1962 WDA-62 Restoration ......

[sfh074]

Hi Ben .....

to answer your question about the belt tension:

reply #5 of this old thread .....

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?67672

A bit long winded but thorough. Jeez, I wrote all that?

As for the springs, I had some yellow chromate plating solution left over from a Rochester Quadrajet restoration I did a few years ago. Here is the solution I'm talking about:

https://www.caswellplating.com/yellow-chromate.html[this post was last edited: 3/12/2020-20:37]

 

[sfh074]

Little bit further .......

Almost done!

Got the control panel background mounted and the new timer knob installed. The only part I had to send out for chrome plating was the center piece to the timer knob. In a previous picture you can see how badly pitted it was. If we ever get a sunny day (supposed to rain till Sunday. ..ugh), I'll roll it outside and get some high quality photos. The basement lighting is not photo friendly and tends to distort colors, as below.

 

[jetcone]

You have done

an Amazing job Bud! My first Frigidaire was a 1963! What a job! Gotta see that in person someday!! Factory Fresh !!!   Can't wait for the Video!! Smarty Pants to change the mechanism bearings thats just how these units failed and blew the motor! A lot of stress on those bearings.

 

[sfh074]

Almost forgot about the ......

<span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">belt pulley bearings. Found sealed replacement bearings for the NLA bearings and swapped those out after blasting and re-plating the pulleys. You don't need a shop press to do this but easier if you have access to one.</span>

 

 

<span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">New pump seal and some plating work for the pump parts as well.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bud - Atlanta</span>

 

 

 

[DADoES]

 
Envious of folks who have skills to do a restoration of this caliber.

 

[jetcone]

Wow I love the whole thing!

This machine is gonna hum!!!

 

 

[tomturbomatic]

How did you transfer the old cycle markings from the old knob to the new one?

 

[sfh074]

Hi Tom ....

The knob is a 2 piece design. The inner portion has the markings and was in really good condition. No fading. The outer portion took the brunt of the weather.

When you pull the knob out, the inner part will engage and spins with the outer to set the cycle. Push the knob in and the outer simply freewheels .... and starts the timer.

 

[vacman1961]

OMG, what a beautiful and thorough restoration, great job.

 

[swestoyz]

Bud, I somehow had missed your original post about the belts. If AW supported categorical stickies I'd motion to make the Multimatic belt post one of the first honorary posts!

Wow; again top notch work. The fact that you even plated the pulleys speaks volumes on your attention to detail. A shame GM didn't spend the extra few bucks on sealed bearings on those, it would have saved many a washer back in the day.

Ben[this post was last edited: 3/17/2020-13:24]

 

[sfh074]

I agree ......

bearing manufacturing has changed a lot since then. The bearing itself hasn't changed much but the seals and synthetic grease that doesn't absorb water has. I've learned the hard way to substitute synthetic grease wherever possible because all petroleum based grease loves to latch onto water and literally sucks humidity out of the air.

I once rebuilt a transaxle on a 58 vw beetle that had 200k+ miles on it and was absolutely astounded at the ball bearings that they used. The bearings were in near perfect shape and just a hint of wear. Their longevity was attributed to great metallurgy and never coming into contact with water and of course proper lubrication. Just shows how long a bearing can last if it has the proper environment and correct sizing for the job.

As for these pulley bearings, they would have lasted if there had been a water tight seal. But back then the manufacturer called them "dust shields" and it did little to keep water out or the grease in. I've encountered 6 sets (12) of these pulleys now, and every one of them was lacking grease and rusted. Made for some pretty crunchy sounding bearings. One of them completely locked up and burnt the belt in two.

 

[sfh074]

The easy way .....

<span style="font-size: 14pt;">to add the transmission oil. Notice how small the oil port is in the trans to get the oil thru. The tubing barely fits.</span>

<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span>

<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Ebay sells these 1 liter "kangaroo feeding bags" (I didn't name it!) that are identical to any IV bag you see at the hospital. However these have a large mouth and plug at the top that allows you to add any liquid. Three of them are like $6 and when you add the required 26 ozs of oil to it, it reads exactly 800 mL on the side markings.  It comes with about 4' of tubing but you will only need about a foot. Get you a quart of 30 weight non-detergent and you are good to go.  Hang the bag as shown and let gravity do the work.  I sped the process up a bit by adding some rubber bands around to help force the oil out. Easy peasy and no mess.</span>

 

[jetcone]

Bud this is what I use

to great success!!   Royal Purple, it is a little $$ but when Im restoring a machine like my Charcoal Frigidaire I want the best. I just saw this is a synthetic too! I never knew there was a difference in moisture retention in grease! Good lesson thanks!!

Find Your Perfect Match: Premium Synthetic Oil by Royal Purple

Our sole mission is to develop products that significantly outperform other synthetic and mineral based oils for consumer and industrial applications.

www.royalpurple.com

 

[sfh074]

I should clarify .....

the term grease I used in my previous reply. Older petroleum based grease and oil had a tendency but very miniscule, hydroscopic effect. Older grease technology added different ingredients to make them more sticky so as to stay in place on faster moving mechanisms. One of those ingredients was soap. Soap based grease was a mainstay used in high speed gears and bearings assemblies. Over time it was notorious to absorb moisture because of these additives. Modern day grease now contains non hydroscopic additives in petroleum based lubricants. And full synthetic had replaced petroleum altogether.

 

[askolover]

I just love looking at this type of restoration.  I wish I had a good garage or workshop where I could do more myself.  Amazing.  Too bad ALL those old machines couldn't have been collected and reworked one by one and re-used.

 

[sfh074]

Couple of more items .....

added to the restoration ...... in between all the other honey-do list.

 

I recreated 3 of the paper labels that were on the exterior of the WDA-62 when shipped from the factory.  Two of them were on the back of the machine, and one on the power cord.

 

And again it is dark and rainy, making the basement lighting non-conducive for photography.  But here is a sneak peek with lousy pictures.  Like I said before, on a sunny day I'll take the finished product outside and get some HD photos to post.

 

[sfh074]

One neat tip ....

if you ever feel the need to clean and make the 3-prongs on the power cord look like new, shiny brass can once again be had by soaking the prongs in "Lime-A-Way". It took about 30 minutes and the end result takes the dark oxidation completely off. Once satisfied with the results, soak the plug in water to neutralize the cleaner.

 

[hippiedoll]

Wow...

You get down to every little detail. It's gonna be just like stepping back in time, buying this Frigidaire WDA-62 washer brand new, and bringing it back with you to the present day!
This is too cool!
I love it!

You're doing what many of us wish we could do with things from back in the day (toys, cars, vacuums, washers, etc.)!

Keep up the GREAT work Bud!
)

 

[swestoyz]

Bud - the labels look great! Can't say many of the plug labels have showed up over the years, so it's pretty great you were able to re-create one. Are you planning on slathering glue over the cabinet labels, or leave them pristine white?

Ben

 

[sfh074]

LOL ......

I was wondering if anyone was going to ask that! So I had to guess at the glue they originally used and went with some of the kids glue paste that I remembered from grade school. Walmart had it for a dollar!

And yes, I smeared it on with a 1" brush around the perimeter. Maybe in 20 years it will start to charge colors and turn that familiar tan ..... just like the original.

And I got lucky. One of the old machines had most of a power cord tag still in place used as the reference for the new one.

Bud - Atlanta