Frigidaire timeline

[bajaespuma]

I'm doing a big group of Frigidaire illustrations and I've come to the end of my research material. Some questions for you Frigi-Dudes; any answers and pictures will be greatly appreciated.

 

1. How many and what years were the W0-65's in production?

2. Is it true that the fabulous "tower" Unimatics were only produced in 1957?

3. What did the 1961 TOL model look like? Examples? Were they clamshells?

4. I'm pretty sure that the "Clamshells" were offered in '62 and '63, correct?

5. Do any of you have any pictures of 1964 TOL models?

 

[combo52]

Frigadaire Laundry Appliances

#1 Aproxmatly 1951-1954

#2 Yes

#3 Yes

#4 No only 1961

#5 I do not, but hopefully some eles does.

Great questions Ken

 

[philr]

Someone told me he sent to scrap a pair of 1964 Custom Imperial machines in Aztek Copper just a few years ago. When he saw I had some interest in Frigidaire appliances, he really did regret doing so. 

 

Here's a poor quality, colorized picture showing a 1964 CI set from Bewitched. 

 

[philr]

About the Clamshells, the 1961, 1962 and 1963 Custom Imperial models had similar control panels (with variations of switches, knobs and colors) but as John said, only the 1961 closed.

 

Here's a 1961 Custom Imperial dryer with the control panel opened. I thought I had taken a picture of it with the panel closed but I can't find it... 

 

[kenmore71]

The WO-65 was produced from 1950 - 1951

The WO-65-2 was produced from 1952 - 1954

 

John is correct that the control-tower machines were only produced for the 1957 model year.  Collectors seem to love them.  

Women HATED them because it was so easy for things to fall behind the machines since it was wide open AND it was hard to read and operate the water temperature and load size selector on the washer since it was flush with the surface and located in the rear corner.  

 

[kenmore71]

Here are the "cover girls" for the 1961 washer Tech-Talk:

 

[kenmore71]

The 1961 filtrator dryer.  This was the first year of the re-designed filtrator system that included a lint filter and a separate blower to circulate drum air over the filtrator cartridge.

 

[kenmore71]

Console closed:

 

[kenmore71]

The 1961 custom imperial electric "flowing heat" dryer

 

[hydralique]

Thanks for posting those pics, I love the '61 washer ad, it is so very elegant!

 

[kenmore71]

1961 was also the first year that Frigidaire ventured into the gas dryer market.  There is no full console picture of this dryer in the Tech-Talk.  Presumably it looked exactly like the vented electric dryer above.  

 

[kenmore71]

On to 1964!

 

[philr]

Here are the dryers from the Tech Talk

 

[philr]

A closer view at the control panels. 

 

[kenmore71]

An interesting cut-away of the 1964 custom imperial machine.  This machine is actually the suds-saver version which is the purpose of the two small buttons located between the cycle selector buttons and the timer dial.  It is curious however, that while the console is the suds-saver console, the diagram shows NONE of the additional mechanism necessary for suds-saving! (Which would be be two-way drain valve and independent suds-return pump.)

 

Also, this is the ORIGINAL design of the 1964 with the Multi-Matic mechanism.  By the end of the model year SOME 1964s had the Rollermatic mechanism.  Full Rollermatic production did not begin until the summer of 1964 (which were all 1965 machines from a model year standpoint).  A handful of us are trying to untangle just WHICH 1964 machines got the Rollermatic mechanism and exactly when production began.  There is a Tech-talk supplement dated Dec. 1963 which introduced the Rollermatic mechanism and only vaguely explains that it is going to be used for "optional application in 1964 model washers." 

 

[bajaespuma]

Thank you all very much!

Phil, John, Mark everybody who responded so generously, I appreciate it!

 

So

'61, '62 and '63 all had the same basic shaped panel, but only '61 was truly a clamshell in that it opened and closed, yes?

 

And was the following style only produced in 1955?:

 

[bajaespuma]

...and furthermore,

I don't know about anybody else, and I'd be very curious about the sales numbers from 1961, but that clamshell panel, when it's closed looks like one of the bad aliens from a "B" space horror movie. To my eye, it's disorienting and a little scary.

 

Scary, like, before the little housewife does the laundry, she has to say, "Gort, Klaatu barratta nicto", or she could get disintegrated.

 

 

[joelippard]

Yes, that style was 1955 only.  I have the dryer in white.

 

[philr]

Ken, that's right about the clamshell. The 1961 model is the only one with the control panel that closed. 

 

About the 1964 Custom Imperial, it was the first Frigidaire model that had the optional "extra-rinse" feature.

 

The following year, the detergent and fabric softener dispensers allowed to dispense liquid detergent for the wash when the soak cycle and automatic advance to wash were selected and it also allowed to dispense fabric softener on the rinse cycle or on the extra rinse when the extra rinse cycle was specified. That's truly automatic washing!

 

[combo52]

1961 Frigidaire Custom Imperial Washers & Dryers

The clam-shell name is good, but before I heard them called this name they always reminded me of a knights helmet that was closed for battle, yes they are a little strange looking when closed. And while these three years look similar when the 61s are open, just about every part of the control panels were different, and I am sure that not only was the 61s panel parts different, but I am sure it was costly to build and added little benefit for users.

 

[jetcone]

Phil

isn't yours a Custom Imperial?? I don't remember ever seeing buttons like the bank of buttons on the 1963 models. On a 1964 machine I have only seen  just those flip toggles.

 

Anybody??

 

 

 

[golittlesport]

1955

Hi Ken, your graphics are fabulously awesome! I love your rendering of the 55 set...my personal favorites. However, the all-black pulsator was only a two-ring in 1955. The 1956 set, that you so wonderfully illustrated in your first post on this thread, was the first year for the three-ring agitator in the Imperial model.

1955 was the first year Frigidaire had more than one model. That was the year they introduced the pulsamatic, economy model. It had a faster wash action and slower spin speed and contained a different pulsator without a detergent dispenser.

 

[philr]

Jon, mine are Just plain Deluxe models.

 

[kenmore71]

They are still very pretty!  And that's a 2nd generation filtrator…..on my "bucket" list.

 

[bajaespuma]

OK, back to the 1964 models...

Did Frigidaire coordinate the colors on the control panels to go with whatever color the cabinet porcelain was?

 

In other words, is this illustration accurate, or were all the panels shades of green and yellow like the ones I've seen so far in photographs?

 

[swestoyz]

As long as I've been poking around AW, I've never seen anyone post a 1964 Custom Imperial washer. I believe a dryer has shown up, but no washers.

The parts books do not indicate different colors for the buttons depending upon the cabinet color. I suspect they were the same colors as the 63 Custom Imperials.

Ben

 

[philr]

I've seen a post about a 1964 CI dryer but no picture of it. 

 

[combo52]

I would love to see a set of WCI-64s

I suspect that for some reason these did not sell as well as earlier and later Custom Imperials, in all the years I have been around appliances I have never seen either in the flesh.

 

[bajaespuma]

Well, then I must assume that this is the default palette (although I think whoever colorized them for Bewitched didn't do a bad job):

 

[bajaespuma]

...but wouldn't it be nice if somebody found a pair that looked like this: