Electrolux model "E" through "L" wheel replacement.

[crevicetool]

I had the honor of hosting Toby Glenn at my house this time for a fix 'em up / mini meet. One of the operations was changing out the rear wheels to Toby's model "R". Since this question has come up more than once on the forum, I thought I would do a photo essay on how I do it. I've had great success with this and it almost looks like a factory job. Enjoy, and hope this can help someone out sometime.


Busted wheel....

 

[crevicetool]

I remove the rear housing, and grind off the original "fastening system" which is really a washer being held in place by flared section of the axle.


Sorry for the fuzzy picture......Toby had had eighteen Margaritas by this time!

 

[crevicetool]

I grind off just enough to allow the washer to slip off the shaft.

 

[luxg]

For 18 Margaritas I would say that was a great picture!!! It was fun talking with you guys I know that you must have had a great time!! Glad too that you are showing us how to go about changing out broken wheels. Terry

 

[crevicetool]

Then I drill down inside the axle about 3/8Th's of an inch with a 1/8 inch bit.

 

[crevicetool]

Let's see, where was I before I was so rudely interrupted by Terry? Oh yeah. Then, I replace the wheels with new shiny ones. I prepare an 1/8 inch pop rivet by pulling out the "stinger", apply J B Weld to the newly drilled hole, re-install the washer, and insert the rivet.

 

[crevicetool]

And there you have it. Newly installed wheels that sorta look like original factory installation.

 

[crevicetool]

Then finally reassemble the machine, and while the fit is pretty tight, I like to put some tape around the wheels until the epoxy sets up. Other than that - it's a done deal. You only have to do this to one side of the axle to replace both or just one wheel.

 

[luxg]

So sorry about that but you know me, I just had to jump in there!!LOL You are right, they do look like brand new factory intalled wheels.

 

[crevicetool]

We also repaired all of the wiring of a GE swivel-top that just, well - wore out. We had fun playing with the WestySig. What an interesting machine!

 

[crevicetool]

The "hub cap" on one end of the machine un-clips, exposing the blower port. When the cap is in place, exhaust air is diffused around the perimeter of the 11" wheel! Here it is with the hose attached.

 

[crevicetool]

Then we ate a Lasagna dinner, and spent the rest of the evening looking at old vacuum magazine ads, vacuum manuals, and watched a video Toby had recorded a few years ago. We all enjoyed Toby's visit so much. It was a pleasure.

 

[crevicetool]

As usual, No Terry Lattz's were harmed in the making of this photo-play.






yet.




Thanks Toby!!!

BTW I am one model 200 Filter Queen richer now too!!!

 

[aeoliandave]

Excellent Methodology and Tutorial, as always, Rick. Should I ever have to do that, I'll do it your oh-so-neat way.

So the Westy-Sig is a Roll-Easy 'breadbox' with fins and a luggage bin and wheelie bars out back. very cool machine.

Really want to see more pictures all around and inside the Westy-Sig, Toby.

 

[crevicetool]

Here's a couple more pics of the Westysig.

Bag compartment.

 

[crevicetool]

Fins, luggage bin and wheelie bars! Also loaded with a big block 396 bored & stroked, 12-1 pistons, and a high-rise cam with roller lifters. Four speed crash gear-box, with a short-stroke Husrt shifter, all in back of a explosion proof bell housing.........(huh?)

 

[crevicetool]

An unusual hose coupling. When you pull that slip ring, it retracts a lock. Sorta like an incline within the ring. Works very well.

 

[crevicetool]

It's interesting to note that Toby said his Westinghouse version of this machine HAS a separate blower port. It didn't occur to us tonight that there was a port - so we hunted it down! The machine really has great suction. My garage has those 6' X 8' carpet sections from Home Depot. The rug tool picked the carpets up about eight inches before letting go. Really fun machine.

 

[hoovercelebrity]

Isn't a "Signature" a Montgomery Ward's cleaner, not Westinghouse? ((Although it was probably private labeled by Westinghouse))

 

[crevicetool]

You're so right, Fred.

This is a MW Signature made by Westinghouse. Toby also has a copper-colored Westinghouse version of this machine. I just called it the Westysig. Toby did a thread about the two of them when he found this unit.

http://www.vacuumland.org/TD/THREADS/VINTAGE/7028.htm?13

 

[thevacuumman]

thanks for posting this

 

[trootos]

A huge amount of unnecessary tasks is very annoying, for example, on the history of medicine. There are more interesting things to study in the university. So I have to constantly ask for help from professionals. I have been using one writing agency for some time. Last time, though, the author made some mistakes. And I am in the search of more professional https://www.aussiessay.com essay writers. Can you recommend a decent service for essays and course works? But only if you worked with them. I want to hear real reviews.

 

[luxflairguy]

Trootos!


What are you trying to say?  Do tell us!

 

[electrojes]

Looking for a model L turquoise wheel

My Electrolux Model L has a broken turquoise wheel. I have found ivory wheels as a replacement but I do not like the appearance with the Ivory wheels. Does anyone have a source for me to get at least one turquoise wheel. I have attached a photo. Thank you in advance - Jessica

 

[mjhoshaw]

Re electrojes

Do these wheels break because the vac was dropped? I've seen lots of model Ls but never one with broken rear wheels. Compared to the rear wheels on the model E, they do seem way less robust. Just wondering.


 


Joel


 

 

[electrojes]

Model “L” wheel broke

To my knowledge it has never been dropped. Nt sure how the one wheel broke. All of a sudden it got stuck on the carpet and that is when I noticed the broken wheel.

 

[paul]

Even at that time Electrolux USA occasionally experimented with cheaper materials to lower production costs. I've seen quite a few of those teal wheels cracked and broken having become brittle. The ivory ones, though, seem more durable. The power nozzle wands during the tan Model G era were also known to crack more than others.

 

[jo]

Faster solution on wheels

Following the above directions up to the point of drilling the new hole…my system is the same but then I drill a hole a little smaller than a wide thread sheet metal screw that will fit the shaft. But not too big because you want the screw to grip into the shaft. Then I reassemble the shaft with the one wheel on the one side and on the cut side of the shaft I put that wheel on and then a washer to fit over the shaft, then put the screw into the shaft. This way if the problem happens again, you don’t have to deal with undoing rivets or welds or epoxies. Just unscrew the screw to disassemble!

I have found the older wheels simply cracking due to age. The area just outside the shaft is quite thin and starts to crack and isn’t very noticeable then when you pull the vacuum over a bump or something suddenly the crack gets worse and busts all the way through. It’s an age thing with the plastic of those wheels. Plastic gets brittle over time and most of the ones breaking nowadays are 50 years old. The model E and S which had the slightly smaller black wheels…those seem to have been more durable in fact I recently used the wheels from our S after the motor died to replace the blue ones that broke on my model L as well.

Really tough to find new blue wheels. Electrolux stopped making those wheels in blue by 1966 so any you may find will be aged already even if unused.

Jon

 

[huskyvacs]

I do not know if you can find them so small - but maybe a screw thread tap into the axle shaft? That might be better long term for wheel changing, hopefully you shouldn't need to change them more than once but you never know.

I found the wheels usually bust apart from them being banged and dropped to the floor and thrown around in cluttered attics and garages and basements.