Pink Westinghouse Spacemate set question.

[sudslock1]

Hello all....... I have the chance to buy a pink westinghouse space mate set in decent condition. The dryer works but the seller is unaware if the washer does. Both look very nice and would probably be a nice addition to my collection. I am in negotiations with the seller to try and find a nice price we both can settle on. He is currently at $600 for the pair and I told him that would be outer limits if both machines were pristine and in perfect working order. I have attached two photos of the machines. If anyone on here could give me some advice on these machines that would be great. I am not to familiar with the space mates, I have heard good and bad things. Any help would be very much appreciated.

 

[sudslock1]

washer pic

here is the washer

 

[3beltwesty]

There are a lot of unknowns

The spacemate is I believe in a 25" frame versus a 27" frame for a mid 1960's to early 1990's westy FL washer.

The drum is smaller in diameter than a 22" drum on a 27" frame machine.

The door boot is different too, the pump is different too. The clutch spring is Q8367 versus Q8364 on a full sized 3 belt westy.

If the washer is basket case finding parts for a spacemate might be a total bear, many are not the same as the larger 3 belt machines.

Without looking at it in person, you might be buying a pretty washer with a bad pump, a burned out motor, bad timer, rusted out tub front. I am not sure if the clutch spring is just a shorter version and thus coils can be cut off the 27" variant.

A google search shows others on this board have have posted images of the back end of a spacement opened up.

The two 6205 ball bearings and water seal Q9303 is the same on all Fl westys. a kit of both is Bearing and Seal Kit
p/n: 5300137158.. the seal alone is about 13 bucks from A-1 parts in huntsville.

 

[sudslock1]

Unknowns.....

I will of course check them out and give them a good going over before I plunk down the money but the issue is I want to make sure me and the seller and in the same ballpark money wise before I make the four hour drive. No point in driving all that way if he has delusions of grandeur and I'm only thinking of paying him a fair price.

 

[3beltwesty]

lay of clutch spring

What I remember ; but might be brain fade too; is the 25" model rotates the opposite direction compared to a normal 27" westy.

Thus the "lay (direction of twist)" of the slinky coil clutch spring might be the opposite way. ie which way the coil is wound,

An old machine might still work but leak. ie bad boot, pinhole rust through in the tub front. The tub front can be sanded down, rust cut out and filled with epoxy and them painted with epoxy paint. I did this on a 27" machine once here.

 

[macboy91si]

Sudlock

The washer is in good condition, according to the seller, the door seal is even good. I had spoke with him 1st about these. I think he thinks they are worth more than they are and I'm not in a financial position to spend $300 EACH for them. Beautiful set, but the seller never came through with any additional photos. The dryer does work, but there was a newer Westinghouse F/L from the 70's in the house, so it would lead me to believe it doesn't work. E-mail me if you'd like an I can give you the info I had received from Josh about them.

 

-Tim

 

[3beltwesty]

Loony Pricing of old stuff often is odd.

Here for my 1976 westy I bought a new "tub front" that is to replace the bondo-ed up old one. The old one is usable, but the plastic deflector ring is about impossible to install because of the added epoxy region.

Every parts place has been out of the tub front even when they say they are in stock. Then last fall A-1 parts must have moved a warehouse and one got unearthed and thus I bought it.

In the loony scheme of things, that new porcelain steel tub front for 150 bucks is absurd, but it will allow be to make a better rebuild. The odd thing is the spin basket's shaft was about 160 bucks 4 years ago and I got one for 39 dollars at A-1.

The 1976 washer was probably about 250 to 300 bucks when new. That tub front's internal cost as a porcelain steel weldament was maybe only a dollar or two.

If that spacemate for 300 dollars has a few bad parts and one could still find them as new parts, one can spend more in parts than the machines cost. A new potao pulley with roller bearing for the bigger 3 belt machine is about 150 bucks new. Then again their might be one in a junk yard that one can buy just for the steel scrap price!

 

[goatfarmer]

$600.00 for a non working set is quite a bit, even for a pink set.

 

[sudslock1]

Question?

Can't you stack these machines? Or did you have to order them special or buy a kit to be able to stack them. I only asked because I found an old ad with this set shown and the dryer is basically turned upside down on top of the washer and then you can rotate the chrome badging on the machine so it faces right side up? Any info would be wonderful. I am going this weekend to pick this set up so I am excited. The dryer has its original manual but the washer is missing its manual.