Opening up the box it looked in good nick - lower cord hook intact, no deep scratches or smashed parts, and the bag was whole. However, the cap on the top of the handle was missing. Starting the disassembly, I dismantled the bag - which looked like it had been used without a paper bag as it was full of crap! A little spin in the washing machine sorted that. The chassis was next - again filled with sawdust and dust, and the brushroll stripped of bristles. All the plastic was washed with Flash in the shower and left to dry, before polishing with car polish.
The motor and fan were filled with dust - which was removed, vacuumed, and blown with air duster. The chassis was put back together, and a new activator and belt fitted, after eventually figuring out the order to reassemble the brushroll.... (thanks to one of Beko1987's photos for confirmation!) The problem of the missing handle cap was temporarily solved using Sugru - a blu-tack like material that sets to silicone rubber overnight.
A new bag, and it was ready to test. The machine sounds great, and physically sticks to the carpet with the suction, its ridiculously strong and is bloody knackering when it gets a hold! The activator is amazing - I'd forgotten the noise it makes as it vibrates the carpet, and it groomed out all of the furniture indentations - why do we not have this on the market today?!?! Despite the house having been cleaned regular with a Vax Cordless Air AND a Dyson DC18, it still pulled out a big pile of dust - which was grittier and denser than normal dust.
Upon examining the rating badge, which showed it was made in Week 27 of 2001, there was a fair bit of fine dust near the seal where the bellows enter the chassis. Using the same Sugru used on the handle, I made a little gasket in place over the join to make a better seal and left it to set..
And there we go, my first ever vintage Hoover, and first one I've ever cleaned up. Lovely thing, and only cost about £30 in total, including spares
http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=KloWviQ4Yhk
