HOOVER 160 HOOD : any spares ?

[guido]

Hallo everyone !
My name is Guido - new to the site - and I am trying to find a replacement hood for my beloved HOOVER 160. When I finally found my dream machine some time ago infact - which i was looking for years, really - the machine arrived with a very serious damage on the hood. ( If i think that I was asked almost 80 pounds for the postage...). Well, I rebuilt with epossidic - resin the large broken part ( in the top/back of the hood, where the handle-holder comes out, let's say ) but the final result is not encouraging....also : the machine is now in very good conditions for the rest ( also found a NOS handle-grip which had seriously perished ) and I think the machine deserves a better hood. Having somethink "rebuilt " seems like a "fake" to me.
I have also tried to find other 160 or 960 machines but ...looks really hard.What do you think... Could someone help me ?

 

[guido]

HOOVER 160 HOOD : any spares ?

As you see I did my best, but it's terrible......

 

[ryry_87]

Hi Guido, i think your only option is going to be to keep watching ebay UK for a spare cleaner. Failing that, maybe look into polishing the hood back to a shine to try and make it look a little better than it does

Ryan

 

[guido]

HOOVER 160 HOOD : any spares ?

Yes Ryan....I know....but the old 160 are getting more and more rare to find. I can immagine in England is easier to try in the old repair shops than in Italy ( they sometimes have some hidden gems from the past...usually out of sight or objects broght there and never taken back...you know ...happens ).
I found a wonderful HOOVER SENIOR in grey ( not the 652 code but the commercial model ...i do not remember the code...but looks like the dear old Hoover 652 ) in a little HOOVER repair shop in London city, few years ago ( so me and the "Senior" were visiting together Piccadilly, Leicester Square and Trafalgar ...one of the craziest days of my life ! )
Anyway ...I will keep my eyes open on EBAY and hope some other collector wants to sell one 160 HOOVER machine to me, maybe...
Last chance, I will try to give the hood to some model-expert for re-shaping the rebuilt part and make the color match...thanks for your help, anyway, guido

 

[ryry_87]

160...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hoover-26...um_Cleaners&hash=item3ccb59157b#ht_500wt_1219

 

[guido]

HOOVER 160

Hey Ryan !

I finally won the auction for the HOOVER 160 you suggested me ! Thanks ! I am still waiting for the item to arrive ...fingers crossed !
I do have many doubts anyway...the seller is quite unpleasant and comunication almost impossible. The object has been retired lastminute from the auction ( ...! ... ) and then relisted for a 24 hours auction ... I recommended an extra packaging-care offering 20 pounds extra because I would like the HOOD to arrive intact, this time ! Unfortunately I had no clear answers... I will keep you updated and as soon as the package arrives, I will let you know !
As far as the other hood is concerned ( the one i made photos ) I have finally found a guy who can make a good job and repair it in a good way. It's a firm who repairs boats and fiberglass parts and they should make the best job possible on the market....we will see soon !

 

[ryry_87]

well good luck with that, hope it arrives ok!

 

[anthony]

hoover 160

Hi Guido i was also watching that machine on ebay if i had known you won it i could have picked it up and sent it on to you driffield isnt far from me

 

[guido]

hoover 160

Thanks Anthony, thanks anyway, now we see what happens... I keep on hoping everything is going well with the package, but you never can tell... I am always very worried with such large items, which require - you know - very careful and safe packaging. Sometimes I wonder why we do not start collecting post-stamps or football-stickers... which would be so much easier to collect and storage, but...it wouldn't be the same : I have too much fun "saving" this old machines, making them glitter again and..."roar" like new, ehehe !
Hope to have good news soon and I will post everything on here ! Thanks for your help ! Ciao ciao and a wonderful Sunday to all readers ! GUIDO

 

[guido]

HOOVER 160 : BIG NEWS !!!

Hallo everyone ! Today is a happy day for me and - as I promised - I wanted to share the good news with you !

1 - the HOOVER 160 Hood - cracked and badly restorated by me (...) - has finally come back this afternoon from the naval repair shop where I had brought it for a professional repair. Well, the result is - i think - simply incredible ( as much as the cost ! ). Now my 160 is nearly perfect and - with such a glittering "new" hood - I am now seriously thinking of dismantling the whole machine again and paint also the chassis. Any suggestion ? Here are few pics of the machine with the repaired hood :

 

[guido]

HOOVER 160 : BIG NEWS !!!

and...

 

[guido]

HOOVER 160 : BIG NEWS !!!

And here come the best of it all.
Today - at 6.00 pm I leave for working at the restaurant, almost worried because my ( supposed ) new 160 hoover bought on Ebay 2 weeks ago did not arrive today ( from tomorrow on, we will have here in Italy 5 days of holidays so...no deliveries, no nothing ... ).
Guess what....
When I come back - late in the night tonight - a big box is waiting for me under the porch...

 

[guido]

HOOVER 160 : BIG NEWS !!!

and also.....

 

[guido]

HOOVER 160 : BIG NEWS !!!

Another side pick ( below ).
Well ...believe it or not - the vacuum is in much better conditions then you might think ! There is so much dirt on it ...but it is anyway in not-so-bad conditions...really ! I have already washed the hood ( it was so dirty I could not remove the hoover-band for unscrewing it...had to use lots of warm water with soap in order to "unglue" it without damage ! ) and I can grant you it is like new ( not even 1 visible scratch, no cracks nor chips ! ). The rubber guard is present but it is cut just near to its attachment... it will be a joke to repair it in an invisible way, I think ( I hope ! ). But the rubber is anyway still soft and very, very well kept, even if it looks "dry" from the photos ...its only dirt !
The bag ( carefully sent completely filled with 70 years of dark dust and rubbish inside, for sure... LOL ) is a brown replacement in usable conditions... but...who cares...
Also the retractable "elastic cord for suspending bag " is gone and has been replaced by a spring...
The switch is ok, handle quite perfect, but I don't know much about the cable...its grey but I suppose it's not the original...
I will post new images in the next few days ....and share the restoration with all those who are interested in these old wonderful machines ! CIAO everyone ! GUIDO

 

[vacbear58]

Congratulations

On both fronts - you first 160 has a wonderful repair and now you have another safely delivered.

One note of caution though - it looks like your first 160 has an original bag. It is VITAL that the bag is emptied every time it is used as any dust which is left in the bag will rot the material, which I am sure you will not want. In fact I use a hoover paper bag inside mine (as for Junior, 652, Ranger etc) to help prevent this happening - just open it up inside the paper bag and spread the opening around the flange of the cloth bag. Also do not store it with the handle upright with the bag in place as again the constant pressure around the flange will cause wear. Either detach the bag or store it with the handle released.

Many happy days of Hoovering for you

Al

 

[guido]

THANKS !

Hallo AL, thanks for your precious suggestions. Yes, the bag from the first 160 is the original one and it is clean ...only I have put some artificial cotton inside the bag just for display reasons ( as I do not really use these cleaners for everyday use ). Now that you told me, I will let the handle in the release position in order to keep it at best . Thanks !
Someone has any suggestion if I should repaint the chassis from this cleaner ( it would look glittering-new with its "new" shining hood and the NOS handle I found recently on ebay ! ) or let it in its original "little-scruffy" conditions ?

Thanks for your help ...any idea is welcome !

 

[tommymilan]

Hello Guido, I am an italian collector like you, I'm from Milan, I'd be glad to see more pictures of your collection. Please write me directly on this email address: [email protected]. I always like to know fellow collectors in Italy.
( compliments for the huge OTM floor polisher that i saw in the pictures you posted, I've never been able to find one even if I saw it when I was a child for sale in a store and I remember it was VERY expensive!
Greetings
Tommy

 

[guido]

NEW photos - HOOVER 612 - 28 - 160 are back

Hello everyone !

In this days my collection is undergoing a big cleaning. Also - as i promised - I wanted to let you see my last HOOVER 160 ( now well cleaned and perfectly running ). The spots on the chassis do not come out but I LOVE it anyway !

 

[guido]

NEW photos - HOOVER 612 - 28 - 160 are back

And here is the older HOOVER 160.
The chassis has been carefully repainted and then lighty brushed in order to give the original no-glittering effect. The color does not match the original "sandy" color but this is the nearest one i found on the market. The only thing I am not satisfied about is that some deep scratches on the chassis are still visible...maybe one day a deeper renovation will be required so I will be able to cancel those too...
The rubber parts ( guards and handles ) have been treated with AREXON's liquid PNEUS-OIL and they are shining and softer now