Peter...
...please add my condolences to those of the others. Indeed, to see the pictures are heartbreaking.
But even more heartbreaking is to see you beating yourself up so. You say that this sight is for preservationists and that you don't deserve to be here. But the depth of emotion that you feel over this shows that you are EXACTLY WHERE YOU NEED TO BE and that's RIGHT HERE ON AW!!!!
You've shut your other machines away, and have this one displayed as a monument for which to punish yourself. But that's not fair to you -- or to the machines. The others exist, and exist as a statement of your passion for preservation, fine workmanship, and for a time when the words "quality" in an advertisement could be trusted.
Break this fellow down for parts. Straighten anything that can be straightened, preserve and save what can be preserved and saved. This cannot possibly be the last rollermatic in existence.
I think everyone who cares about this old stuff has a disaster/horror story. You, and the others have spoken about yours. I'm sure there are many others who whispered to themselves "been there done that" or so forth. In this hobby, these things are going to happen. And there's always the learning curve, be it how to repair something, how to take out a dent, how to polish something, how to fix a timer, fix a motor, transmission, what have you.
Because I live in an apartment, my collection is limited to small appliances. More than one has kissed the bottom of the dumpster because I botched. More than one has become a "donor machine" stripped for parts.
You now have a "war story." When you find another rollermatic, and I bet over time you will, this will become a part of its history. Folks will compliment you on your restore and you will answer "You wouldn't believe how this came about...I had one before, and was bringing it home..." And because of that, you'll appreciate your appliances and your work even more.
No more beating yourself up, ok? Break this guy down for parts, save every possible thing you can. Bring your other appliances back out of the spare bedroom and return them to their rightful places. Right now, you are understandably focused on your part in this -- but the appliances have a "dog in the fight" as well. Actually, when it comes right down to it, all that we do is really about the appliances, not about us.
All the best,
John