Vintage General Electric upright

[hornet]

Hi, I’m new here and just started collecting old vacuums and I just came across an old G.E. Upright that was heading to the dump, so I decided to save it .
I have tried to look for this model online but with no luck.
The model number is cvf 84a, does anybody know anything about this vacuum like the year this was produced It is a Canadian model that is going to need some work to be great again, any information would be great full.
Looking forward to restoring this unit .
Looking forward to your reply’s .
Cheers.

 

[hoover300]

Omg I love it! The Canadian GE and Premier vacs seem very few and far between, nice find!

 

[dysonman1]

This is the USA version.

It belongs to my friend Charlie, a former VCCC President like myself. His machine had a bad armature, but he was able to locate a running but not pristine donor machine at a reasonable price.

At the Vacuum Collectors Convention (always in September - third weekend) this past year, our friend Michael Balda graciously did the work taking apart the motor and replacing the armature. Now Charlie's gorgeous machine runs like the day it was made. I wonder what Charlie will bring to this year's Convention? His collection is gorgeous.

That's a post-war model, and you shouldn't have any problems if you take your time. One tip, the rear bearing in the motor will come apart when you remove it, so try to keep the balls in the bearing otherwise they will roll all over your work bench.

 

[hornet]

Thanks hoover300 and Dysonman1.
I’m am glad I was able to save this machine from heading to the dump, I forgot to add that the old guy that was throwing it out also had the accessories kit for it to, so I have posted them with the machine.
Tomorrow I am going to start the tear down and then the restoration will begin, I noticed today that the brush roll belt was not any good, are there still replacement belts out there for this? Or a substitute that would work?
Thanks for the tip on the bearings , I don’t want to be loosing anything off this machine.
The Premier is a beauty , great job!!

 

[hornet]

This is my first vacuum that I restored, the Kirby legend ii I bought this at a garage sale for $ 20.00, it was very oxidized and dirty from sitting in a old garage for years getting bounced around , sorry I don’t have a better pic of when I first got it.
Now looks like and runs like it did from the dealer, it was a lot of work but was worth every minute, a great vacuum!

 

[huskyvacs]

Great find! And with the tools too? Wow!

 

[hygiene903]

Nice Find!

And having the attachments is like frosting on the cake! Wish I could find a set for mine. I have the Premier version, model PR21. It's just like Tom's, except it has a different bag. Here's a pic.
Jeff

 

[hornet]

Hey Jeff
That’s a nice premier you have, is it a running unit? I just spent 6 hrs today restoring my GE , the motor was very dry and has not ran in years , I did a thorough cleaning inside out on it and I was able to free up the bearings and get it running, purs like a kitten now but will need new brushes the old ones very worn.
Tomorrow I’m going to give it a good polishing , but I found a hole in the nozzle that was hidden by some old tape so will have to figure out what I’m going to do with that.

 

[hygiene903]

Thank You!

It ran pretty good last time I ran it, but it's been a while. The picture was taken when I first got it, and it looks better now. Also replaced the cord as the original had been cut off.
Hopefully the hole that you found is either something that can easily be fixed or in a place on the nozzle where it won't cause you any problems. Have you tried it with the attachments yet? It will be interesting to find out how well it does with them, provided that the hose doesn't leak.
Jeff

 

[hornet]

Hi Jeff
The hole is just smaller than a dime but it is in the fan housing area, looks like it sucked up a bolt or a rock and the fan grabbed it, luckily there was no damage to the fan but a bent blade which was a easy fix, all I can do for now with the hole is cover it with something until I can get someone to weld it up.
Haven’t tried the nozzles yet but will let you know on that.
I have ordered a new cord for mine cause my cord is crumbling in my hands and not safe, but have a temporary one for now to get it running.
I will have some work ahead of me with the brush roll, all the bristles are worn and some missing , so I’m going to replace the bristle plugs which looks like it won’t be a fun job.
I also will need to source out a nozzel bumper for mine if there are any out there?

 

[dysonman1]

A very good substitute belt to use is the belt that fits the rainbow 1690 power nozzle. It works beautifully on those old vintage motor driven brush machines, and does not put too much strain on the front bearing.

 

[hornet]

Thanks for the info on belts, I will be looking into that.
I put a Kirby belt on for now but seems a little loose but it’s enough to get the beater brush working.
Just did another 6 hrs of restoration on the vacuum should have it done up today.

 

[hornet]

Well here it is 12 hrs restore time , everything gone through inside and out, ordered new brushes for it and waiting on a new power cord, next will be the beater bar restoration .
Hands are tired time for a break, enjoy the pics!

 

[hornet]

Any good idea’s out there on how to get the old bristles out without damaging the beater bar? There is some real good industrial strength glue that’s holding them in.
I tried a picking at it with a sharp point but with little results.

 

[hoover300]

Wow! Looks great! Where is the hole?

 

[hornet]

It’s on the side of the fan case by the height switch, I just put a piece of heat tape over for now until I get a chance to get it welded up.

 

[bikerray]

Where the bristle is missing, does the hole go into wood?
Meaning that it is a wood roll with a metal covering.

If this is the case the bristles are held in with staples.

 

[hygiene903]

Excellent restoration job! It's absolutely beautiful!
Jeff

 

[hornet]

Thank you, it was fun restoring it.
Hey Jeff I found something interesting with the power cord that comes through the nozzle housing to power up the light on top, the cord comes through nozzle right beside the brush roll and then bends up towards light, it’s right at that bend It can touch the brush roll and wear out the housing on the power cord and expose the power wires, bit of a poor location for this wire ,a design flaw in my books it would be wise to check it out on your machine just in case it’s wearing into yours to, I found wear though on mine but was able to fix and move the cord so it wouldn’t touch.