Need advice on vintage fridge purchase

[nick7764]

Hello!

I remember finding this forum a long time ago as a vintage appliance-obsessed kid (26 now). It's been a while since I've been back...

Me and my boyfriend recently purchased our first house, a 1930's colonial revival, and are in the process of remodeling the kitchen. I would love a vintage fridge. I've been looking for a vintage combination GE fridge, since they have a little more capacity than some other vintage ones. I also love the simple, rounded look. I need a left-hinge model, which has made the search quite difficult (it's difficult enough to find one in good condition near me!).

So...I found this one (image attached). It does have a little wear and tear outside, but it is a left-hinge! And the inside seems pretty good. However, in the images, there is a strange hole on the inside of the freezer door panel. The seller says you can see insulation behind it. They say it works fine, but they don't know what it is.

What is the strange hole? Is something missing? Is that an issue? Part of me says, wait till a better one comes along, but again, the left-hinge requirement makes that difficult. I wouldn't be opposed to having it professionally repainted. Will a professional repaint be the same type of finish as the original?

Thanks for any input/advice!

 

[wiskybill]

This a Hotpoint...

but it looks like you are missing a thermometer.

 

[goatfarmer]

Yeah, there was a thermometer there.

 

[rp2813]

1951?

I wouldn't let the lack of a thermometer stop you from buying this fridge if it's in proper operating condition.  Just cover up the thermometer holes with tape until you're able to find an original replacement.  It's in beautiful shape and will clean up nicely, it has a butter conditioner, its freezer will maintain a true zero degrees, and it's easily defrosted (particularly if you have an electric heater designed for that purpose), thanks to a convenient drain hole that routes the defrost water down to a pan underneath the fridge.

 

The fresh food section door gasket looks sketchy, but the gasket on the freezer door is the one you want to be sure makes a good seal so you're not having to defrost more than a couple of times per year.

 

GE's from this period seem to run forever -- and quietly.

 

 

 

[norgeway]

And it will

Keep frozen food hard as a brick with no freezer burning and the fresh food section is miles ahead of anything built today, vegetables and fruits will keep fresh much longer than a frost free because air is not blowing over them!!And then too, it will run QUIET and use VERY LITTLE current!

 

[stan]

A

little rubbing compound and some car polish.. Maybe u won't need to repaint!

 

[rp2813]

Oh for sure, Stan.  I see no reason to repaint.  With some car cleaner/polish that fridge will sparkle!  Meguiar's worked like magic on my '57 GE Combination.

 

[northwesty]

That is a pretty good candidate

for a practical vintage fridge. It is towards the top of the line, due to it being a combination fridge, with that separate door for the freezer compartment. You won't have to defrost it so often as the "tombstone" ones that just have one big door and the freezer compartment inside that. I think it looks more interesting and has more chrome on it as well. I have a '54 which works great.

You can try polishing and cleaning up the surface. Even slightly touching up the bad areas. I wouldn't just assume repainting these would be a snap job. Northwesty

 

[countryford]

As others have said, that is for a thermometer is what is missing from the freezer door. Won't hurt anything not to have it, just looks. Hotpoint also used the same one, so you might be able to find one to fill it in. As far as painting one, we had our 49 Hotpoint painted. We took it to an automotive painter. They did a great job and one wouldn't be able to tell that it isn't original. Some auto painters won't paint appliances, but some will. Just have to ask around. Good luck!

 

[nick7764]

Thanks so much! I am excited. In terms of repainting, I am hoping it won't be necessary. I will definitely do a bit of in depth cleaning. The top and sides have a bit more wear to them, but in our application the sides and top would be hidden in a cabinet anyways. I'll keep an eye out for a thermometer.

In terms of repainting, is that definitely possible with these? I remember a past fridge I had (a 56' Frigidaire Cold Pantry) that I'm pretty sure had a porcelain finish. Which is more than just a repaint I believe.

Which fridges typically had the porcelain finish?

Also, when I replace the main door gasket, would you recommend taking the door panel off and replacing the insulation?

 

[rp2813]

If the insulation is dry, don't mess with it.

 

Don't make any decisions about painting until you've taken a pass on the exterior with car cleaner/wax.  The finish in the interior liner is porcelain, but the exterior is enamel.

 

Here are some before and after shots of my '57 Combination.  As stated above, this was all accomplished with Meguiar's Car Cleaner-Wax and judiciously applied appliance touch-up on nicks and scratches.

 

 

 

[panthera]

Unless you have very good reason to do so

Never, ever take a door apart. They invariably bow and warp - they are held straight and true by that dratted liner.

Some Frigidaire (our '67 for one) have tension rods in the door - they can be successfully taken apart and put back together, but even that is a pain beyond words.

 

While some refrigerators in the pre-war era had porcelain outside, nearly all were some sort of heavy-duty enamel finish outside. The inner porcelain era drew to a close in the 1970s, sadly.

 

I'd try cleaning really, really well and some judicious use of mixed finger-nail colors to cover any deep scratches. If things really have to be repainted, the Rustoleum appliance epoxy series works well - I've done two refrigerators with it that still look great many years later. You MUST, absolutely MUST follow the directions exactly an I strongly, strongly, STRONGLY recommend a NIOSH resperator.

Super strongly.