1968 (?) Frigidaire Custom Deluxe Dishmobile

[thatwasherguy]

Hi everyone! My great aunt has this gorgeous shaded Coppertone Frigidaire dishmobile dishwasher. I love the cabinets that surround it. Vintage appliances go well with vintage cabinets IMO. Anyways, I have searched this site for information on it, but have found very little. Does anyone have a picture of one of these without paint covering up the control panel decals, or a video of one running? Sadly, I can't run this one, as it caught fire years ago when it was started while the water was turned off and a bunch of rags were inside it. (My great aunt uses it for storage.) Other than a small scorched spot, it doesn't look too bad, though. If it were mine, I'd attempt to run it, as I've always wondered what it would sound like. I'm also wondering how much it would have cost new, and when it was made. I believe it was 1968, but I'm not completely sure about that. It's model number is DW-CDMN, and it's serial number is 93VB0165.
Thanks,
Thatwasherguy

 

[goatfarmer]

"N" is 1968

 

[thatwasherguy]

Great!

Thanks for that! That was what I was thinking, but I wasn’t 100%. That would make sense, as she moved into the house in 1969, and had the machine for a short time at her other house.
Thanks,
Thatwasherguy.

 

[steved]

Convertible

That model number indicates that this was originally a portable model that was converted to a built in. I have a little info on the built in version.

 

[philcobendixduo]

A Home My Parents....

.....had built in 1969 had the model DW-CIUN dishwasher in coppertone.
First house the family owned with a dishwasher.
The range was the "Compact 30" with self-cleaning oven (which meant no window on the door).
The range hood was a Broan with 3 speed fan and pushbutton controls.

 

[thatwasherguy]

Thanks for the replies everyone! By the way, would this dishwasher have been made by General Motors or D&M? I know that D&M made some Frigidaire dishwashers back in the day, but I am unsure if they made this one.

Steved...
Thank you SO MUCH for that info! That was EXACTLY what I was looking for. I really enjoy vintage appliance brochures, as they highlight all of the differences between the various models that can seem similar. I'll definitely show it to my great aunt when I'm in NC this summer.

philcobendixduo...
That's super cool! I bet that was a fun dishwasher to own. By the way, what did it sound like? I found a video of a 1968 Frigidaire portable top-load model, and was wondering if it sounded anything like it.

Thanks,
Thatwasherguy.

 

[appnut]

This dishwasher was pure GM.

 

[philcobendixduo]

Video of top load portable.....

.....seems to have the same controls and lights as the TOL built-in model.
The description of the video says that it was made by D&M but I have my doubts.
1969 was a LONG time ago and I don't have any memories of what it sounded like.
I just remember the cool pushbutton cycle selection and the lights that showed the cycle progress.
Also the little "mini wash arm" that revolved on one end of the main wash arm.

 

[appnut]

The above video of the top load Frigidaire portable dishwasher is made by D&M and used Frigidaire's racks. SuperSurge dishwashers weren't as noisey as this portable dishwasher. Frigidaire motors were a little bit quieter and had a unique sound washing. It did "surge" and in some ways sounded like it was cavitating. The music director at my church when I was 13 years old through age 26+ had the build in Custom Deluxe version of the dishwasher that's subject of this thread. I loaded that dishwasher countless times. I definitely BobLoaded it as it as a family of 6 plus who else was around for meals. It held a ton of dishes and pots/pans. The dishwasher was about 3 years old by the time I showed up on the scene. This was the first Frigidaire dishwasher I saw that wasn't a Spin Tube. It washed better than a Spin Tube but not as good as our Waste King or Roto Rack Kenmore. Because I didn't understand what Super Surge was, I turned the timer dial around and added fill time to the wash or rinse period to the point the over fill switch in the bottom turned off the water before it over filled. It didn't wash any better and still sounded as if it was cavitating (gasping) for water to circulate, but that was the "surge" action.