Kirby 505

[bee-vac]

Picked this up today for mother. I haven't had a Kirby in a long time. I know Kirby's aren't generally the quietest of cleaners, but I'm sure I'm going to need new bearings. I haven't worked on a Kirby and forever, are bearings for these 505s hard to find these days?

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Bee-Vac

Most 500 series parts will be harder to find these days, but the bearings might still be available. They are part numbers 1155 (back) and 1160 (front).

This 505 was rebuilt around 1979-1981, when the Tradition was then the current Kirby model. The replacement cord I see is rosewood brown (Classic Omega).

~Ben[this post was last edited: 8/2/2018-10:39]

 

[phaeton]

Hello Bee-vac,
I have purchase a number of Kirby parts fro Kent Oyler. He might have the parts you need for your 505.
He has an eBay store and if you Google Kirby Needs you will find it. He is great to deal with.
I have a 509 and D50 that I need finish one of these days.
Good luck with the 505,
Pete

 

[bee-vac]

Cool!

Thanks for the info guys! Its funny, not too long ago I thought, "I haven't seen a Kirby with a flip switch around in a long time..." then this one pops up on Letgo.

 

[texaskirbyguy]

Nice score!

Yours has been rebuilt in blue - looks nice, despite not original black.
Bearings are available, a little hard to find. Kirby sells them but are about 25 apiece. Kirby needs on ebay has them for less than half of that. You can get other stuff too from there and he will combine ship. 25 for a set of bearings may sound like a lot, but it really increases the value of the machine and gives it decades of quiet service.
Come follow in my footsteps as I restored my 505 a couple years back.
http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?34158_27
Mine had been rebuilt in red and it looked nice enough to keep it that way. If you have any questions, just let us know.
Enjoy your new machine and have fun with the resto!

 

[bee-vac]

Question

I got to thinking... maybe the Kirby I have isn't a 505... Could it be a different early 500 series? The model plate is missing. Are there any clues to look out for that would give me a better Idea as to what model this is?

 

[lesinutah]

Clue

Hey
One clue to narrow it down. On the back of the emtor is there a sweet Aire plug. If there is it's earliest a 510. If no swert Aire 505 508 509.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Lesinutah

The only true way of knowing for sure what the original model number for this was would be to check the armature and field for any stamping dates; but be aware they too get changed in rebuilds.

~Ben

 

[bee-vac]

Sani-emptor

Nope, no sweet aire port. How about the "handle fork", the early 500's have an open fork, opposed to one with a "skirt", right?

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Bee-Vac

So this could very well be a 505, or a 508 or 509.

The 514 was the first model with the revised handle fork detail.

~Ben

 

[texaskirbyguy]

Yes, the earlier models did have the open handle fork. This can be seen on my 505 in the thread link way above.
Yours has the closed style fork so you probably have a later model.

 

[lesinutah]

Hey

Hey
Pic of emtor bottom and if you are mechanically inclined look at motor. If you could take picture inside nozzle. I not sure texaskirbyguy the back emtor spacing by wheels looks right and a newer fork is possible it's blue. It could have 505 motor housing ,4 amp motor I'd bet it was 505 508 somebody got honky bojackec it good. Idk how they get blue or brown belt lifters on old vacuums. I can see paint like this but the red belt lifter I've seen and have
Ooks like it's brown plastic from a mold. Why can't we go back in time steel these cracker Jack's molds to make red or black belt lifters not brown or blue. I'd then slap them and say damn it Bobby your being stupid stop sniffing the propane.
Sorry for poor sentence structure.
Imagine a 1963 Corvette baby blue. Then imagine them tearing off fenders putting 1980 style on it fiberglass to flow better paint it canary yellow. They just messed up a classic to a car you would drive a gremlin over.
Rant over I'm blue with envy.
Les

 

[bee-vac]

Handel Fork

I have a few parts laying around and polished up an open handle fork and swapped it out for now. If I find out that the closed end fork was original to this machine, I'll swap it out again.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Lesinutah

Les,

I agree totally about some of these bojacked vacuums... I would rather they be rebuilt, if so necessary, using all genuine Kirby replacement parts no matter what color those replacement parts are.

It's the missing serial number plates on some of them that turn me off about these bojacked jobs!

~Ben

 

[lesinutah]

Hey

It even looks like it's got f and g adapter looking at connector to emtor.
Les

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Lesinutah

Les,

That is the other thing that turns me off about these homegrown rebuilds.

~Ben

 

[bee-vac]

F & g

F&G adaptor on this cleaner? No, it's got an emptor.

 

[bee-vac]

Good and bad news...

First the good news: I had the front and rear bearings replaced,(THANK YOU KIRBY NEEDS!) and I am amazed how quiet it runs now! I hadn't had a Kirby in years. Come to think of it, Kirby was probably my first love in vacuum collecting. Now for the bad news... Sorry mom, you aint gettin' a Kirby no more... I'm uh-keepin' it. It has it's original Armature, I could tell by the small cooling fan.

 

[lesinutah]

Hey

Take a pic of inside nozzle, bottom of vacuum were wires go-to speed switch. Noticed certain things 505 has nobody else does.
Les