 and 1994 that was known only by its model number. All subsequent models--Golden J, Super J, Olympia, Silverado, Diamond Jubilee, Marquise and Grand Marquise--are better known by their names than their numbers.

Information for this post was gleaned from: http://blog.evacuumstore.com/post/2012/06/22/History-of-All-Electrolux-Vacuum-Cleaner-Models.aspx and http://www.1377731.com/lux/luxlall.html

 

[ronni]

Good information, Edgar. Here is some additional information and a few corrections:

1) "Golden J" is a nick. The official name in company literature is simply 'Jubilee'. Its model designation was also 1205, but service manuals tacked on a 'J' for reference purposes.
2) The Olympia Ones, according to Tig21er (John), a longtime friendly Aerus (Electrolux) man since the '60s (having his start with his dad in the '50s), debuted in April 1979; which makes sense since it was closer to the 1980 Winter Olympics which was the reason for its namesake. '1978' must have been given in error at one point and after a while myth became fact. It actually had 3 model designations: 1401 (the same as the Super J except for the main body color); 1401-B (with 2 handles, wider wheels, and fins on the bumpers; and 1505 (short-lived; so named because it had the new Model PN-4A power nozzle with the shorter motor housing for getting under low furniture without scratching the hood).
3) There was a short-lived iteration of the Silverado that had the Olympia One horizontal handle (the Super J's was longer) & a finger grip and thinner wheels(?). These cleaners had the S_A serial affixes and were likely only sold for 6 months--one wonders if they'd found some overstock and decided to use it up.

They were brought back awhile after the introduction of the Diamond Jubilee because of motor problems, so its full run was 1982-85. Some have mentioned that the last ones had a different motor, so perhaps they were field testing the new DJ motors and used the Silverado to keep the DJ from getting the 'black eye' if it failed. Jimmy Martin or others would know for sure.

_____

As for dating the Model 1401-Bs here is a rough timeline for the Olympia One:

Model 1401: 1979 (April-September)
Model 1401-B: 1979-82
Model 1505: 1982

 

[human]

Ronni,
Thanks for the clarification.

 

[djub85]

I've never heard of nor seen a Silverado with skinny wheels. Pics for proof? lol.


 


I've seen Electrolux refurbish various different machines and paint them up to look like a Silverado, but I've never seen a purchased-new Silverado look like you've described. How interesting.


 


 

 

[floor-a-matic]

The 1205 my parents bought has a textured finish, PN1, non-telescoping metal wand with turquoise sheath & electrified hose with curved metal handle. Could it have been a clearance sale before the PN2 came?

 

[djub85]

They probably wound up with extra PN-1s and shipped some textured 1205s with the old PN. That's certainly the exception, not the rule though. I'd say 99.9% of textured 1205s came with the PN-2. Until your post, I would have said 100%. I've never heard of it before.


 


I wonder if your parents could have possibly traded their smooth-body machine for a textured machine for some reason without swapping tools? That seems just as likely.