Model 960 Cleaning Ensemble transplant surgery!

VacuumLand – Vintage & Modern Vacuum Enthusiasts

Help Support VacuumLand:

vintagehoover

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
2,883
Here is a video demonstrating the problem with the motor. Since I was unable to diagnose the exact cause of the problem, the easiest thing to do was to replace most of the motor using this donor unit I found on eBay last week.



12-10-2007-15-09-37--vintagehoover.jpg
 
Inside the donor motor:

Underneath the top bearing cap, a lot of fluff and carbon dust has accumulated, as usual!

12-10-2007-15-11-46--vintagehoover.jpg
 
Upper bearing and cap, cleaned:

Having removed the bearing, I washed the bakelite cap, then reassembled it all.

12-10-2007-15-13-7--vintagehoover.jpg
 
At this point, I cut myself...

Not out of despair! I got the brush holder jammed under my thrumb nail :(
Still, no pain, no gain!

12-10-2007-15-14-17--vintagehoover.jpg
 
The lined fan chamber:

The 960 differs from the 160 in that it has a larger dust bag, and a lined fan chamber, like the earlier commercial machines.

12-10-2007-15-16-37--vintagehoover.jpg
 
The rebuilt motor:

Cleaned, and with the smashed lightbulb-holder replaced with the one from the 960's original motor.

12-10-2007-15-19-45--vintagehoover.jpg
 
That's great,

and how perfect you've got a machine to clean up after the hordes of Christmas guests! There's something a bit growly about these machines I love.

Just mind those fingers! When I saw you insert them into the nozzle to start the 960 I cringed! And as for the bloody fingernail shot, what can I say but "Rivers of gore! Rivers of Gore!" I'll have to get you into John Waters movies...
 
John Waters...

I'm already a fan-in-embryo, I've read a lot about his films, and I've seen Hairspray (yes, the original, thank you very much!). 'Pink Flamingoes' is on my 'must see' list...
 
Differences:

The 960 was the commercial version of the 160 in Europe. It took over from the 925 in 1938-39, then was made post-war 1947-48, before being replaced by the 912 in 1949.

In the US, you had the Model 90 after the 925, I believe.

The only differences between the 160 and 960 were that the 960 had a larger bag (for the filtering of a greater volume of office or hotel dirt!), a lined fan-chamber (see above!)and an all-white headlamp reflector plate, rather than the half-white, half-black one on the domestic 160.

Oh, and they did away with the fabric bag strap, using a spring instead - although I don't know if that applies to all models, or just post-war models, as I don't have any information about the pre-war 960s.

21,941 of these machines were built over a two year production run, from January 1947 to July 1948. My particular example dates from March/April 1947, making it an early-ish post-war example.
 
then you must also see "Desperate Living."

Edith Massey, one of his 'stars,' moved to Venice Beach in the early 1980s and ran a thrift shop there for a year or so until she died. A friend took me there once. There were no vacuums.
 
What a shame!

It would have been fun to own a cleaner from Edith Massey's thrift store, even if it was something totally unremarkable!
 
I *heart* Edie...

<object width=425 height=355><param name=movie value=></param><param name=wmode value=transparent></param><embed src= type=application/x-shockwave-flash wmode=transparent width=425 height=355></embed></object>
 
Royal crests....

The earliest is on my 160, a pre-war version, made in '38 or '39. Crest underlined with the words, 'By Appointment to the Late King George V'.

King George V died in January 1936.

12-13-2007-22-03-59--vintagehoover.jpg
 

Latest posts

Back
Top