Question for those that have restored an old Kirby

[JHGVac]

This is regarding D80 and earlier Kirby vacuums...

How do you remove the nozzle plate/brush roll assembly from the nozzle?

Do you drill out the rivets holding the retaining clips or just bend back the clips?

Also, when you remove rivets, do you replace them with pop rivets or do you have some way to install solid rivets? (I'm not crazy about the look of pop rivets myself).

Thanks,

Joe

 

[functionalart]

No need to drill anything or remove any rivets to get the plate/roller out. Just remove nozzle from front of machine. Turn belt lifter so tension is off the belt (belt should be loose/slack). Turn assembly upside down and pry the rollerplate free. Roller can be removed at this point--gently bend one of the roller retainers slightly away so you can slip the roller out.

 

[twocvbloke]

To remove the brushroll, you turn the belt lifter to "Belt-On" (as though it were on the motor and the belt would be on the pulley), the rug plate pull out on a hinge, brushroll comes out by gently pushing the ends apart, and the rugplate is removed by carefully bending back the tabs that act as a hinge, and then unhook the rugplate...

Easy as pie...

 

[vac_whisperer]

Flip the belt lifter to "belt on".


then, take the nozzle plate and open it up- then the brushroll should just pop right out.

 

[broomvac]

Umm

You guys, I think he knows how to change a belt or a brush roll. ;p What he is asking about is the stage AFTER that, where the rug plate that retains the brush is loose and flopping about, if you will, but still attached to the head by hinges at the rear of the rug plate, and he wants to completely remove the assembly from the nozzle.

In that case, I just use needle nose pliers and carefully bend the hinge tabs and ease the plate off. Then i just do the reverse to put it back on, with no need whatsoever for rivets, but it is up to you.

 

[twocvbloke]

That's what I said, between the two "how to take the brushroll out" responses...

 

[broomvac]

My bad

Maybe I shouldn't skim so much...

 

[thissucks]

could you live with leaving the plate in? i have a 505 and havent really looked to see what it would take, but sometimes your better off working around something, coming from expiriance restoring antique fans.

 

[JHGVac]

@thissucks

I guess I should have said my plan is to give the thing a complete polishing with a buffing wheel. So I think what people usually do is take all the trim pieces off (nozzle plate, nozzle bumper, headlight cap bumper, etc).

On the older Kirby's it looks like the only way to get some of these off is by drilling out some of the rivets (although the nozzle plate looks like you can bend the tabs).

But this is my first time doing it which is why I was asking. If there is better way to do it I am all ears.

Joe

 

[broomvac]

Don't worry about taking it off. You can't hurt anything!

 

[redgeminipa]

I have one I'll be doing at some point. If I recall, someone mentioned using a hair dryer to soften the bumper enough to gently pull it over the rivets. I'm still trying to decide if that's the route I want to go.