1948 Bendix Gyromatic - Back in Action

[jetcone]

Restoration completed . John & I & Todd & Jeff Got this beauty in October 2023 from the original owner.  We had to haul it out of  a very tight basement with a right turn at the top! It all 4 of us to get it out ! You can see it was pretty neglected but I was in love ! 

 

[jetcone]

Restoration took the whole winter

I broke down everything , even the timer motor, and cleaned lubed and rebuilt ! It had a factory defect which is why it died in 1957 ! The lowest transmission bolt had a bent head! This meant the gasket could not completely seal and so the  oil leaked very slowly out of the tranny, one day she just stopped, when I opened it up it was BONE DRY !  I ran the tranny with 50 oil and 50 Marvel Mystery Oil for cleaning up. Look at the crud it cleaned out in the cup !

I used Miller's oil formulated from the 1930s ! 

 

[jetcone]

This is a beautiful machine achievement

It was the first non bolt down for a front loader, it came with a steel cage frame so it's incredibly stable !  That also makes it a breeze to service and all the panels just bolt off !

 

[jetcone]

Here she is Running beautifully again

Doing laundry on a regular basis, I am so glad to have a Gyro back in the Stable, these machines clean as well as my 1-18 Jetcone washers !!

 

[ea56]

Congratulations on a job well done John! I remember these Bendix machines from my early childhood in the 50’s. Lot’s of homes had them then and they were popular machines.

Your restored Bendix Gyromatic is simply beautiful!

Eddie

 

[appnut]

WOW!!!!

 

[peteski50]

Bendix!

Jon Congratulations this is absolutely awsome
Best of Luck and Happy Washing
Peter

 

[Unimatic1140]

How Fun!

That looks so great Jon congratulations, was the boot from the UK?

 

[repairguy]

Congrats! It looks great.

 

[swestoyz]

Another Gyro humming along nicely! Glad you were able to save this one, and grateful for the crew that helped make it happen.

Ben

 

[DADoES]

 
Yay!

 

[appnut]

My parents bought their first house in May/June 1948 after my oldest sister was born and they bought the infamous Bendix so it had to be a 1948 model. Were all Bendix wassher by 1948 soft mount and didn't need bolting to the concrete garage floor? Just don't know which model that had.

 

[gansky1]

 

This is a really neat bit of history, good save!

 

The new boot looks great on the machine, tell us more.  It can't simply be a fashion accessory repurposed?

 

[300c]

Bendix -- 1948

Jon,

Very nice machine! What's the spin speed? (As I recall, the bolt-down model had a 360 RPM spinspeed, and by 1952 it was up to ~525 RPM.)

Larry

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

Congratulations! Looks beautiful!

 

[jetcone]

Hahha Greg & Robert

No the boot is not just a fashion statement and yes this is from my stock from the UK, fit like a glove ! The trick was the sealing at the door, only in'48 did they have this weird 3 part seal.I took a photo of it before we even moved the machine because I knew it would fall apart.  I repurposed the stainless steel ring you see in the original boot, to build up thickness between the panel and the door. To attach the lip of the boot permanently, with the help of Jason's suggestion, I was able to use a special 3M weather sealant to glue the boot to the ring. So far not a drop has leaked out !! 

 

[jetcone]

Here she sits all gussied up and purdy !

Very glad to have this baby up and running ! BTW thats new controlled sudsing Dash in there!  Cleans like the dickens !

 

 Thanks for all the comments ! 

 

[jetcone]

Double rinsing video

After DASH detergent use !

 

[golittlesport]

amazing restoration

Beautiful job Jon! Thanks for sharing! Happy New Year and happy washing!!

 

[mickeyd]

You're every where, Mister Obtanium ~

Look what popped up after your DASH-Gyro-rinsamatic! Spectacular, Jetcone!

Love your new baby momma, and I love Dash. Maybe you could send me a dime bag. LOL

Spied the spectacles atop your new object of desire, wondering if they're the same classic pair in this vid from 1998.

 

[jetcone]

Hey Rich & Mickey

So great to see you guys  pop up, it's been too long ! Thank you! 

 

Mikey yes that vid popped up today on my MAC, what a find ! And I forgot I was supposed to make a coffee table book too !! 

 

Shoot me your address and I'll send you a dime bag "fah shuah" ! 

 

[combo52]

1948 Bendix Gyromatic

With the automatic soap injector.

Wonderful job restoring this machine Jon really glad we went to all the work to pull it out of that old basement that poor house.

This was the same house that we pulled the nearly never used KDSS 17 dishwasher out of which Jason restored and will now live in the museum in the Great Wall of dishwashers.

You did a beautiful job, restoring this Bendix, was this the first year of the suspended machines?

Wondering John did you send any pictures of the restored machine to the lady who owned the house?

Happy washing now if only it would dry the clothing, lol

John L

 

[jetcone]

Hi JOhn

Yes I did send video to Martha,   she has responded 3 times since then cleaning out her Fathers papers I get some in the mail every few months, she also wants the machine back LOL !!! 

 

I hope she comes across the bill of sale her Dad saved everything, below there is a post about being wary and she sent that to me .

 

That basement was filthy did you realize it was coal fired for a very long time? Had coal dust all inside the Gyromatic . And that TURN We had to do at the top of the stairs !! OY !

 

 

[tallboyyyy]

Very cool!

I've seen your recent posts on YouTube of this machine. I'd love to see a full cycle video sometime if you have the time to shoot one. I did notice that in your 4th picture above it actually says the washer is a Bendix Gyramatic not Gyromatic. I don't know if you had noticed this. I don't mean to be the spelling police but this machine is so cool it deserves to be called by it's actual name. Congratulations on resurrecting this piece of history.

 

[jetcone]

Charley

Good eye 0n the spelling but Swestoyz and I have found both  spellings occur in early Bendix doctrine. Later its all Gyromatic