A visit to the "appliance Junkyard" in Phoenix (actually Glendale, AZ)

[revvinkevin]

Last week I drove from LA to Phoenix to drop off a few machines and bring back a few machines (in the other threads). Gordon (KenmoreGuy64) also came to Phoenix and we met up to visit this "junkyard" together.

This is actually a appliance sales and repair business and the owners (Lee & wife B.J.) feel they don't need to scrap every unwanted machine they pick up or take in trade, especially since they just happen to have the room for them. They ARE aware there are people like use out there who like and appreciate the vintage machines and because of that, they are usually accommodating if you ask them nicely (hehe).

This is not quite like Aberdeen Farm... but it is still pretty cool!

Now for the photos.......

 

[revvinkevin]

It would seem like a majority are of the Kenmore/Whirlpool family....

 

[revvinkevin]

Hmmm... who can that be looking at the machines.....???

 

[revvinkevin]

[No message]

 

[revvinkevin]

There are also Maytags............

 

[revvinkevin]

GE, Hotpoint.........

 

[revvinkevin]

There are also dishwashers.......

 

[revvinkevin]

... and stoves, refrigerators, etc....

 

[frontaloadotmy]

Oh that looks fun!!

Stoves too. Any refers? DWs?

 

[revvinkevin]

...and even modern machines! I almost forgot to mention they also have a number of Frigidaire 1-18 machines... both WITH the lid in the window and without!

 

[revvinkevin]

Yes there are Friges and DW's too!

I did see a vintage chest freezer there, Frigidaire I think (but don't remember).

One pair I was surprised to see there was an old Hotpoint set!

 

[revvinkevin]

I was VERY tempted to bring the washer home... because it's a SOLID TUB! But ultimately I did not because I didn't have room in the truck!
DARNIT!!!!

 

[revvinkevin]

And there is an old "frog eye" dryer!

 

[revvinkevin]

A 1961 Lady Kenmore?

 

[revvinkevin]

A cool old WP dryer with a window!

 

[revvinkevin]

There is this Hotpoint that looks EXACTLY like the Frigidaire Flair!

 

[revvinkevin]

And finally........

One machine I (literally) rescued from the dumpster and brought home was this 1967 Kenmore, full size portable!
(watch for another thread about it)

 

[spankomatic]

Way cool! Thanks for posting the photos!

Jim

 

[DADoES]

That Whirly dryer is not old enough (per the console) to have that window door. Must be a mutt, LOL.

 

[chaskelljr2]

RevvinKevin

Thanks for posting those pictures of you and Gordon's excursion out there Glendale, Arizona.

But I must say that if you are a Kenmore fan just like you and Gordon are (and myself too), then you all (and me too, had I gone) would've had a field day out there. I never saw SO MANY Whirlpools and Kenmores lined up together like that. And in the first photo, I actually saw a 1976 Lady Kenmore and a 1976 #2 Kenmore in the same photo. It's kind of like what you would've saw at Sears many years ago when the machines were brand new.

I also see that there are a lot of 1997 Frigidaire Gallery Front Loaders and Maytag Neptunes out there as well as well as the back of a 1986-89 Lady Kenmore Direct-Drive.

But the one that touched my heart more than anything (and Thank God you were smart enough to bring it home) was that 1967-73 Kenmore Portable Washer. I never knew that those came in other colors other than White. The one I saw was avacado. We had one of those in my family as well. My Aunt (my father's sister) had this machine. She got hers in 1970, and I guess it lasted until the mid 1980's, because my Grandmother ended up with after my Aunt tossed it aside for her because she (meaning my Aunt) needed a bigger washer later on, and she ended up getting a 1973 Large Capacity Model 600 (with all the controls in the center of the console). If you could revive that portable, I would be very grateful.

Again....... thanks for ALL of those photos. If you were a Kenmore fan that day, visiting that Appliance Yard is kind of like being a kid inside a candy store. I've never seen SO MANY Whirlpools and Kenmores lined up together.

--Charles--

 

[christfr]

now that looks like a good time...fun for days

 

[gyrafoam]

That Hotpoint is RARE, but the years in the Arizona sun have certainly left it "well done". Sorry, couldn't resist.
The unfortunate thing is that the longer those machines bake in that sun the more things will cook. A shame.
Must have been a very interesting expedition.

 

[yogitunes]

HOLY FREAKIN WOW! ... I wouldn't know where to start...like they said...a kid in a candystore...

 

[combo52]

Whirlpool window dryer doors

Whirlpool used window doors on some of its gas dryers through the LXG...... models 1972-3 they were sold through gas company etc

 

[bajaespuma]

Well, now I know where I'm going for my next vacation.

Do you have an address and any other contact information for these wonderful people? Would they be inclined to sell and ship parts that they have?

 

[revvinkevin]

Yes I have the contact info of course! E-mail me. Will they ship things? Somehow I really doubt it.

 

[davek]

Portable & Weather

I think it's kind of funny the affection that people around here have for portables (dish and clothes washers). They're expensive to buy new, they turn cheap when sold used, and then the collectors here have a lot of affection for them later. Good luck with the portable. Considering portables were less likely to be hidden than regular machines, it's a wonder there weren't more of them in designer colors. I guess the fact that they built so few would figure into that. When a machine is a color other than white, is the color painted over the porcelain top, or is the porcelain that color, too?

Aside from the problems that caused these machines' initial retirement, what parts could likely be robbed from one that's spent a while outside? It seems that the upward-turned typical Whirlpool controls would just funnel water straight to the control switches, so those would be bad. The underside would be constantly exposed to moisture, so motors could go bad, too. Tubs might see a steady diet of rainwater, so they could rust. Did I miss anything? It wouldn't take long before there wouldn't be a whole lot worth robbing from one, right?

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Charles, et al....

We had a blast there, and Kevin noted that at least once I looked like I didn't know what to look at next, as if in "overload" mode.

I had some advance knowledge of what was there waiting for me, and had made some plans regarding what machines I wanted, etc. Later I had changed that to be only one or two. Ha! That lasted less than 30 minutes once I got there. By the time we left, there were 12 to 14 machines that had a yellow post-it-note on them, meaning that I wanted them to set the machines aside for me. I can transport them from Phoenix to Charlotte largely for free, so I figured "what the heck". One machine that really intrigues me is a 1979 TOL (mechanical timer) Kenmore suds-saver machine. I've not seen one in person like that, and it was/is pristine. There is also a nice 1966 Kenmore 600 that looks plausible.

Regarding the portable - I will let Kevin do the post on that machine, but we got it back to L.A. late Friday night and worked on it for hours on Saturday. Shockingly (literally, as it bit me good at one time), it works...sort of. The machine is missing a wig-wag, and I would have never tried to operate a washer without one ordinarily, but one makes due when one has to, so we had a ball with it by moving the cam bars manually. Four hours or so went by like a flick of a finger. The fact that the machine agitates, spins, drains, etc. successfully is a testament to the robustness of a machine that can sit outside (with no service panel no less) for years and still work.

I have come up with some knick-names for the portable, including the "mud-washer", and GBJ (green beast junior). I am giving away Kevin's story though, so I'll stop there.

I am sure there will be more posts to come regarding this trip, and somehow I doubt this will be my last visit there.

Gordon

 

[bellalaundry]

Wow...

sure would like to get that window door on the Whirlpool! I would transplant it onto my portable so I could see what was happening inside!

Guy

 

[washmeup]

Wow

Kevin,

I never knew that I had a place like this in my own back yard! Thank you for sharing these wonderful pic's and I am sorry I did not get the chance to go with you both that morning.

Christopher