OMG! Atlas....

[fantomfan57]

is a much larger vacuum cleaner than I imagined. I unpacked it, but have done nothing yet. I will wait till the morning when the garage is cooler.

I have the original machine hose end, that is important to me when buying vacuums.

So I will finish up on the Classic Kirby, then on to the Classic III before I even touch the Atlas. This may complete my want list.

Cheers!

 

[thevacomaticiec]

Cant wait see pics of it

 

[fantomfan57]

Pictures....

Okay. She, has not been cleaned up yet.

I will be doing the inspection in the morning to see if there is any shipping damage.

I wish the Seller is a member, because they miscalculated the shipping and I want to send them money.

Seller, If you are a member, please contact me off-list at my email address.

 

[thevacomaticiec]

a lil clean up and she wil look good

 

[lesinutah]

Nice

Iirc that vacuum is based off the 1957 Chevy Bel-air. It's easily one of the nicest looking if not the nicest looking vacuum I've seen(albeit I've only seen this on the internet). I don't think it will be a hard restore.
I'd clean up the body and get a new hose as the one in the picture looks it's age.
I've seen them for sale on ebay but always over $200 plus shipping.
That would be a fantastic problem to have. Congrats and good luck.

 

[huskyvacs]

One just sold on eBay on May 22, 2021 for $25 with $25 shipping. They very rarely show up under $50 - maybe once every 2 or 3 years. I have been trying to get one too, they are gorgeous.

The vacuum is styled exactly like the fin cars of the era. They even made the exhaust port into a "tailpipe". Very very clever.

 

[lesinutah]

Hmm

I'm mentioned a 1957 Bel-Air the Chevy logo on the hood and the rear fins are used from that car. If I ever see it for$25 etc it's mine.
Husky there is an old thread a quarter the way down the page about a vacuum you could get. It's green looks like a bee vac. Look at the thread and maybe you can get that vacuum.

 

[fantomfan57]

The hose,

looks like the kind used on Hoover Vacuums. Of course it is not original but, it looks to be in good shape. I will know more when I inspect my new acquisition.

I might be able to find the seller's information. If so, I feel I need to send the seller more money or else they basically paid me to get the vacuum. I did message them but they said they had miscalculated, but I did not need to send money.
I will inspect it before I do anything. I do not even know if it runs (or runs well). I did ask that they pack it to ensure nothing got damaged, they did. But I think that caused the higher postage.

Cheers.

 

[dysonman1]

I love my Atlas. I've had it for more than 20 years now. The motor is unique, and a lot of fun to work on. Probably will need both bearings repacked. There are a lot of screws, but they are all the same size.

 

[fantomfan57]

Thanks....

I will do the initial eval. soon. Good to know the screws are the same. Just will have to keep track of where each came from. I had a problem with my Royal PowerCast where I ended up with 1 extra screw. Finally found out where it came from. I have had no success, removing bearings. Wish me luck!

 

[dysonman1]

The good news is the bearings have a shield over the balls, so you can easily add high-temp wheel bearing grease and replace the shield. I had never taken mine apart before, but I just went slow and put the pieces in a line as I removed them. Washing the revolving fans made a huge difference in the noise and vibration since those machines had what we today would say was terrible filtration. Lots of dirt in the turbine blades. Everything washed up well and I have a smooth running Atlas with all the hoses and tools in the Vacuum Museum in my Vac Shop to show visitors.

 

[huskyvacs]

Lesinutah

thanks for the tip, les. i'll try and find that topic

 

[kirbyklekter]

First thing I thought when I saw your machine was '57 Bel Air having owned one! This should be a fun restore for you, can't wait to see the finished results! This 'period piece' can really light up the room! Happy for you!

 

[brando_husky]

Used to have one of these. Yes definitely bigger than most people might realize. Chunky! Neat vacuums.

 

[fantomfan57]

Okaaaaay,

Motor sounds nice, no screeching, very smooth. Sounds just like my Westinghouse Canister vacuums. Note: came with a 3 wire cord.

The finish is a MESS. Scrapes, dents, fading, suspicious stains/splatter/drips, white paint speckles, a long dark brown paint-like dribble and general paint loss. This applies to the top red. The grey bottom has very little rust, but will be repainted. The detachable signage is, okay, but will need some help. Sorry, I forgot to mention I pried it open (single bead of silicone looking goo) after sliding the rubber bumper up and back off the body.
DUST everywhere. Got too hot in the garage to keep going. And yes, I marked the wiring for reassembly. I also took picture to know where a zip tie was used to gather wires.
The motor pulled away from the filter cylinder easily and boy does it need a blow out.
More to come, thanks for reading.
Cheers and Merci to our Quebecer members.

 

[fantomfan57]

The motor....

In the morning, when it is cool enough, I will blow out the motor with the air compressor I picked up from my buddy this morning.

I MAY do a bit of dismantling even though the motor sounds great already. Want to see how about the fan blades and the brushes.

I will source the candy apple red, but I think I have the grey paint.

 

[fantomfan57]

Your Opinion.

So I ordered this from Amazon and want to know if this is too severe for the Atlas restore. I missed the part of a base coat etc, etc,. I still want to see what it looks like. I will find another paint. Any suggestions?

 

[thevacomaticiec]

That should  do well and last a long time  cant go wrong  with enamel paint  from duplicolor  .

 

[lesinutah]

Just

Be careful to not hit walls. It does scratch.