A few days ago, I discovered that Kirby used two different motors on the 513. The company began production in 1953 with its tried and true 3 amp motor. Later in the production run, Kirby introduced the 4 amp motor on the 513. When I learned that there were two different motors, I decided to rebuild one of each. This is the 3 amp Model 513.
Kirby also introduced a new style brush roll with the 513, along with a new nozzle design in order to accommodate the brush roll. They were also still using the 6 blade fan on the 513, but I didn't have one so I ended up installing a new plastic fan. I was curious to see if there would be a difference in how it performs with a 10 blade fan. And it makes a huge difference! Up til now, I've only had experience with 6 blade fans on Kirby's 3 amp vacuums. The 10 blade fan makes it easier to push.
I tried to keep the vacuum as original as possible. So I did some research on the 513 using old parts lists dating to April 1953, along with some old service manuals too. One of the things I discovered is that, when Kirby introduced the 513, they were still using a gray plastic handle grip with the stationary cord hook. Therefore, I sprayed out a handle grip in the same gray that I used on my 509. I took a photo of it, but it looked white so I'm not going to post it. At some point in the 513's production, Kirby introduced a red handle grip with the quick release cord hook. I'll use that one on the 4 amp rebuild when I get around to it.
