toastermike
Well-known member
RESTORED 70 YEAR OLD KIRBY
5 years ago I found this 1949 Kirby model 509 at the local Goodwill outlet store for about $5.00, looking it's age, but with red trim and an aftermarket cloth bag. I began restoring it by dismantling it, removing the heavy scratches, and sending the aluminum housing out for professional polishing. I ordered new rubber trim and painted the pieces with auto interior paint to it's original gray color. The red bag was replaced with a replacement from Kirby that was black cloth and unmarked. One thing nice about old Kirby's is that most new parts are still available today. Two years later I found a donor Kirby and was able replace the motor, the wooden brush roll with the original metal, and the plastic wheels with the original and very scarce hard rubber wheels.(Most of them have rotted) Finally I found a new gray cloth bag that is an accurate reproduction of the original bag with it's graphics. Today it looks and runs like a brand new Kirby 409, and now it is 70 years old! Still a work in progress, I have found some of the attachments and hose, along with their boxes at an estate sale.
5 years ago I found this 1949 Kirby model 509 at the local Goodwill outlet store for about $5.00, looking it's age, but with red trim and an aftermarket cloth bag. I began restoring it by dismantling it, removing the heavy scratches, and sending the aluminum housing out for professional polishing. I ordered new rubber trim and painted the pieces with auto interior paint to it's original gray color. The red bag was replaced with a replacement from Kirby that was black cloth and unmarked. One thing nice about old Kirby's is that most new parts are still available today. Two years later I found a donor Kirby and was able replace the motor, the wooden brush roll with the original metal, and the plastic wheels with the original and very scarce hard rubber wheels.(Most of them have rotted) Finally I found a new gray cloth bag that is an accurate reproduction of the original bag with it's graphics. Today it looks and runs like a brand new Kirby 409, and now it is 70 years old! Still a work in progress, I have found some of the attachments and hose, along with their boxes at an estate sale.
