Thrift store Dial A Matic!!!!!

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Here are 2 of a kind!!!

My 858 Constellation and her new brother the 1120 Dial A Matic!

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Hans, what with the great dishwasher find and now the beautiful Dial A Matic I would say that you are on a roll!
 
Ooooh...

That's in nice shape! I think I gave my 1120 Dial A Matic away after using it in my "window display" at the North Canton 2008 convention. Such a pretty lineup! One of my favorite color schemes!

Here's a picture of my display form 2008...

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I don't know exact dates...

But I think 1967/1968/1969... or thereabouts. I have heard on more than one occasion that in 1968, the model 1120 was the unofficial 60th anniversary machine for the company (in 1968). And it was, I believe, the last Dial A Matic without the height adjustment lever.
 
In That Pic ...

I also see a Floor-A-Matic, a Handivac, a Suitcase Portable and a Swingette. All of these have the Flamingo Pink accent alongside their Seal Greige/Taupe main hues. The FAM was first introduced in 1967 while the Swingette came out three years after. The first Suitcase Portable dates to 1962.

The original Handivac replaced both the U.K.-made Lark stick vac and the Dustette in 1966. The 1966 Pixie, originally a variant of the Dustette, also shared the Handivac body, just as the former Pixie and Dustette shared motors.

Sometime in the mid '70s, the Handivac name appeared on a pair of new hand vacuums, one colored red and the other gold. The red one, the Handivac I, was aimed at casual users while the gold one, called Handivac II, had more attachments as well as power. These two vacs, both of which were discontinued in the early '80s, put an end to the Pixie name.

The original Handivac (which served as a replacement for the Lark stick vac) was renamed Quik-Broom. In 1975 the Swingette became the Portapower.

~Ben
 
That color is definitely not Flamingo Pink.
It's orange, alright. The color name that's on the Spec-Sheet for the Model 858 Constellation is "Pumpkin combined with Taupe". While the color looks very close to the oragnes on the rest of the cleaners, it may not be the exact same color.

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A 1970 OG Wilson catalog has this 1120 in the same color scheme. The orange/dark chocolate combo is one of my all time favorites. Your machine is fab, Hans.

John
 
Well as I live and breathe, if it isn't John Young!! Good to see you here -- and btw I have apparently have an old email address for you. I'll see what you've got here in your profile.
 
Very nice find! The motor may have a date stamped on it. I found one a while back and had to take it apart to clean it and get rid of all the decaying foam (which really stank it up). The motor had "April 1968" stamped on it. I think it is an 1118. It is orange/taupe with automatic height adjustment.
 
This thread inspired me to take my DAM out for a whirl for the first time in a while. I'd forgotten about how heavy it is! But it is still fun to use. It's over 40 years old and there's still no handle wobble. I replaced the brush strips last year and it cleans and grooms the plush carpet in my house as good as ever! With the exception of some paint damage on the hood, it's still in great cosmetic shape too.

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