A Royal Restoration - Summer of Love Speed Queens!

[chestermikeuk]

Speed Queen Renovation

Hello Ben , another outstanding renovation of the 1967 Speed Queen set, fabulous set now to enjoy them in all their glory.

We picked up a load of spares from a repair shop closing down and have found a fluid drive, motor pump etc which is for a 70`s commercial Speed Queen, looks very similar to yours, now to find the washer .

Question: What year was the first Speed Queen Automatic Top loader Produced >

and - What year was the first Speed Queen produced with a perforated Spin Tub not solid ?

Cheers, Mike

 

[rinso]

WOW! Solenoid slamming sounds are definitely a sweet sound from the past. Norge and Maytag AMP mechanisms treated us to this experience as well. I always thought that a fluid drive AKA a viscous drive was a great idea and should have been used by more manufacturers. They can help solid clutches to last a lot longer, or eliminate them from being a point of slippage.

 

[swestoyz]

SQ Questions from across the pond

Mike - thank you for the kind words! And nice save on commercial parts. You never know when a Queen may show up!

To answer your questions, the first year Speed Queen made their first automatic, the A10, was either late 1952 or early 1953. I'm not completely certain on a date. What is fascinating that SQ kept the overall design the exact same, minus the reversing motor and washtub capacity changes in '70 for domestic machines, all the way up until 1980. From there on out the perforated tubs were here to stay and the US lost it's last solid tub maker.

Ben

 

[foraloysius]

That's a Royal restoration indeed! Magnificent. Since I became familiar with American washers I got a soft spot for Speed Queen. This set is lovely with all the separate settings through the four small controls. Thank you for the video, that agitator looks to have decided to get that load really clean!

 

[swestoyz]

Update ----

An eBay auction popped up yesterday for two cans of Franklin gearcase oil for a Speed Queen automatic, part number 2528F. Franklin Oil sold aftermarket gear oil for several appliance brands, including Maytag, Frigidaire, and Whirlpool. This was the first time I had seen a Franklin can of oil for SQ.

The cans were labeled as one fill, and also had printed that it contained 24 ounces of oil! So, we finally have official confirmation of the amount of oil that the SQ/Beam transmissions should be filled with, matching the assumption I had made when rebuilding the transmission.

Hard to believe it's been two years since the washer restoration was completed. It is still going strong, no leaks or adjustments have been needed.

Ben

 

[repairguy]

Thanks for the update Ben. Glad to hear the machines are still going strong. My set is waiting patiently for restoration. Glad you found the capacity of the gearcase and shared that useful information.

 

[nashmaytagbear]

WOW! Backlit panels and lighted dryer drum! I'm totally jealous Ben! Awesome Job!

 

[tomturbomatic]

All of this McGraw Hill talk has made me wonder what was the brand name of the air conditioners they produced. When I was about 12 or so, there was a new bank in our shopping center that was in a building like a portable classroom. It had two big through the wall air conditioners that were made by McGraw Hill according to the medallions on the cabinets , but I think there was a name on them other than McGraw Hill or maybe not. It was long ago.

Our neighbor had a dryer similar to Ben's. It broke down at some point and the dealer took it to repair, but seemed to have lost it so, after a year, she demanded a WP since her washer was WP and she had wanted a WP when she bought the SQ, but did not have the guts to demand a WP and got sold the SQ. It had a drum like yours, Ben.

 

[circlew]

Evidently you mean McGraw-Edison, as McGraw-Hill is a book publishing company. Their air conditioner and dehumidifier brand was Thomas A. Edison.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Thanks, Tom.

 

[jetcone]

So fun

To see this thread popup again right after your most recent Rollermatic project. Tweaked my hip this am and am mostly char bound and I got nicely lost in the videos, actually glad it slowed me down from twirling around the place ! 

I think my Zen kicked in ! 

 

 

Again beautiful job Ben !