Saved from a basement in St. Paul: An early Whirlpool

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All tucked away for the night

This machine really has grown on me. While I wasn't the biggest fan of the BD machines, I really love this one. It is very mechanical sounding when it runs, and it is just bursting with life. You would never know this one is as old as it is - it acts as if it just left the plant in St. Joseph, MI. While it isn't a WO-65 or an AMP, I just love it, and I'm looking forward to enjoying it <br
Ben

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Oh yeah <br
Bob, it would be very cool if the machine just happened to pop the lid open when the cycle was completed, but alas, it isn't that cool. The button is pushed to open the lid at anytime, and usually is lit up when the machine is running via a Germicidal lamp positioned right in front of the button. Those lamps are quite hard to come by, so I'm not crossing any fingers at the moment <br
Kenny, I left the dryer behind, as I am currently knee deep in dryers as we speak! <br
Again, thanks for all the kind comments - I wish you all could have been around for the first wash!

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What an amazing difference a little love makes! You're right, quite a looker indeed - love the "completely variable spray rinses" too <br
There should be a ballast - either another incandescent light bulb or a transformer in series with the germicidal lamp. The only time I've had one not work is when it was broken. They seem to last forever. You can still find the bulbs now and then - watch for one of these Puritron air cleaners in the thrift stores and ebay - they are loaded with those bulbs.

http://cgi.ebay.com/1960-Puritron-A...ryZ13596QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem
 
Lights on the Whirlpools

Here is a pix of the bulb arrangement on my 56 WP. The forty watt ballast bulb for the ozone lamp is on the left side on my machine. The small 7 watt bulb lights up the push button <br
Ben, once you get the top popped on your WP, could you please post a pix of it for us? Would love to see how the earlier models look under there.

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I think "Ye Olde Belt Drive" will grow on you Ben. Each one of the very old models seem to have a unique personality all it's own. The funky sounds they make are really fun. I just love them! The 56 KM I just finished seems to have a "rap" beat to it when it is washing <br
You have yours looking VERY nice already! Have you even had it for 24 hours yet? Your moving fast dude! lol!
 
Whirlpool!

I remember one of my neighbors had this same machine. I used to like watching it wash. They had it until 1963 and when they moved they didnt take it with them and I don't know what happened to it at that point. But it had many solid years of washing without a problem. I always loved the action
Best Of Luc
Peter
 
I love hte belt drives.. We had several in our neighborhood growing up and i used to get to play with every one of them
 
Excellent score!! One question..the circumference around the agi seems to be darker shaded. Was this the original agitator before the surgilator? <br
Hope it all goes well for you..many happy washings!
 
My God Rick, your 56 Imperial looks beautiful - almost like a Christmas yard arangement under there! I noticed that there is a 40w appliance bulb in there - I think you've given me an idea.. <br
I was able to pull the top cover off tonight. Man, it was gross in there! I've included a few pics for ya - before:

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All Cleaned Up

It seems the cause of the mysterious 'overflow' is a faulty water valve - the cold solenoid is stuck open. When I replace the water valve I look more closely at the ballast to see if there is an issue, or I just need a replacement ozone lamp. <br
I agree Louis - it isn't a "complete laundy" without the dryer! Oh well, maybe next Holiday <br
Ben

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Wow Ben its just beautiful! Congratulations. <br
I got my '52 Whirlpool from a basement in St. Paul as well about seven years ago.
 
Ben nice machinination!

Love the clean up, such a transformation. My BD is growing on me as well. It has been so long I have had an agitator machine to play with that the first wash was amazing to see in action again.

But that red agitator is way beyond cool! Enjoy, I am even begining to lust after a TL Maytag --i never thought I'd see the day! But now that it is gone its really collectible.

Thanks for the pics
 
Well, the WP is coming right along! Thanks for the "under the hood" shot. It is wild to see how these machines evolved. Looks like the suspention system only had two rods, and they are both on the right side??? I need to see one of these early machines in person someday.
The float system is something that I have never seen before, although I have heard about them.
The snubber arrangement on the left side is another thing that I was not aware of.

Ben, I would check the agitator drive block for wear, and replace the rubber ring in the agitator cap, if it is hard. If either of those are in poor condition,they need to be replaced. If they are not, a split at the top of the agitator under the cap can be the result.
 
Hey Rick,

There are three suspension rods on this machine - there just hiding. One is under the timer, then the front right side, the the last is hiding under the snubber. The pic below has the tub hardware still removed - it is easier to see the suspension.

I know the gasket in the cap is still nice and flexible, but I haven't checked block yet for wear - I'll make sure to do that soon.

Askomiele: the snubber is a part of the suspension that holds the wash assembly in place. It is a piece of hardened rubber (on this machine), and when the tub shakes during spin, it helps reduce the amount of vibration by keeping the lateral movement on a single plane. Hope this helps.

Jon: no problem, pics I can do! Whatever happened to that AMP anyway?

Robert: the machine came out of a basement in the neighborhood around St. Thomas University. Nice homes around there!

Eugene: you had asked a while back - and yes, this machine is quite 'wide'! It would be the standard 27 inches, but it just looks like a tank, and sure feels like it too when you are moving it! The off balance is all mechanical, and I don't think this will trip the buzzer. It would take one hell of a swinging basket to hit that lever though!

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askomiele-- The snubber, a rubber pad which presses down forcefully against the tub ring, and can be seen on the left side of the photo in post #176177, helps to keep the tub stable, especially during spins.

In later models, the snubber was moved to the rear part of the tub ring, as can be seen in the photo of Rick's '56 Whirlpool in post #175988.
 
Wow, it certainly cleaned up well, that tub ring has a nice shine to it. I do have a question, though...is this one of the machines where the mechanism is mounted sideways, compared to later BDs? It seems to me like it would be, but looks can be deceiving.

Can't wait to see pictures of its first full load as well, those straight-vanes really give everything a good thrashing!
 
I see the suspention rods now. And yes, I can count three. The one was hiding under the snubber bracket.
Thanks for the detailed photos Ben. It's almost like being there in person, only my hands are still clean! lol!!
 
Sometimes Rick it is more fun sit back, relax, keep the hands clean, and just watch!

Austin: here is a shot of the bottom side, when it was still loaded in the Tahoe. I have rotated the photo so that when you look at the machine in the picture, the front is facing down. These machines have a little access door on the left hand side to gain access to the motor assembly. I am wondering about the extra machined surfaces on the tranny - would those have been mounting surfaces for the suds system?

Maybe when I move in the house, a few of those loads that would be just begging for a good thrashing will get tossed in for a ride!

Ben

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What an early Kenmore

Whirlpool, you know I always had it in my head that the design never changed from its basic form after the bolt down machine. But clearly they were evolving all the way through the 50's!

Ben, I'd like to get my hands on an AMP, I once had a 1957 with the AMP tranny, that went to Robert,then Greg then Steve118 who as I understand is still using it.

Great find there it will be fun to use.

jon
 
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