Nineteen Sixty Something Kenmore 600

[elginkid]

I arrived at home this evening to find Dave in the yard with a "new" machine. He was supposed to get a 1963 machine from a customer at his work, but it seems as though it may not actually be a '63/ Maybe '65-'67? It is nasty dirty, but the porcelain has (that I can find) no chips, and one tiny scratch. There is a little discoloration on the rim. It does need a new brace to hold the lint filter, so if anyone has one laying around...Volvoguy87 needs one.

The transmission was replaced around '96 or so with a spline driver instead of a drive block, but it has the drive block adapter. It came with a bakelite Super Roto-Swirl agitator. I'll let pictures (and the rest of you) tell [me] the rest.

Wes

 

[elginkid]

Money Shot

 

[elginkid]

Money, separated from the money shot.

 

[elginkid]

Ubiquitous tub crud shot.

 

[elginkid]

I'll just call this one Dave's "Fabulous" Find.

 

[combo52]

KM 600 WASHER

It would have had a splined agitator shaft when it was made, all WPs & KMs had them around 1964 when they changed to the HD transmission and 1/2 HP motors.

 

[elginkid]

I saw KenmoreGuy's posting from earlier, so I'm guessing this is a '67. Dave seemed puzzled about the splined shaft with the bakelite SRS agitator.

 

[gansky1]

Love the snubber fix-up

I had a washer very similar to this, I found it on a drive-by and rang the bell. It was outside in the middle of winter, frozen solid. After the defrost cycle was done, I hooked it up and other than being ghastly dirty, it worked fine. I used it for a rag-washer for six months or more until the pump finally seized up tight. Have fun!

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Hey guys, GREAT machine. This one's been out in the rain. It looks like it will clean up well, and that's the fun part!

I am fairly sure this is a 1966 model, and my guess is 110.6604600 to be precise. James/70-series and I did a lot of research on this generation 600 when I got mine, and we found some interesting info.

There was a '66 and a '67 that were very similar, but not identical. One had three temp selections, the other had the typical Kenmore five temp combos of HC, HW, CC, WW, and WC on the round dial (that is an odd feature for a 600).

The other odd features were the standard Super Roto-Swirl and an off-balance relay - all three of these feature items by the mid 60s were typical of 70-series and better models.

The first 66 model, the 6604600, had a bakelite Roto-Swirl like what you've found. The next revision, the 6604601, had the polypropylene splined black Super Roto-Swirl, which was only in production for about a year before it was changed to gold.

The 1967 model reverted back to the bakelite Straight-Vane (Sears called it a 6-vane) agitator, the three temp selections, and no off balance relay. If I am not mistaken the consoles are not colored quite the same, and the 66's has more black trim on the dial, but these are otherwise very similar machines.

Is the lint filter bracket completely rusted? That might be a tough find if there isn't an NOS goodie out there lurking. I "might" have a sheet metal vendor that could cut us one if I can get an accurate electronic drawing made of one of my good ones. Let me know if you need that. I'll try to help.

Kewl washer, GOOD LUCK with it!

Gordon

 

[circlew]

Looks like Dave has his work cut out for him!

 

[70series]

Posting very late here, but weariness could not keep me away. This is definitely a 1966 Model 600, and if that is the bakelite RotoSwirl, then it is the original 110.6604600 that Gordon cited. Aside of any color difference on the control panel, a distinction I cannot make because of my color blindness, there is one other subtle aesthetic difference that separates this from the 1967 model, and that is the very thin chrome strip that runs right across the middle of the console. The 67 does not have it, and it was the first thing I looked for after regaining my composure at the sheer beauty of this washer.

Best of luck on your work with it, and keep us apprised of your progress.

Have a good one,
James

 

[volvoguy87]

I claim no responsibility.

I claim no responsibility for the "fabulous find" picture. I was merely hamming it up for the camera.

The washer had been sitting outside for about a year. The reason why it was removed from service was because of a leak somewhere. I think it may have had something to do with the lint filter, since the bracket is so rusty. I have not water tested the washer yet. It's missing the outer parts for both knobs (water temp and level). It needs new lid bumpers. It is filthy dirty!

The lint filter bracket is so rusty that when you touch it, it crumbles away to dust. A replacement will definately be in order. It's also missing the lint filter cartridge.

I don't know whether or not to keep the machine. It's not one that was on my list. If anyone wants it, let me know. It will DEFINATELY be less than the Charcoal 1975 Frigidaire set.

I have more cleaning to do. I pulled the belt and got it to move, but it's stiff. I'll see what I can do. I haven't plugged it in yet. I hope to pull the inner tup out this weekend and examinwe the outer tub.

Dave

 

[drewz]

My father purchased this exact machine a 600 in December of 1965 for my mother, I still have all the paperwork for it. My mother worn this thing out and it never needed service till it died in 1980, a major failure motor & trans gone. If I remember it was 3 water levels and maybe 4 wash/rinse temps?  The only thing about this machine was that the Tide would eat up that metal turn thing that held the lint filter in place and that was replaced twice.

 

I wanted the 70 with the lighted dial but Dad would not go for that.

 

[lotsosudz]

My parents had the 67 with the straight vane agi, and only 3 water temperatures. My Mother used it once, watched the lack of turnover, compared to our 57, 60 series
with the pregnant roto-swirl, and had my Father switch the agi's right away! She said that thing does nothing! The second time we used it, it bypassed rinse, and had it's first service call, and after five more years, the motor developed a burnt spot, and if it occasionally stopped on it,Then you would have to pull on the belt until the motor started. We used it one more year, and replaced it with a used 65-67 Ge filter flow. The 57, 60 Series was a champ. It went 13 years with 1 service call, and survived 5 small kids, 3 in diapers, and 2 adults. So you can imagine what my parents thought of the 67 600 series that lasted 6.5 years. after the ge died, I gave them a 65-66 Norge 20 pounder, and my mother used it until it died, and bought their Maytag around 1984.

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Some machines are troopers, others barely get started....

Its funny how that works sometimes, with one machine lasting forever, another just like it that won't make it 7 years.

I own a 1985 built Kenmore 80 series belt-drive, that I got in 1993 as a trash save. Yes, an 8-year old belt-drive as a trash save. Actually, this particular machine had been in a used appliance store's window for several years because it looked good. It was so bad mechanically, they didn't want to fool with it. It probably wasn't in service 6 or 7 years, as the transmission was full of water and NASTY. It is the machine I now call "Robo-Washer" because I fully rebuilt it in 1995 using parts that I took off a bunch of other machines that were too good to throw away but that I didn't want to warranty to a machine buyer. It has probably done 1,000 loads or more since then.

Just a few weeks ago, another 1985 built Kenmore 80 series belt-drive, the same model, came into my ownership which had been in a one-owner house since new. It was built one week apart from the other. One lasted a handful of years before being discarded, the other a handful of decades....identical machines except their color.

Gordon