After a few years with the pink GE 1957 range, I decided it was time for a change. Not necessarily a permanent change, but perhaps a seasonal swap - like a new handbag!
I found this 1959 Frigidaire on Craigslist a month or so ago and have been working on it a little here and there as time allows. Despite the wholly undeserved flattery (or sarcasm? ;-) in Paul's thread from Sandy, it will likely be evident in the following pictures that I cannot offer a comprehensive list of "must-do's" when restoring a range. I do test everything before starting, then deal with any issues I find. Cleaning is by far the most tedious work I'd encountered on any of the four vintage ranges I've had over the years until this one. After getting this one home, I realized that mice had gotten inside of it and instead of just a thorough detail cleaning and a few new pretty-parts, it was going to demand tear-down and restore. I pulled both oven liners, the 59 was the first year for the "Pull-and-Clean" feature but there is a another liner inside of that cavity. I pulled all the old insulation, scrubbed and disinfected the range shell and inside the doors. I painted all the parts that were "touched" by mice with heat-resistant paint. All new insulation, rock-wool batting. What a PITA it was to work with that insulation - there are some very tight places in that range. You can see the top edge of the insulation cavity in the doors - a round hole like a Western Holly!
I found this 1959 Frigidaire on Craigslist a month or so ago and have been working on it a little here and there as time allows. Despite the wholly undeserved flattery (or sarcasm? ;-) in Paul's thread from Sandy, it will likely be evident in the following pictures that I cannot offer a comprehensive list of "must-do's" when restoring a range. I do test everything before starting, then deal with any issues I find. Cleaning is by far the most tedious work I'd encountered on any of the four vintage ranges I've had over the years until this one. After getting this one home, I realized that mice had gotten inside of it and instead of just a thorough detail cleaning and a few new pretty-parts, it was going to demand tear-down and restore. I pulled both oven liners, the 59 was the first year for the "Pull-and-Clean" feature but there is a another liner inside of that cavity. I pulled all the old insulation, scrubbed and disinfected the range shell and inside the doors. I painted all the parts that were "touched" by mice with heat-resistant paint. All new insulation, rock-wool batting. What a PITA it was to work with that insulation - there are some very tight places in that range. You can see the top edge of the insulation cavity in the doors - a round hole like a Western Holly!
