Bringing my 1955 UNIMATIC back to life...

[tuthill]

Remember these??? Finally got down to Robert's house with my '55, which was definately in need of some work from "the doctor" and I. The link in the post shows the initial diagnosing of the machine. Motor fan was loose, and the spin bearing was absolutely horrendous! Made for on hell of a noisy machine! The restoration process was so fun, especially working with Robert, who knew this mechanism inside and out. We didn't start until about 9, but we had the whole mechanism apart and soaking in mineral spirits by 11:30. Every time something wouldn't do what it was supposed to do (which happens a lot with these 55 year old trannys) Robert simply waved his wand and we kept going.

Now pay attention.. there will be a test

 

[tuthill]

First things first

We need to disconnect the drain hose, and the two hoses servicing the pump. All simple clamps.

 

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The "acces panel" of the console needs to be taken off so we can disconnect the timer and temp. adjustment, the motor protector, and also the fill flume.

 

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Once the top is removed, the next thing to do is remove the pulsator.

 

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With the pulsator out, we have access to the water bellows, which needs to come out next. A simple retaining ring along the bottom holds it in. "The tool" sure makes this job a lot easier (just ask Ben!)

 

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Prying off the water bellows

 

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Wash rinse repeat

Next comes the oil bellows

 

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Removing the tub nut

 

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Now we can remove the wash tub! YaY, some progress!

 

[tuthill]

Nut and Seal Assembly

OF COURSE, every single one of the mechanism support screw heads is corroded away. This means we will have to lay the washer on its side, remove the crossbrace, and take the mechanism out through the bottom of the machine. Not such an easy task!

 

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And after all that work... this is what you get! The wonderful Unimatic mechanism!

 

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Removing the 8 nuts and bolts holding on the mechanism housing

 

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Stubborn spacers call for a little "torching" from Robert

 

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Removing the pump cover / "mechanism base". You can see where the snubber spring sits beneath the pump.

 

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Inside the pump! Ewww, rust

 

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Soaking all the mechanism parts overnight in mineral spirits. This will remove the 50 years of crud build-up/corrosion. If only we could grab that damn bearing!

 

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*12 hours later*

And we have all our cleaned up mechanism parts ready for assembly. New clutch torque spring! YaY! Thanks a million Robert!

 

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Adding fresh oil to the newly assembled mechanism!

Here's a video showing the testing of the motor assembly!

 

[tuthill]

A MUST SEE

This next video shows the testing of the agitation mechanism and the oil pump (which work beautifully of course). Simply FABULOUS !

 

[tuthill]

This really sucked

We did a test spin and the bearing that's in there still isn't good enough... grrr. This means taking the tub out again, removing the mechanism and its housing and replacing the bearing. WHAT FUN!

 

[tuthill]

Moving on over!!

The UNIMATIC at Robert's testing station! We must be getting somewhere!

 

[tuthill]

Maiden fill

 

[tuthill]

LOL

The water valve needs some work... it's the new "Energy Star" overflow rinse!

 

[tuthill]

1st Maiden Load

Nice big load of colorful towels... the turnover was fantastic! The mechanism sounded ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. So buttery smooth and quiet!

 

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The rinse fill, with the towels blocking the water exits... WHAT FUN!

 

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Enjoy!

I know we sure did

-Jed

 

[gansky1]

Beautiful!! It looks like a beautiful machine, the 55 is one of the prettiest tub color & agitator combo of all the unimatics.

Having Robert help you, you'll know it will be running perfectly before it's allowed out the door!

 

[pulsator]

YAY!!!

Congrats Jed! You are so very lucky to live so close to a Unimatic expert!!!! May it continue to provide live water action and rapidry 1140 rpm spins for decades to come!!!

 

[trainguy]

Great Job Guys!

Don't you just love to bring the life back into these vintage beauties!

 

[frigilux]

What an adventure! Seeing how the Unimatic mechanism works was fascinating. Great job, guys! Thanks for taking the time to document your efforts.