My New Range is HERE!

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danemodsandy

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 6, 2006
Messages
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Location
The Bramford, Apt. 7-E
Well, thanks to AW Power, my "new" GE range landed in Waterloo this evening just after 6:00 pm. John (oldskool) fetched her all the way from where Tim (polkanut) found her and brought her to me! Many, many thanks to them both, and to Ben (swestoyz) who dropped by and helped enormously with getting her into the house.

I am thrilled so far, although I won't have a chance to dive into her until this Wednesday. She is a Model J 370002 WH, serial number F N268442 G. If that helps anyone date her, I'd be grateful for the info. I'm thinking '73 or '74.

All cosmetic issues I see are addressable; I won't be living with any of those "Oh, that's too bad" issues. The major cosmetic issue at this point is that she needs a new set of knobs; the ones she has have been dishwasher-faded.

She has some features I didn't realize she'd have. One is tilt-up Calrods instead of plug-in ones. Another is trim rings with drop-in burner bowls instead of one-piece burner bowls. She is all and I do mean all porcelain, including the sides and even unto the inside of the storage drawer. She has that early P * 7 slide-up oven window shield, which I haven't seen since about 1977.

One thing she does not have is the setup we've all seen on ranges for the last twenty years - a wall bracket with dire warnings about the range tipping over if the oven door is opened without the bracket installed. This baby is wayyyyy too heavy for that ever to be a problem!

The Sensi-Temp burner is also the multi-size kind, selectable for 4", 6" and 8" burner use. It's also set up to handle a griddle; I'm guessing that turns on the 6" burner behind the Sensi-Temp burner.

While the oven selector knob has a "Rotisserie" setting, there is not a rotisserie kit port in the rear wall of the oven, which is actually a relief, because if there was a rotisserie available, I'd want one, and I already know what those puppies fetch on eBay.

I have a lot of detail cleaning to do. She's actually quite clean for such an old unit, but there's the usual schmutz in the usual crevices.

But she's real and she's here and I could not have done it without this group! In fact, I really didn't do it at all - others were the driving force here.

I am grateful, guys. More - much more - later.

danemodsandy++11-10-2013-20-13-53.jpg
 
Isnt it fun!

To get something you really like and have wanted for a long time!! I dont know about you, but I love the tilt up units, those old plug in things are forever giving trouble.and Is it not sad to see how far backwards we have gone in 40 years!! nothing today even comes close to this range!
 
Sandy, actually the GE ranges that I have used with a "griddle" setting it turns on ONLY the outer (8") ring of the large burner.  This emulates the kind of heat pattern that you would get in an electric frying pan or griddle.  It keeps the center from getting to hot.  

 

(BTW, is got a glimpse of this beautiful range in the van earlier today, I also owe you an email….)
 
New GE Range

Yay, Sandy, these were great ranges, as Tim mentioned this range is earlier than 73-4, appliance outlets were discontinued by this time. On the 3 size Sensi-Temp burner when you select griddle it turns off the center 4" part of the burner for more even heating with a large pan or griddle [ the griddle setting is also ideal with large skillets ], but does not activate the rear element like GE did on many of their 40" ranges.

 

The selector Switch should not say rotisserie unless the range has this feature, I would guess that the selector switch knob is not correct for your range ?.

 

Let us know how you like it once the fall dinner parties get in full swing.  John L.
 
After a Night's Sleep:

First up, it's nice to see so many congratulatory messages! Thanks, everyone.

I was guessing '73 or so because this range is not shown in the 1971 full-line GE catalog I have (Shameless plug: It's available on Automatic Ephemera). But there is a notice in the '71 catalog that says styling and features would be changing on April 1, 1971, and there is a very similar model in the catalog already, the J 339L; just the backguard/control panel is different. So, Tim, I think your reading of the "cheat sheet" is correct, because it's consistent with the catalog notice.

I think I may have found the griddle for this baby - it's a square Teflon-coated unit that fits one burner. And God knows, 1971 was Teflon Heaven if you like the stuff.

John, so far as I know, these are the original knobs, but there's always room for doubt. Their styling matches the burner size selector knob, which is unique on the control panel; there aren't any other knobs like that one.

I'm hoping to have the range clean and powered up for the first time on Wednesday. My hope at that point is that everything works, because repairs on certain systems of this range will be challenging for me.

After she's up and running - on to meat loaf, spattery casseroles, roast chickens and the like. Hell, I'm getting a craving for duck!

Again, thanks everybody.
 
P.S.:

If anyone has manuals, service lit, parts lists, etc., for this range, I would love to hear from you!

Also, here's a photo of the oven selector knob for the range. I am officially looking for the full set.

danemodsandy++11-11-2013-06-35-23.jpg
 
GE Range Selector Knob

Sandy is that picture #10 your Selector Knob, as it does not say rotisserie on it ?, I thought it was odd that it would have that setting and not have a rotisserie as the SW would have 6 positions not 5 like like the knob you pictured has.
 
Congratulations!

What a beautiful stove, and as you and everyone has commented, how nice to have a dream stove, and one when a stove was a solid, feature-rich, beautiful stove built to cook and to last! Here's to many years of enjoyment!
 
John:

That is not my actual selector knob; mine's too faded to read, almost. But mine has the same five positions on it - Off, Broil, Clean, Time Bake and Bake.

The "Rotisserie" indication is on the oven TEMP knob, where it indicates "Rotisserie" for the temp settings between 275F and 425F.

These are luxury knobs, for sure. They are heavy chromed pot metal, with a plastic shaft center and knob assembly, and evidently silk-screened adhesive-backed sheet metal for the indicia.

They are surprisingly heavy in the hand.
 
So very nice...

that you have the one you've wanted!! ... this might be a bit of heresy here, but to me there is no appliance more satisfying to use, as much as 3-4 times a day, than the range we use making meals for ourselves and those we most care about, a true labor of love. Cook on her with joy!
 
Sharp !

...and it has outlets. I wonder when they officially dropped that feature.
I suppose it was cost saving thing.
I like the ones with outlets. It makes the unit more user friendly.

Good luck with this. It doesn't look like it will need much work.

Can we see a picture of the oven?
 

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