Kenmore at a thrift store

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

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Congrats on this . . .

That’s a gorgeous dryer, and being gas it’s that much more desirable since many older homes aren’t set up for electric dryers. I think this console is prettier than the next design, even if I did grow up with that one!

Regarding the “little old lady from Pasadena”, a good friend of mine grew up in Pasadena, her father liked sports cars and in the mid ‘60s bought a new big-block Corvette. Chevy didn’t even offer a big block in the ‘Vette until mid ‘65 with the 396, which became a 427 (7 liters) the next year. For most buyers the 327 small block (5.3 liters) was more than enough power in a two-seat car. Her dad wanted the big block though and liked it so much he swapped it for a newer model big-block after a couple of years.

My friend got her license about then but was never allowed to drive the Corvette. Her brother was, but only with the father sitting next to him. Her mother never even asked. However, her grandmother, who was a tiny old lady, would come for dinner frequently and every once in awhile would ask to “drive the little car”. The father would hand over the keys and the grandmother would go rumbling away down the street. Nobody ever knew where she went or what she did but a half hour later she’d come back with a big smile on her face.
 
Of the hundreds and hundreds of laundry appliances I saw make their way from the delivery trucks to the parking lot and then beyond, this series of Kenmore was the one you saw the most of. Sears must have sold a ton of them. Lots of them came in as matched sets with the washer needing only a new plastic pump to replace the leaking metal one and with the dryer needing just a good de-linting. They sure were nice and always sold quickly on the used sales floor.

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Maybe the grandmother was a member of "The Anaheim, Azusa And Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review And Timing Association," a group of drag racing grannies in the song by Jan & Dean which probably had the longest title of any rock song. Actually, the title is better than the song. I love the way the title starts off so innocent and mundane and then you get to the words, "Timing Association" and it's like "Uh-Oh."
 
Plugged it in and...

I think the timer is bad. The panel lights up. Seems like it's straining to turn the drum, but I'm sure a little grease and new belts would fix that. The drum is in really nice condition actually. The two door support cords are missing, and that latch/switch needs adjustment. It closes fine, but doesn't want to open. It looks like either the switch needs to come up a little, or the grove on the door needs to come down.
 
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