Need advice on restoring a 1956-1957 Hotpoint MAP-6 dishwasher!

[dekedickerson]

Hello Automatic Washer folks:

My name is Deke Dickerson. I have a 1957 ranch home in Northridge, California that is 100% original (I bought it from the original owner, a curmudgeonly old man who never liked to update anything). The kitchen has the original Thermador electric oven and range top, and a 1963 General Electric fridge that has sat in the same place since the owner bought it new in 1963! The only thing that is not original in my house is the dishwasher, which is an ugly 1980s model. And so, I have been looking for a vintage dishwasher to put in my kitchen.

Yesterday I bought a 1956-1957 Hotpoint MAP-6 dishwasher from an estate sale--another family parting out an all-original 1957 house in my same neighborhood. The washer appears to be in good shape physically and cosmetically, but the family said they hadn't used it in years. The kids couldn't remember if that was because it didn't work, or because their parents just didn't use it.

The impellor is in good shape, and the motor shaft turns freely. That's a good sign, right?

The washer is missing the flip-over detergent cover and the silverware tray. Can anybody help me with these two parts?

Also, the door will not stay closed and I'm wondering how this thing is supposed to latch. Is it just a magnet that holds it closed? I don't see any claw-type latch arm like on modern dishwashers. Since mine isn't staying shut, how do you fix the latch on these units?

If anybody has any experience with these motors and pumps (mine is a pump model), are there any lubrication points, or are these sealed bearings all around? I know that firing up a motor after not running it for a couple decades is a bad idea, any advice on how to get these motors ready to run? I work on old audio equipment and tape machines and I know how to lubricate and maintain those motors, but these things look totally different to me. I also don't know if disassembling this thing is a bad idea--should I just leave the motor and the pump in place, and not remove them to work on them?

Lastly, the front of this unit is yellow and kind of sad looking (rust spots, chips) but I was thinking I would like to make it "stainless steel" if possible, to match my Thermador stove and oven. Does anybody have any experience in sandblasting the old finish off down to bare metal? Looks like it would be a pretty easy thing to do to take the front panel and door panel off for refinishing, and indeed, Hotpoint advertised that fact in their brochures. just wondering if you got this down to bare metal how it would look?

I downloaded all the related brochures, manuals and service manuals from the archives, and I assume some of my questions will be answered there, but just wanted to see if any members on this forum have experience with these units that might help me in my quest to get this thing up and running! Thanks in advance!

Deke Dickerson

 

[jamiel]

Sounds like it will be a fun project....good luck.

 

[launderess]

Hello and Welcome!

Without a model number and pictures of the DW and parts you are seeking it will be hard for us to give any advice.

 

[tomturbomatic]

This model used the two chambered red plastic cover over the detergent cups in the door. The recess for the detergent for the first wash remained uncovered. Both chambers in the pivoting cover filled with water during the first wash. During the drain, the water drained out of the chamber covering the recess with the detergent for the main wash detergent which left the second chamber full of water so it tipped backward, exposing the fresh detergent for the second wash. If you find one of these anywhere, the cup with the drain hole is supposed to have a little strip of screen that curves down from the top and over the drain hole to keep bits of food from clogging the hole which would keep the chamber from draining and thus interfere with the already iffy operation of this first non-electric detergent dispenser in a domestic dishwasher. It did enable the Hotpoint to be the first to offer an automatic cycle with two 5 minute washes with fresh detergent in each.

The Hotpoints were rather fragile machines with a tendency to early motor death. Moisture would travel down the tube under the impeller to the motor. With early dishwasher detergents, there was the added complication of foaming which would travel down the same tube and ruin the motor. That might be why the one you found is not working.