Clean up photos of Amanda and Dan's Whirlpool

[rickr]

I worked on the 84 Whirlpool Saturday, for my niece Amanda. The machine did not have much use, however the previous owner (Dan's grandmother) must have had well water with a high iron content. Plus the machine had sat in a leaky basement for the last five years without being used. The gross ring with the lint on it in the spin basket is a "Magic Lint Filter" a 1980's replacement for an actual lint filter system. ("Tragic Lint Filter", as far as I am concerned)

 

[rickr]

Tub ring

And winged Surgilator

 

[rickr]

Dirty tub

With a gross deposit of dried whatever under the "lint filter"

 

[rickr]

Cleaned, but rusted tub

Time to get out my POR 15 again this Saturday.....

 

[rickr]

Metal furnace tape will help with this job

Doubled over and pushed up from under the rim of the tub.

 

[rickr]

Three coats of POR 15

On the tub bottom, the rusty areas of the tub rim, the short center post. (and my hands and arms..... again) LOL!!

I also checked the wiring, hoses, and replaced the drive belt just because it is 20+ years old, while waiting for the POR 15 to dry.

 

[rickr]

Time to clean the parts up.

Two jugs of CLR rust remover, one spray bottle of CLR, Twelve Brillo pads and lots of "elbow grease" to clean the rust off the spin basket.

I was also trying to do some work on my 1957 Unimatic, but Amanda's machine comes first.

 

[rickr]

Getting it together....

Going back together. And looking like a washing machine of any brand or vintage should..... CLEAN!!

The tub ring is a hard plastic material on this model. It was easier to clean than the metal type. It had one piece of metal, just under the snubber. Of course it was starting to rust. So I painted the edge with three coats of POR 15

 

[rickr]

Looking good!!!

Like any vintage machine should!!

 

[rickr]

Spin cycle action shot

I did not bypass the lid switch on this washer. Amanda and Dan have two small children, it cannot be done.

 

[rickr]

Control panel glamour shot of 1984 Whirlpool

After the machine gets a coat of car wax.

Looks pretty good,I must say. Not old enough for my taste... However this machine would be as old to Amanda, as my 1956 Whirlpool is to me!

 

[rickr]

What happened to the ......

.....Tragic Lint Filter???

Well, I'm not putting that worthless thing back in this nice sanitary machine. Besides making the washer smell like mold, I don't think it did a damn thing anyway. It fit on the bottom of the spin basket, so the lint was already out of the spin basket (and clothes) by that time anyway.

It now resides in the trash can.

 

[westytoploader]

Rick, you did a FANTASTIC job cleaning that machine up...don't know if I could do it myself! That Whirlpool looks fresh off the showroom floor like all of your machines, I bet Amanda and Dan will be thrilled! Will definitely last another 20 years. And I'm sure you'll have the WI-57 looking and running like brand-new in no time!

I've seen and ran this exact machine before, at a certain residence in El Campo that also houses a spectacular theater room...;-)

--Austin

 

[bobbyd32l]

Nice Job!! I love that agitator! I would love to see it in action, I bet the turn over is awesome! Again, Great Job! What a nice machine! They are going to love it for years to come!

I also like that Frigidaire

 

[swestoyz]

Wow!

Rick, everything you touch always comes out looking showroom perfectly clean! Most would pass on this machine, but with the bit of time and energy you put into it, most would love to take it home! You are such a nice family member to do this for your niece and nephew - Wow, what a guy!

Ben

PS - I want to know your secret - on getting out the hard water stain on the tub, it looks brand new! Oh yeah, and nice WI-57, BTW!!

 

[rickr]

Thanks guys! Amanda was going to purchase a new dryer, and junk the matching dryer to this old WP washer. However I talked her out of it. Sooooooo, guess who has a dryer to go over this Saturday???? LOL!!
Won't be as bad as the washer, or take near as much time however. Plus they will be saving a ton of money, and have better machines also.

 

[pulsator]

WOW!!! That machine looks amazing!!! Perhaps I will be able to find a BD Whirlpool in fixable shape! I've always got my open for a good condition large capacity Whirly, but none have popped up! I guess I just gotta look closer to the machines that could get fixed up and look like new!

 

[knitwits1975]

I like it!

 

[user 12105]

Beautiful restoration Rick! Washing the belt-drive way! LOL

It will be great to see that Frigidaire when your done with it also...nice work.

 

[gansky1]

Great looking washer, Rick. Did you have to do anything else to the machine besides a good cleaning?

 

[peteski50]

Whirlpool

Rick,
What a wonderful job done. This is a real awsome washer. My sister had almost the same model just slightly different. It laster her 16 years with heavy use. I am sure they will be very happy with such a great treasure.
Best Wishes
Peter

 

[mayken4now]

Rick, you did that machine a wonderful favor, and of course Amanda too. That is the way I like to do them, CLEAN everything, they way a washer should be!

Steve

 

[rickr]

Thanks guys!

All I did to this machine was to take it apart and give it a good cleaning. It really did not need anything else. I did replace the drive belt, just because it is 20+ years old. I figure it is easier to replace the belt in my driveway, than to have to replace it at a later date in Amanda's utility room. I will replace the dryer belt for the same reason. I would think that this set should last 20+ more years, if they want to use them for that long. They really do not have much wear on them at all.

BTW: Amanda did her first load with this machine last night, and she said it works perfectly. Will have her take some "action shots" of the matched set, after the dryer is finished next week.

 

[goatfarmer]

Nice job,Rick! I've got a job for you cleaning up some of the trade in's I get in. Doesn't pay very well,though....8^)

 

[golittlesport]

Great work! That washer sparkles!

 

[alr2903]

rickr

you can wham a restoration together, i always look at your pics of your most recent projects, You do very nice work. alr2903.

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Hey! Rick:

Congrats on the great job of cleaning and saving another Vintage Whirlpool Washer. That was so nice of you to help your Family out like that, especially to get them doing Laundry in a Matched Set.

I'm curious to know if you did an alternate Self-Clean Filtering System, or did you install a Manual-Clean Filtering System? I would assume that if you did the Manual-Clean Filter System that you would have mentioned about it.

Good Luck with the Overhauling of the Dryer, it sounds like neither one of them were in very bad shape, given that you mainly had to replace the Belts on both the Washer and Dryer.

Peace and Cheers to Whirlpool Laundry Times, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

 

[rickr]

Thank you Steve,

The washer does not have a filter system now, but as far as I am concerned it never really did anyway. That "lint ring" is mounted on the bottom of the spin basket. The lint is already out of the spin basket by the time it is "caught" in the "lint ring" A poor excuse for a lint filter, and it makes for a smelly mess in the wash tub too. Too bad manufactures discovered all the ways to cut corners in products. I think it was a trend that started way before the 1980's too. Perhaps General Motors would be doing better right now if the company had not been so careless with the products they manufactured for their customer base. (another subject for the "Custom" section)

So the machine does not have a lint filter system at all now. If I had anything some parts from the 1960's I could have refitted the Whirlpool with those, however I do not. Amanda dries everything in the dryer anyway, so any lint is caught in the dryer filter.
The machines really did not need the belts. I only installed them because the originals were 22 years old. This set was seldom used, so they are in fantasic shape. Amanda just LOVES them, and she hopes to use them for 20 years! She said the dryer dries the clothes faster than any dryer she has ever used. She will take some photos of the set in use at some point. Their utility room is very small. Hope there is room for the camera angles.

Costs:
Washer and Dryer $00.00
CLR (2) $8.00
Washer belt $13.75
Dryer belt $10.15
Replacement dryer cord with new style four prong plug. $15.00

Grand Total $46.90 What a bargain for this set!

Amanda had been spending about $40.00 per week at the laundry mat.

 

[frigilux]

Wow, that Whirlpool looks fantastic, Rick. I hope Amanda appreciates all the work you went through. What a guy! I had a WP back in '84 or '85 with a winged Surgilator (it replaced my Mom's 1960 Kemore Model 80) and I really liked that machine. Turnover was great and I liked the quiet swish-swish of the Surgilator after the ha-RUNK, ha-RUNK of the preggers Roto-Swirl on the KM.

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Re: Rick, I totally agree:

I couldn't believe seeing all that "YUKKY" stuff on what was supposed to be a Self-Cleaning Lint Filter, what a joke... It would sure be fun if you did have the Parts to have installed a Manual Recirculating Lint Filter, especially with the Ovalish Brush Filter Assembly, that Whirlpool had in their early Model Washers.

That was sure a bargin for not only you, but for Amanda and Dan as well.

I would have also replaced the Belts "Better Safe, Than Sorry" as you mentioned especially since you would have had to work in a small Laundry Room, instead of on your Driveway or in a Garage.

Did their Laundry Room already have the Wiring for a 4-Prong Cord, or did it have to be Re-Wired? My house was built in 1953 to 1954 with the 3-Wire 220-Volt for both Dryer and Stove. Although I've not used an Electric Dryer at this house very much, since I Inherited it in June 1995, I would no doubt keep with the 3-Wire Cord{s} for an Electric Dryer.

I had the Gas Plumbing Installed, when I had all of the Hot/Cold Water Pipes replaced with Copper and I also had a Water-Line Installed for an Ice Maker.

Peace, Wonderful Friends and Fun Whirlpool Washing, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...