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Wow

Breathtaking. One of the most attractive washer pairs ever. I had no idea they ran that quietly when new.

SQ fluid drives in avocado and almond were what the college dorms had in my day in the early 1980s. They had been used nonstop around the clock, abused and massively overloaded, jammed countless times with socks that overflowed, so each one sounded and worked differently — and definitely not quietly and smoothly like that!

They made such a unique splash-splash sound!

What a jewel in a collection. Enjoy!
 
What a spectacular way to celebrate Monday Washday, Ben. Actually breath-taking. What a glorious Speed Queen, the big lighted dials reminiscent of Blackstone Royalist's. Didn't know about the exuberant double overflow rinse, such a treat, and the vigorous iconic Speed Queen turnover with those steep fins and high-riding vanes.

I loved the free-spinning tub in the first vid. Haven't seen that before, but mind the little girl, LOL.

So much work, not to mention the writing which had to have taken hours alone to accomplish, but knowing your tech genius, there's probably one of those new IA scripting robots doing it for you, (laughs).

You have no equal Ben, period!
 
WOWZERS...

Those cleaned up amazingly! I love all the options on the washer, wash & rinse temps, agitate & spin speeds. And I have to say, I really enjoyed the added short clip of the agitation with the lint filter accessory attached on the agitator. It made the agitation sound like a different washing machine was chugging away.

Oh man, you did an OUTTA SIGHT restoration on that Speed Queen set. They look brand new!

An honorable Salute to 1967!
(✌️&❤)
😘
 
Amazing, speed, queen, washer and dryer restoration Ben

I have certainly never had a speed queen washer that far apart from that vintage we have a 1968 middle of the line washer in the museum that we put the 800 RPM spin Poleon but never seem to spend that fast but it was a big improvement.

It’s amazing what you found out about oils, my brother, Jeff discovered back in the 70s that when we had a Speed Queen fluid drive washer that wasn’t spinning fast enough he would take half a bottle of zoom spout oil and squirt it into the clutch and it seem to help a lot.

It’s also amazing what you found out about transmission oil thickness, he’s older transmissions, needed a pretty heavy oil. They weren’t made for light oil, Maytag’s also needed heavy oil. Maytag did not even use helical cut gears like about every other washer so they would have noise issues. That’s why they use the plastic pinion gear to quiet them down a little bit

Yes, getting the transmission out of the Speed Queen was one of the few easy things to do to it, Ge Filter Flow is still the easiest washer to change a transmission in for a vintage machine and of course a newer whirlpool direct drive washer you can change the transmission in 15 or 20 minutes in those .

These old Speed Queen dryers were certainly built like a tank I think only this dryer and the old Norge dryer‘s. You could actually fill them with rocks and could tumble them without harming the machine.

I never felt that the Speed Queen dryers the few that I used were all that fast, but they certainly were built well and they used to be used commercially and they would just go on and on and on

When you do these restorations you should check in with me. I have a lot of new parts for the both the washer and dryer that I would’ve been happy to send you. I think I even have new cans of transmission oil for speed queen washers. I will never use this stuff . The other guy that’s really good with these is Bob Salem in Cleveland. He knows more about Speed Queen washers than anybody else that I know still living except for you now as well lol and he has lots of parts for these that he would be happy to send on to others

Can’t wait to see you tear into that Kenmore combo.

John
 
Thank you for the kind comments, everyone! I smiled reading through all the comments knowing that the set has made many of you as happy as they have made me. 
smiley-laughing.gif


 

The more I learn about what goes on with restoring them makes me appreciate them so much more

Henry - When I first found this site back in August 2004 I would marvel over Robert's 1957 Lady K restoration photo guide, and walked through it several dozen times over the following years.  I told myself then that if he could do that I knew eventually I could do the same.  And thus, a passion ensued.  

 

Who would have thought that regular 3 in 1 oil would provide superior results?

 

Dan - certainly not me, or at least not before I figured out what the actual viscosity of the 3-In-One was.  There are a few pneumatic tool oils that fall in the 15 to 20 range that I would have liked to have tried but time was starting to run out during the testing phase.  Maybe the next collector could give a few a whirl.  You should pick up a bottle of GL-1 90w oil.  I would love to hear your thoughts.

 

the writing which had to have taken hours alone to accomplish

 

Mike - oh goodness, the time!  LOL  I learned with the Bendix restoration write-up that it is easier and better to write the full thread offline, over the course of several days.  It provides the time to make necessary edits, revisions, and additions, however it appears I would still benefit from a true editor. :)

 

I really enjoyed the added short clip of the agitation with the lint filter accessory attached on the agitator

 

Christina - I'm so glad you caught that small clip!  The filter dramatically changes the sound, especially for partial loads where the turbulence can be drastic. 

 

Can’t wait to see you tear into that Kenmore combo

 

John - me too!  There is a basement laundry room restoration and 5 other machines that need small attention before I get into the full teardown of the '71 LK combo.   It's the next big one and I'm looking forward to collaborating with you and John E on that one.

 

Ben
 
Hi Ben, as usual great restoration and documenting the restoration as well.

So I was curious after reading what you went through for the spin speed. I just tested my 1952 Speed Queen which also has the commercial spin pulley installed. After about 90 seconds of warm up time (it was the first time it was run in nearly 3 months) it reached full speed of 725.6 rpm. What I remember doing was I simply kept squirting zoom spout oil into the fluid drive until the proper speed was reached. At one point I put too much oil in and it popped the motor protector, so I removed a bit of the oil until the machine worked properly without popping the protector. I have no clue as to the actual amount of oil that in there now.

I would like to do a thorough restoration on my SQ as well and your information will certainly help.
 
Hi, Robert! Your reply inspired me to run down in the basement and check what the current RPM is, now that I've run about a dozen loads through the washer.

I'm not sure if it is belt break-in, the fluid drive having more actual washing break-in time, the lack of turbulence on a now not exposed wash tub, or a combination of the three, but the RPM is now clocking in at a blazing 750+ RPM! I thought towels were starting to feel Rollermatic dry.  
smiley-cool.gif
  This is with ~ 8 oz of 3-In-One oil in the fluid drive.

Ben

swestoyz-2023031411180605814_1.jpg
 
Very cool Ben, now that's more like it! I will try 3-in-Oil vs zoom spout too when I rebuild my Speed Queen.

Question were the original belts all cogged belts? I noticed that the cogged belts I used are nosier in comparison to standard belts, you can especially hear it during the final spin coast period after the cycle is completed. I've tried belt-dressing but that only works for a few wash loads and the the squeaking belt noise comes back. I was wondering if the transmission and pump drive belts are supposed to be non-cogged? I should look at some service manuals and see what they have installed.
 
I've seen both cogged and non cogged OEM Speed Queen/RSPC labeled belts, as well as aftermarket A style belts that are cogged but are not AX belts (AX belts are a bit taller). In fact, the belts that came off the '67 were original and were also cogged.

Here's the clip of the bench test and the belts are no nosier than what I recall hearing on other SQs where I've installed non cogged A style belts. The quality of the belt also may factor into the noise as well. The Continental belts have a finer tooth pattern than the chunkier aftermarket versions and are a closer match to the OEM 20186/20895. These belts are by far the nicest replacement belts I've used on a washer.



Picture one - OEM Speed Queen 20186 bottom, after market 20816 top, both cogged but the OEM belt is an AX belt

Picture two - OEM Speed Queen 20895 left, Continental AX23 right, both are AX style belts

Ben

swestoyz-2023031413255007270_1.jpg

swestoyz-2023031413255007270_2.jpg
 
swestoyz/Ben...

 "I'm so glad you caught that small clip!  The filter dramatically changes the sound, especially for partial loads where the turbulence can be drastic."

The way the sound changed with the lint filter on the agitator, it reminded me of how my Maytags sound different when they are chugging away, with the highest water level, and I take out the fabric softener dispenser cup from the top of the agitator.
There's a spurt of water that shoots up while the machine is agitating, from the center-hole that drains the fabric softener down into the agitator barrel.
It sort of reminds me of an old percolator coffee pot.

Can you imagine all the different sounds the machines would make if they were all chugging away in the same room, at the same time?
1. Your Speed Queen with the lint filter in place,
2. My Maytag minus fabric softens dispenser cup, with high water level,
3. A Norge burpolator,
4. A GE Filter-Flo.

Of course all the lids would have to be opened during agitation
🤔🤪😄
 
Ben,

You've shared several stories and videos over the years about your restoration projects.  All excellent, by the way.  And you frequently talk about your machines being daily drivers.  My question is - who does laundry for your household?  If someone other than yourself, are they instructed on the proper 'use and care' of each machine?

 

lawrence
 
Laundry in the Swestka house

Hi Lawrence, great questions. Overall I own the task of most laundry that isn't related to my wife Savannah's clothes, as she takes care of her stuff on her own. That leaves all bedding, towels, and clothes between myself and my daughter.

As for my use of the term 'daily driver'. Through some self reflection I may use that term a bit more so than is probably the case, however the Speed Queen dryer has been in use now by everyone for the last year or so. The balance of the washer collection does get used by me a few times throughout a month as I do try to rotate through machines so they aren't totally idle. The goal can be tricky to achieve with 15 washers currently hooked up at the ready, and often when a machine has just been restored I'll naturally gravitate towards the novelty of using something new. Savannah uses a 1-18 and A712 and we both use the SQ dryer, DG712, and Neptune 7500 dryers. The Miele Little Giant and Neptune washer are on hand for those days where I don't have the time to watch over the older stuff.

Ben
 

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