Very Rare for SA Hoover 638

gottahaveahoove · Aug 12, 2012

John!!

Beautiful specimen there. I hope, one day, to procure the correct bag. Is that your current residence? Very nice.

John.

portable · Aug 13, 2012

John -

 

The Citation bag is in good condition, though it is starting to fray slightly at the top edges. These bags were rather fragile, made of a blend of materials not as durable as the Convertible bags. They seem to be partly brittle plastic. 

 

These pictures were taken at a friend's place in Northern AZ, where my vacuums were about to go into temporary storage. I took pictures of them all just before storage. When I went to retrieve them last year and bring them to Tucson, I was SO glad to see them again after a year of being in storage. This particular Citation was found for me by my friend (and our early club member) Mike Pupek. I've had it for about 20 years.

gottahaveahoove · Aug 13, 2012

Very nice

It IS great to see something beautiful again, after a year or so in absence.

I, too, had HOOVERS stashed away, just before all of the disasters happened here. Always nice to reunite.

John

vacbear58 · Aug 13, 2012

638 & Switches

Hi Gareth

Great find, I know it will clean up lovely

That sticker shows that this cleaner passed through the same vac shop/service centre as my 4006 (yellow Ranger).

From the introduction of the 612/119 ranges the UK versions of Hoovers (and at this time SA was controlled from Perivale, not North Canton) all had cables mounted on the outside of the handle, foot switch. You may not have noticed it but US cleaners have the cable hooks on the left (looking from the front of the machine) and UK on the right.

Although this is specualtion it may have been something to do with the attached extract about a campaign to save materials and labour costs, which the UK version certainly did over the US version. Also the same handle was used for the 119 & 612 and of course the cable hooks could not be on the left as it would have conflicted with the bag.

Al

gsheen · Aug 13, 2012

I have just taken the poor thing apart to start working on it, Infact as I am typing this the metal base is in my industrial dishwasher we use to clean up vacuums to prepair it for paint stripping and then a fresh coat of paint.

Is there any one who may have a Blue bumper strip I could buy from them, this one is badly cracked although in one piece. I would love to get a nice looking one. The bag zipper has had it too and the bag looks like it will fall apart I may have a new one made.

I have taken pics and will upload all soon

jmurray01 · Aug 13, 2012

John, the rug that Citation is sitting on is BEAUTIFUL! I certainly wouldn't be having any nightmares about that! On the contrary.

I know what you mean about poorly fitted carpets, I seem to remember in the house we were in before last the carpets came away at the skirting boards and many times got trapped in the brush roll.

portable · Aug 13, 2012

No, Jamie --- I meant the rug that the Hoover 63 was on. That hideous red thing. Ewww....it gives me the heebie-jeebies just to look at it. And, it had a strange smell, too.....