And now here are some "after" pictures!
Overall, I'm pretty happy with how it came out. There are still some scratches on the hood, and some paint missing on the base, but that's to be expected after 70+ years of existence.
The brush roll only had a few areas that needed rebristled, so I just rebristled those (with white horse hair...the only kind I had at the time).
The bag is from my bag pile that's been waiting for a vacuum, and the cord is from some cheap plastic vacuum that was in a dumpster at my school. No frays, and it works well!
The most challenging part of this was that lower ball bearing; I can't imagine why they thought it was a good idea to have it like that, but I suppose it made it easy for the repairmen to swap them out quickly. Anyway, I cut that open with a grinder so I could get to the bearing, clean it out, repack it, and add some white lithium grease. Now it spins freely just like it should!
One additional comment I have about this vacuum is that the wheels feel incredible. I'm thoroughly impressed with how well they spin, that they have their own metal (brass?) sleeve bearings, and how smooth they are. I haven't worked on near as many vacuums as some of you here, but I think the Hoover 28's wheels are, by far, my favorite so far.
The "final" touch was to install one of my 3D-printed Hoover bag adapters with a hepa F&G bag.
Basically, the entire thing was disassembled and cleaned, and put back together, and now it works great. I gotta admit, I'm really pleased with how this vacuum performs; it has a lot of suction, too! I can see why this is considered a "must have" for Hoover enthusiasts.
The last things this cleaner needs are new front screws, which I may be able to find at my local hardware store, and a bag spring, which I also may find there as well.
Unfortunately, I don't have the space to keep a bunch of vacuums, so I'll be listing this one for sale shortly.
(also, yes I realize I installed the front wheels backwards... I will fix that soon!)
