1959 Kenmore - Restoration

[swestoyz]

Hey gang!
 
I know I've been quiet lately, but it doesn't mean I haven't been lurking in the basement, working and tweaking on different appliances hiding down there.  In fact, there is SO much down there, that some stuff needs to go! 
 
That's where this 1959 Kenmore Eighty comes into play.  After bringing home the '59 Lady Kenmore set earlier this year, I don't have a need for TWO 1959 model Kenmore washers, so I made the quick decision that this one had to go.
 
Here she is, back in 2007.

 

[swestoyz]

BUT - before I felt comfortable shipping it off to a new owner, I knew that I had to replace the transmission. This is what it sounded like before:

post was last edited: 12/31/2013-20:01]

 

[swestoyz]

Here she is, from the bottom side, back in November.

 

[swestoyz]

Trans out. Note - this machine had a nice quiet spin, but we're about to see that she wasn't quite perfect where it matters. Notice the slight rust on the spin tube where it would align with the upper bearing seal.

 

[swestoyz]

Second issue -

After pulling the basket drive, I spotted a shattered t-bearing! What could have caused that? I have my theories, and we'll get to that in a bit.

I staged the fragment along the agitator shaft, but notice the rest of it laying about on the transmission.

 

[swestoyz]

The first project was to rebuild the basket drive, by installing a new spin tube. I had never taken one of these apart, so I photographed the process.

First, remove the 5/32" set screw.[this post was last edited: 12/31/2013-20:02]

 

[swestoyz]

Next I removed the top of the brake.

 

[swestoyz]

Next, I removed the clip to free up the bottom of the brake lining.

 

[swestoyz]

Next, you can remove the bottom brake lining, freeing up the yoke.

 

[swestoyz]

Once the yoke is removed, the clutch will lift off, leaving the drive pulley.

 

[swestoyz]

Now, things are a bit accelerated here, but this is the drive pulley, after being removed from the spin tube. A ring retainer and thrust bearing are removed to free the pulley, but I'll get to that during the re-assembly. Notice the bad scoring of the bearing. This is not a good thing!

The mating area of the spin tube was also in pretty bad shape as well.[this post was last edited: 12/31/2013-20:03]

 

[swestoyz]

I was stuck between a rock and a hard place at this point. I didn't want to re-use the drive pulley with a bad bearing on an NOS spin tube, and I didn't want to use a 1971 and later drive pulley (which I had plenty around) because I wanted to retain the earlier clutch design.

The only logical solution was to source the NLA bearing for the drive pulley. I got lucky and found a place that had two on the shelf.

After waiting a week or so for one to arrive, here I am pressing out the old bearing. I used a 2" socket to hold the pulley, and I drove the old bearing out with a 1" socket.

 

[swestoyz]

Once the bearing was removed, I was able to reverse the process and press in a new one.

 

[swestoyz]

Here's the fresh bearing installed. MUCH BETTER! Bearing PN was 16033, and it was used on both versions of the drive pulley up until the end.

 

[swestoyz]

Time to reassemble the basket drive! When I ordered the new bearing I ordered two new thrust bearings. A bearing goes on each side of the pulley when installed on the spin tube. Make sure to lubricate the new bearing with plenty of 3:1 Motor Oil or Zoom Spout Oil.

 

[swestoyz]

Ok, here is where things were wonky when I took the basket drive apart. It was totally missing the retaining clip and the upper thrust bearing! I suspect that the pulley was floating on the spin tube, and possibly caused the spin tube to lift higher than designed and crushed the T-bearing below. It still amazes me that the washer had a pretty decent sounding spin! I guess you never know the true condition of things until you tear them apart.

Here I've scavenged a retaining clip from another basket drive, but they are available from most fastener and industrial suppliers (1-1/8 size Crescent Retaining Ring, Grainger PN is 5CU51).[this post was last edited: 12/31/2013-20:04]

 

[swestoyz]

The rest of the basket drive assembly is the reverse of the dis-assembly. The only tricky part is getting the set screw lined up with the hole in the spin tube. I used a Sharpy to mark the location of the hole, which allowed me to line things up using the reference point.

Here is the replacement transmission and rebuilt basket drive assembly, all ready to go! I used a 1978 and later transmission. John mentioned that these are good donors as the agitator shaft wears at a much lower point than the earlier ones, making them good donors for 1977 and earlier standard capacity machines. I also used the later white plastic T-bearing, in place of the broken bronze one.

 

[swestoyz]

The center post on the machine was also pretty beat up, so I used a spare center post/base plate that I had laying around. I coated the center post with POR-15, and installed new bearings.

 

[swestoyz]

After swapping in the replacement base plate, the new transmission was ready to go in. Notice I upgraded the plumbing by installing a 1961 and later drain trap. A new 4 port pump was also installed, along with a new belt.

The motor pulley was seized on the shaft, denying access to the centrifugal switch, but I was able to lubricate the bearings.[this post was last edited: 12/31/2013-20:06]

 

[swestoyz]

Here she is, ready for the wash tub to be installed.

I had broken the plastic dome in the hose dome assembly. Thankfully I found a supplier that still had one the shelf. After doing some research, it seems that they changed to the all plastic dome assembly in 1969.[this post was last edited: 12/31/2013-19:34]

 

[swestoyz]

Here she is, almost ready for some wash! Note the 1 year, 1 model only softener dispenser. I had to bi-pass it as the hose is starting to dry-rot. The solenoid is still hooked up so you can hear it engage right after the first spin.

 

[swestoyz]

Glamor shots!

 

[swestoyz]

More glam!

Note it has an NOS replacement filter cartridge. It really catches the lint!

 

[swestoyz]

Final glam!

Note the 1959 Kenmore's were the last to have the 4 holed tubs. The tub in this machine isn't perfect, but it still is nice. I borrowed the scrubber cap off the '59 Lady K. The scrubber cap that will go with this machine is missing some of the nubs.

 

[swestoyz]

AND.... I threw together a film. Enjoy!

It might be one of the quietest, non Quiet-Pak, belt drive Whirlpool/Kenmore washers I've heard.



It's not quite 1080p HD, but it should look great at 720p.[this post was last edited: 12/31/2013-20:07]

 

[swestoyz]

Here's the model tag. It seems this girl has had some engineering changes noted by the 03 in the model number.

 

[swestoyz]

I'm sure I missed something, but that's all folks! She will be for sale soon, once I get a few finishing touches done. I'll post in the Shoppers Square when ready.

Ben

 

[kenmoreguy64]

GREAT job Ben, it really looks as though you have all the bases covered here for lots of service to come from this machine.

Using a 1978 and newer gearcase in a pre-1978 machine really is an excellent thing to do. Not only is the agitator shaft essentially all-new where it counts when swapped this way, it allows parts to be re-used which otherwise can be questionable when used again in a post 1978 machine (those grooves on the shaft can prematurely wear-down new seals if the seal winds up in the same or nearly same spot). Agitator shafts are getting hard to find, so this is a great way to recycle them without using NOS parts.

Great score on the NOS filter - it realy jazzes up the appearance of the machine.

Question - was that an original metal pump? I'm surprised it survived all this time in the machine, but probably well past time for the new one. I can't see from the pics, but if the pump bolts don't have the washers with them, you'll want to add them. For some time in the 70s and 80s, WP/FSP was including two washers to be added to original bolts with their new pumps in case they were used in original metal bodied installations. The plastic pump needs these washers to be fully secure when installed.

Someone will surely be glad to acquire this great machine for their collection. It looks ready to wash up the great un-washed!

Gordon

 

[swestoyz]

Hey Gordon, I was hoping you'd chime in. Yes, I love the idea of recycling later transmissions on earlier machines, and visa versa (if needed). I also liked the idea of having a transmission that was full of honey-looking oil, and it also has a tight agitator shaft seal. No leaks!

Thanks for the tip on the pump bolts. I used the pump bolts from the '78 and later trans as I do recall the washers on the bolts. I was shocked to see the metal pump still in use. When I first got this machine the pump was working fine, and worked even back in 2011 when I filmed the 'Pissy Kenmore' clip. But, it was frozen solid when I tore the machine apart. I may take it apart and see if I can free it up and throw a new seal in it. Or maybe it will just collect dust in the parts bin.

You know I'm a Maytag guy, but I've got to admit, I do like working on these washers. They are a lot of fun!

Ben

 

[hippiedoll]

you did an amazing job!!!

that is one pretty looking machine. i love how the letters light up in the dial knob. and it seems to run sooo smooth now. you did an "OUTTA SIGHT" job on this washer!!!

thank you for sharing the great pictures & 2 videos.