The Hoover 800 in all its splendor and glory

[charles~richard]

You know, I had not really appreciated what a beautiful machine the 800 was until I got this one. I've actually had it quite a while now but since I couldn't seem to find a handle, I didn't see any point in doing anything with it.

Well, a kind member of the club came to my rescue and now I have completed work on this splendid machine.

The approach I took is what in the pipe organ world would be called a "sensitive restoration" -- not necessarily 100% original or historically accurate, but the replaced parts are period-appropriate, more or less, and in fact not all Hoover. See who can spot one significant part of this machine that is not a Hoover item!

Here are a few photos - - -

(Note: If someone's reading this, please wait to respond until I post the last image -- so they'll all run together without interruption. The last one will be a two-part scan of the "Aromador" brochure. Thanks!)

 

[charles~richard]

 

[charles~richard]

 

[charles~richard]

 

[charles~richard]

 

[charles~richard]

Look how clean the bottom is -- this machine appears to have been used very little. Even the wheels are very clean and 'sharp' with a minimum of scratching.

 

[charles~richard]

The brush strips are like new!

 

[charles~richard]

12-blade fan -- what a powerhouse! Other Hoovers with 12-blade fans were the 150, 900 and 925. Maybe some others as well?

 

[charles~richard]

The Aromador -- this one smells very faintly of roses!

 

[charles~richard]

[No message]

 

[charles~richard]

Looks like there's some Ectoplasm in the room ... could this be a HAUNTED HOOVER?



http://www.137.com/invasion/zzzz_scary_singing_lady_4.wav

 

[charles~richard]

Ohhhhhhhhh, that's really scary eh! This IS a

HAUNTED HOOVER!!



http://www.137.com/invasion/screeeeeeem.wav

 

[charles~richard]

Aromador Leaflet - panels slightly rearranged after scanning to make it easier to read...

 

[charles~richard]

Other side

 

[charles~richard]

[size=+3]"THE END"[/size]

 

[vintagehoover]

WOW!

I'm very envious of that one, it looks great! I agree, having seen the two different bags on it, the orange suits it much better - just a pity about the bag-spreader. Maybe you could remove the bag-spreader and slide the later-style bag slide over the top - maybe push something up inside the bag so the slide has something to 'grip'? Or maybe that's going too far! It certainly looks amazing, anyway.

I would suggest - again, if you don't think it's going too far - repainting the motor cap decoration; it's easily done with some masking tape and black paint, and it really brings out the definition (see pic!). I need to do this with my 450 and 925.

Another interesting thing about the orange badge is the way the upper side of it is not curved, but straight....strange!

The non-genuine part I would guess is the handle?

Thanks also for posting the 'Sentinal Series' leaflet, I LOVE seeing things like that. I have a few vintage leaflets like that I got from eBay for the 425/750/900 and Special series, but perhaps you already have these? If not, I'd be happy to send you some scans?

To sum up, congratulations on such a great machine!

 

[chestermikeuk]

Hoover Sentinels

Congratulations Charles on another tantalising restoration, its always a pleasure to read your"Behind The Scenes" stories , all adds to the magic & excitement of our renovations & hobby... Its always nice to be able to restore "As Was" but its the enthusiasm and doing it that wins the day for me personally!!!!

I love the orange accent colours, it works beautifully for me, I guess the Handgrip is the Add-On??, can you re-fill the aromador when empty??

Enjoy your restoration, Mike

p.s. I personally wouldnt try the paint, I think it makes the top look flat...AND, you can get the accent effect more naturally by using metal polish and leaving a little around the lines, The Art Deco effect is to see the subtle beauty of the ridges as they catch different shades of light etc...

 

[vintagehoover]

I only suggest the paint as it was an original feature of the styling, as dictated by Dreyfuss himself! I didn't just start painting bits in a deluded attempt to enhance the appearance!

 

[petek]

Very nice, first I've heard of the aromador, never knew.
And as always it's nice to see that I'm not the only person living in a jumble LOL