"Industrial Archaeology®" or How to tame wild Speed Queens

[jetcone]

The water seal

 is in great shape though. So there wasn't that much heat stress, I think we got it just in time because the spin shaft quite easily tapped out of the bearings , always a good sign!!

 

and there was no sign of any water entering  which is huge !

 

 

 

[toploader55]

WOW

Amazing.

Well, as we use to say at The Cranberry Moose Restaurant... "Do it right the first time and there is no looking back."

 

[jetcone]

Ooo

I like that !!

 

 

[combo52]

Rebuilding An Early SQ Washer

Great job Jon, I have only ever torn one SQ this far apart.

 

Your final spin speed will be close to 800 RPMs with the 4 1/2" spin pulley.

 

That "heat stress " on the spin tube is from when they made the spin tube , the spin tube could never get that hot in operation or there would be no grease in the bearings at all and the seal assembly would have burned to ash, LOL.

 

Can't wait to see and hear this machine in operation next time I am up there.

 

[jetcone]

Thats what I was thinking John! That heat stress looked deep

deep to me for any lubricant to be left in there.

 

 

Yes when I talked to Bob, he said that Jeff had shot his machine with the 'scope and Bob said he hit 745 RPM!

 

Can't wait to see that! Thanks for throwing in that pulley! Bob also had a belt for me. So this baby should be up and ready to go soon!

 

 

[mrb627]

As usual...

an amazing restoration. Thanks for posting so we can follow along and enjoy it.

Malcolm

P.S. - When are you going to start taking orders for rebuilding dream machines?

 

[stricklybojack]

.
A rebuild/restore thread, thumbs up and thank you!

It has been my thought, born of experience, that when a mechanical device "realizes" it's being worked on all manner of stuff lines up and breaks while the breakin' is good.

Given your extensive experience I wonder how you have learned to cope with this fundamental law of
Contraptions?

 

[jetcone]

Well Robert what I've noticed more so is this

I find two kinds of machines. One that really doesn't want to come back, that is the beast to restore. The other is one the does want to come back. On those all the nuts just pop apart no forcing, all seals are good or come off easy to replace. Those are the joy to work on by a wide margin. The Philco Hula-Matic was dying to come back, in fact I've never worked on an easier machine , I was amazed at how well the mechanics stood up because that machine was once in a home and then it appeared to me be have been a garage machine due to the type of grease build up in the tub and Hula-tator. 

 

I only force the ones that don't want to come back if they are rare examples of something.

 

The one that beat me was the Launderall, it didn't want to come back, once I got it actually running dry it caught fire and had to be hauled out of the basement, smoking' and choking' the house up.

I have one very recalcitrant machine in my stable, its the Lady Kenmore Combination that John & I have been trying to save for 30 years !! I get her up and running and something else breaks, so she's up on the docket for the winter , right after this speed queen. It's now do or die time for her! 

 

 

[turquoisedude]

Jon, that was quite the challenge to get everything turning again so smoothly and you did an outstanding job.  I only saw the finished product for the transmission, but it turned like it was brand new!  Can't wait to see the machine put back together again. 

 

[jetcone]

Okay Dr. Frigidaire makes Speed Queen progress today

Remember "Clean bearings are happy bearings" 

 

 

 

[jetcone]

Next they get my special secret lubrication

plus they get packed with puréed cherries  for long high temp life!

 

 

 

[jetcone]

Now the base gets a thorough cleaning

Since we've taken it down this far -- why not !

 

 

Yes, it was cleaned with kerosene.

 

 

 

[jetcone]

Finally for today

If you want easy servicing later on always ream out things. It makes it so much easier, so I grabbed my 3/8 16 reamer !

 

 

 

 

[jetcone]

Thank you everyone for tuning in!

I think there will be a small break over the holidays, as Santa's Elves are now busy busy.

 

 

 

[jetcone]

well that machine

was boring  a hole in my mind today, I had to go down and tinker.

 

I ended up:

1) putting the center plate and spin tube back together

2) reattaching the 3 centering springs

3) cleaning and  reattaching the 3 dampers

4) reassembling the whole spin tube

5) cleaning and lubing the 4 adjustable legs.

 

 

 

[jetcone]

Today's Job

Rebuild the motor/fluid drive.

 

Bob Salem and I were debating over New Years , we noticed how when you open the fluid drive from its hermetic seal that you ALWAYS need to top up the fluid drive oil ! Sometimes the plug is so tight you have to block the F/D in aVise, and use a LONG handled wrench just to get it open.

 

Where does the fluid go? Does it go?
Well today I measured! 

 

The first picture shows just how much I got out of the FD = 6.0 ozs.

<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span>

And we now know how much the original charge should be. Thanks to ebay I found a bottle of old used FD/FLUID with the quantity.  Most SQ doctrine does not tell you how much the charge should be. It should be 7 1/2 ozs. !

 

You'll see it was down 1 1/2 ozs. ! Not a speck on the outside, the F/D was bone dry. It must burn up inside and turn to carbon because the oil is cloudy. That's my guess. 

 

I topped it off with Zoom spout oil, its very close in viscosity, it's a tad thicker but then the oil in the FD is 60 years old and it would have broken down some so Zoom spout is a good match.

 

 

Next motor contacts cleaned, motor bearings lubed - they needed it! F/D bearing lubed for smooth sliding operation. Solenoid cleaned of external grease, it snaps real nice & smooth now. No chattering.

Now the whole shebang is ready to put back together.

 

 

 

[bajaespuma]

Great Job!

I'm marvelling at both your focus and stick-to-it-iveness. My ADD is really not an asset to this hobby.