Estate Sale Unimatic

[gansky1]

...mechanism!

I stopped at an estate sale today that was missing a washer and had an old Kenmore 500 (late 60's) dryer with a screen door latch holding the door closed. When I went into the garage, the first thing I noticed was a very old water heater abandoned in the corner. I thought "why would they save their old water heater and not their old washer?" Over in the opposite corner of the garage, I found this Frigidaire Unimatic mechanism (less spin solenoid) so I had to eat my words - or parts of them anyway. I know some who have found whole machines and various pumps, motors, etc. but this is by far the strangest I've seen... You just never know what you're going to find at estate sales, that's what keeps us going every week.

 

[Brent-Aucoin]

Oh my goodness!
I honestly can say that I cheated and looked at the picture before reading your post.
Because of that, I laughed all the way through your post.
I bet you did also when you found this in the garage! How Wild is this?!
How did this situation happen during the many years? It really gets me thinking. I can think of so, so many ways!
Thanks for the picture, and the fantastic story!!!
Brent

 

[washertalk]

Thanks for the inspiration to do the estate sale circuit.
You can just imagine the thinking of some people. "It's to heavy and messy to move" "the garbage people won't take it" "maybe we will need it some day" "it looks neat" or perhaps if it sat there long enough it just became part of the wood work, ya know. Or maybe it was buried under other stuff.

 

[mayken4now]

That's so cool Greg. Yes, you NEVER KNOW what may be lurking.

steve

 

[golittlesport]

Wow...what a surprize! Someone must have been working on the washer and decided to give up, but saved the tranny. Cool.

 

[christfr]

oh man i think greg has lucky stamped on his forhead or something.. he finds all the good stuff

 

[swestoyz]

Nice catch there, Mr. Estate Sale! Geez, at least it isn't a highspeed Multimatic power unit ...

 

[Unimatic1140]

Wow, great find Greg, looks like it came out of a WO-65, WO-65-2, or WV-65.

I once found an ABC/Kelvinator clutch in a canning Pantry, another time we found a Kelvinator pump in a basement canning pantry as well at the estate sales.

 

[trainguy]

Excellent Find, Greg!

You do come across the neatest things. I've hit a dry spell. I'll be driving from Pittsburgh to Detroit soon. If you would kindly email me the approximate (or exact if possible) location of that avocado Frigidaire dryer that you and Don saw, I would greatly appreciate it. I'll be in a pickup truck and would like to give it a good home.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[rickr]

one man's trash is another mans treasure...

Way to go Greg! Great catch!

 

[gansky1]

Also amusing after the fact was that I carried this 100lb mechanism up to the front door of the house from the detached garage, then worried someone would snatch it while I went back in to pay! Stop! Unimatic thief!

Did I mention the mint GE Mobile Maid/Rinse-Glo/Silver Shower/DualRack dishwasher? It was lovely. At another sale was a really, really mint KDS-16 in stainless steel. That was a sharp looking machine...

 

[jetcone]

Now thats just bizarre

"Oh Jorge dear, we better keep that transmission as little Jeffry will need it someday for his go kart when he grows up!"

I remember we did the same thing at the Bibliowicz's with an AMP motor until we realized it wouldn't run on a battery since it was an AC motor.