Your biggest basket-case vacuum resto/rebuild turn arounds

[stricklybojack]

Post a link if you already made a thread of the vacuum you worked on.

Like the Desmond Dekker song says:

Rome was not built in a day
Opposition will come your way
But the hotter the battle you see
Is the sweeter the victory now

Diving in and scouring away ages of filth on a vacuum that also has a number of parts broken or missing..and ending up with a show piece is to me the top satisfaction in this sport. Unearthing an unused, or nearly pristine treasure, and liberating it from the abyss of forgotten things is also special but in a far more concentrated way.

I have a couple vacs which will require rather heroic efforts to save, one, a Silver King canister lived on a sea going cabin cruiser and is extremely rusty; another, a Kirby Heritage II was just used to the hilt and given to me by someone leaving the country to start a life as a missionary!
My first resto work, still in progress(!), is a rusty Concept I. I have and will continue to derust and paint that machine until it's just the way i want, not restored exactly, but rather remade. Saddly pics will have to wait until i get back to California.
[this post was last edited: 1/27/2015-14:09]

 

[danielsand]

Your statement of "......ending up with a showpiece" is what I like to do most, in my spare time. I've restored countless Rolex watches (some I sold for a nice profit), guns (some kept, some sold), motorcycles, and cars (mostly sold). Keeping three motorcycles, and six cars, keeps me busy with maintenance alone.

And now I started on Kirbys. So far I restored 515, Omega, and the Heritage 2 (you can see them in my avatar). Just finished restoring G4, but it's not ready for action (and pics) yet. Expecting the shipment of parts tomorrow, and I might vacuum with it first time on Thursday.

"Breathing a new life" into something mechanical, is giving me a lot of pride and joy. Anyone with money can go out and buy anything new. "Easy come, easy go". Where is the pride of achievement in that? Last year I bought a Land Rover Freelander off of junk yard! Beautiful (and capable!) little thing. I put a new engine in it (along with suspension, exhaust, etc.), and gave it to my wife. Most days I drive a Range Rover (2006 model), and she used to drive S55 AMG (we still have it). Nowadays, she mostly drives the little Land Rover with pride ("my husband restored this for me"!) although she has three other cars to choose from). All around fun! Being retired and suffering from a severe case of OCD, I am always looking to do something, and restorations fit the bill.

 

[anthony]

well heres one i did

a rusty old Connie it had spent years in a damp shed the motor was seized up solid and there was a mouse living in it .I only came by it because the shed it was in colapsed

 

[anthony]

hear it is

after the complete rebuild .not quite the right pink but anything is better than rust the motor has been rebuilt and new bearings fitted it now works perfectly and has to be the quietest cleaner i have

 

[ultralux88]

My personal bet restoration that I did myself is this Panasonic Commercial. It was used commercially with the cloth bag for decades, and then when the bearings were all shot, and it sounded like a dull chainsaw on concrete, it went to the thrift store where I thankfully found it. I replaced both bearings in the motor which involved drilling rivets and snap riveting things back together (I might have used some small screw/bolt sets instead of rivets to hold the bearing plate to the main motor housing, I don't remember completely...), as well as replaced both bearings in the brush roll. It was also filthy and had to be cleaned completely, the belt cover was bent up badly too, which had to be straightened out, we had one in a box here at work so I could bend it back to the right shape. I also had to soak and scrub the cord with a scotchbrite pad to get all the filth and paint markings off of it so it would look new again, same happened to the bumper and the hose from the brush area to the bag connecter, as they were filthy and caked with minge as well. Here's a video showing what it is now.

 

[stricklybojack]

Holy cow...

some great replies already. First, I now have 2 motorcycles down from my all time high of four just 2 or 3 years ago. I've often trolled craigslist looking for Rovers and I read about them often on this great website I recommend highly and will link to below.

Metal Hoover saved from oblivion, is there a better way to spend an afternoon in the shop?
I don't think so.

Lastly that Panasonic is drool worthy. I say that as the proud owner of the same model but in residential
guise. The sound is truly "Jet" like and it inspired me to find many other similar machines.
Bravo on doing the full job. I got my motor out but didn't go further as it was in good shape.

Keep'em coming boys, I love what I am seeing so far..

http://eastcoastrover.com

 

[vacuumkid47]

My biggest restoration.....

Was a Kirby Classic III. I took it home to fix. The owner said they used it as a garage vac. So, I shined it up with polish, replaced the belt and the headlight. You know the Sani-emptor? I opened it, I KID YOU NOT, literally a MOUNTAIN of dirt and crap was built up in that machine. Now I understand why they used it as a garage vac. The fan was in poor, poor shape. Then, I found a complete set of attachments for it, so yeah.

 

[compactc9guy]

reply

The biggest turn around would have to be my electrolux discoveri II upright found in a yard sale for 20$ no bag no filter no hose , i rebuilt the whole thing and spa day put a fresh bag and filter got a genuine lux hose and attachement set now it runs like it should looks mint to .

 

[philbr]

Reply #2/#3 -

Great job, Anthony. I really like these happy, round, hovering Constellations.