Saving a Unimatic - a Custom Imperial restoration

[swestoyz]

Thanks, gents! Joe I was hoping you'd see this post. Yesterday I was thinking about the stories you've told over the years of working at Western and rehabbing Unimatics when these were still just a used washer.

So, yesterday I left it off with the reopperation just about complete, with the next step in the process to do a run-in test of the mechanism. I tried two methods - the first was running on the bench with no tub, and the second with a tub bolted in place. The reason for the second approach was to see if torquing the assembly up against the spin cage washer and the spin bearing would decrease any drag on the overall mechanism (it did not). If you do attempt this please do not install the bronze washer securing the tub nut. I can't imagine having the mechanism free spinning dangerously with a tub installed.

The service manual calls out the normal wattage ranges for a reopperated mechanism, specifying 215-225 watts. I took a page out of David's playbook and grabbed a Kill-A-Watt meter at Menards to bench test the mechanism and see how things were running. This is a brilliant tool - thanks for the tip, David!

Oddly I couldn't get the mechanism to run any lower than say 290 watts, and it stabilized in the 305 to 320 range for both pulsation and spin. What I don't know is if the replacement 70's Delco motor and capacitor are any different than a 50's original, or if the revised oil pump puts more drag on the drive shaft, or if there is indeed something wrong with the mechanism itself (too tight of clearances, etc.). But, everything seems to run fine so I'm leaving things as is. It pulls below the rated 7 amps on the motor tag, so I took that as a positive. [this post was last edited: 12/29/2019-17:50]

 

[swestoyz]

Before assembling everything it dawned on me that the tub support needed cleaning as well. The remains of water mixed oil was on both surfaces, and the flange for the water bellows was rusty and needed some TLC.

The screws for the tub supports do not appear to be a common size/thread pitch that you can get at a hardware store, so take caution when removing these. Also, don't make the mistake I did and allow POR-15 to flow into the tapped holes. That made for a nightmare getting several of the screws installed.

The tub bottom of the mechanism seal is shown in the last photo, with an NOS bronze washer and gasket installed, along with the original snap ring.

Another oddity was the part number casted into the support - 5434039. That PN is for the 55/56 Unimatic tub support, but this particular support has the provisions for the 57/58 bronze seal assembly that cannot be used on a 55/56 mechanism and should have carried the 5436235 PN. [this post was last edited: 12/29/2019-16:33]

 

[DADoES]

 
Someone, anyone, expert is welcome come down over here and work over my WO65 ... which really needs only the motor start switch fixed ... after the stuck pump screws are out, and whatever else needs to be unstuck along the way.

 

[swestoyz]

In parallel to working on the tub, the outer cabinet and outer tub were cleaned and sealed up, as well. I make it a habit to clean the threaded holes for the leveling legs on all washers that come through for restoration, making the final install so much easier when trying to level out a machine. The '58 uses a much more robust leveling leg than the earlier style cabinets ('47 - '56). All leveling legs were cleaned on the wire wheel and lubricated with some lithium grease.

I also installed some flat washers between the leveling leg nut and the cabinet, for two reasons. One to ensure that the nut was accessible and nut recessed up into the cabinet while leveling, and two to help provide a more solid surface to stabilize the machine. The '56 I had at one time had gussets that would fit between the nut and cabinet, which was a brilliant way to help stabilize the washer during spin.

The cross member also received some attention due to excessive oil and rust issues. The holes for the four bolts were cleaned with a tap and a new set of SS hex head cap crews replaced the old Phillips screws. I would strongly suggest this upgrade for any solid tub Frigidaire.

It was also a good time to install the motor relay while cleaning the cabinet. This is cheap insurance for any Unimatic timer. Details on the relay will come up later.

This also was a good time to add some POR-15 to any rust spots on the outer tub.

 

[swestoyz]

With the cabinet and mechanism buttoned up it was time to work on the second piece of advice that David provided. He suggested using some The Right Stuff to seal between the carbon face and the rubber boot on the 5439025 seal. It appears that water possibly got between the carbon and boot on the original seal (it was missing the original glue in several places) so all precautions were going to be taken to ensure water wasn't getting in a second time.

Three layers were applied between the boot and the seal, and after curing for a day the extra layer of protection was perfect. I used a small piece of rubber to cover the carbon face while working with the seal.

With the mechanism in place in the machine I pressed the 5439025 seal into the nut. This isn't easy so take your time and make sure you don't touch the carbon face. I tried two different methods with the first being the soap trick Maytag suggests with their boot seal, and then dry. Dry did the trick.

With Next was sliding the tub in place, and in these shots you can see the POR-15 applied to the water bellows flange. POR-15 makes for a wonderful surface for water to seal against, so even with the little bit of metal missing at the top of the flange, the ring that holds the bellows in place interfaces with the center of the flange.

 

[swestoyz]

The pan at the rear of the outer tub was in pretty rough shape. While they are porcelain coated from the factory, years of water spray can cause the corner seams to rot out. This particular one was still fully in tact but was starting to rot badly. It received a full coating of POR-15 to preserve what was left of it. The '59 and '60 pans are similar but don't trap water in the pan and can be used on the '58, if needed.

All new SS fasteners and rubber seals were installed on the pan, along with a new cotter pin holding the out of balance trip lever.

The original tub seal was reused with an added seal added on top, all sealed with The Right Stuff.

 

[swestoyz]

With the outer cabinet finished it was time to disassemble the cabinet top and top panel for a full cleaning and part replacement.

The fill nozzle was full of hard water lime scale, so it was fully disassembled and cleaned with Lime Away, as well as the bottom of the top and lid/lid hinges. The hinges didn't get as clean as I'd like but they are good enough for now.

An NOS motor protector was installed, along with the original florescent ballast and lid switch. I love that GM sourced this item from someone else besides GE, LOL. While the lid switch will be bi-passed I wanted the user to hear the almost silent switch when the lid is closed.

 

[swestoyz]

During the disassembly of the cabinet top I was surprised to see that the timer had a burnt out contact for the motor (BLUE lead) as the timer was able to run the motor during the initial test 5 years ago. Thankfully at some point in the past I had picked up an NOS rebuilt timer for a WCI-58. Date code on the replacement timer was the fall of '57 for an early run on the '58 models, with the original timer having a date code that correlated to many of the date codes found on the machine - January 1958. Super cool that the original timer was still in the machine!

All parts of the panel were cleaned, which included a rust stain between the plastic decorative panel and the tin painted panel behind it. At this point I had not completely bi-passed the lid switch wire from a previous bi-pass, but eventually I pulled out the second orange wire and looped one lead back onto the other terminal, completely avoiding the junction that was added at some point.

 

[swestoyz]

With the top now buttoned up it was time to test the water valve that came with the washer. The WCI-58/WCIR-58 were the only Frigidaire washers to come from the factory with a three temp, thermostatically control water valve (6560506), making this a pretty rare valve.

While the valve that came with the machine was a rebuilt replacement it leaked like crazy - out two of the solenoid seats as well as the thermostat. Rather than rebuilding it with new seats I thankfully I had an NOS valve for the machine. The new valve tested perfect - no leaks!

With the valve now in place it was time to put one of the final items on - the bellows. I wasn't going to chance all of the hard work that went into the machine with used bellows, so NOS from the 80's were pulled out from the stock.

The pulsator was installed with NOS gaskets on both sides of the pulsator (5433559), as well as some The Right Stuff under the pulsator nut for added protection.

The original '58 soap dispenser column was installed with a new SS Phillips screw and washer. Phillips screws for the dispensers are much easier to work with than a hex headed screw.

The cap was from the '57 Control Tower and the two rings were brand new rings from Bud.

It's now time for a water test!!

 

[swestoyz]

Well, the water test wasn't quite leak free. The original hose between the added brass 90 degree elbow from the water valve and the fill flume split in half. This required removing the top to access the hose clamp at the fill flume to install a new hose.

The hose clamp was re-positioned so that the screw head can be accessed with the top on the machine, from the back side.

With the split hose addressed, everything else ran perfect!

 

[swestoyz]

With the water test complete it was time to button up the wiring and the back of the machine.

With the power relay (Grainger item 4A711) added as cheap insurance for the timer, I had the opportunity to piggy back a new hot lead from the motor protector up in the panel, down to the switched side of the relay, and a neutral line from the water valve to the control magnet side of the relay.

The original blue wire down at the motor end had the heat soak sections cut out and now power the control magnet side of the relay, with a new blue wire running from the switched side over to the motor.

The drain features a spare elbow and S hose I grabbed from a parted out Multimatic. These work great to replace the fitting that so commonly leaks on Unimatics. The long L hose was also from a parted out Multimatic.

Lastly, the original flag terminal connector up at the timer on the BLUE wire was pretty fried and heat soaked. Come to find out that flag terminal connectors are tough to come by these days, but they can be found on eBay if you're willing to pay for them ($$) for originality sake. I picked up a package of 20 which should serve well for future projects.

I also grabbed a oil pan for below the trip solenoid from a spare transmission.

New screws all around for the back panel, including new flange nuts on the button side of the outer tub with new SS screws and washers securing the back panel to the outer tub.[this post was last edited: 12/29/2019-16:06]

 

[swestoyz]

Shortly after the restoration was done I reached out to Bud and he sent some of the final jewelry pieces to Iowa - a brand new '58 cap with the correct shade of turquoise and a replacement lint chaser ring.

Both look AMAZING on the washer, along with the spot on circulator (coral) ring. I can't wait to test out a new pulsator from him, hopefully soon.

Bud - I can't thank you enough for all the effort and hard work you've put into this project.

 

[swestoyz]

With the restoration complete I've run about two dozen loads through the washer, and for the most part everything is working great. The top outer tub seal will leak just a tiny during spin on loads that are somewhat out of balance, and the brass elbow someone knocks against the outer tub.

Otherwise, mechanically this machine sounds about as good as they come.

At some point I'll try to film a full cycle clip and load it up to YouTube, but for now here's a great clip of the Ultra Clean doing what it does best - washing some towels!

 

[swestoyz]

Thank you to everyone who helped along with the restoration, and for John and Tom holding on to this set for so many years.

I'm hoping to address some issues with the dryer later this winter. While I didn't get all the details covered about the restoration, please let me know if you have any questions where I may have left out some critical points.

Here's some final glam photos of the restored, 1958 Frigidaire Ultra Clean washer and Filtrator dryer!

 

[swestoyz]

* special bearing tool

One final note -

Robert graciously lent me his spin bearing removal tool so I could finish out the project at home. I'm planning on making several copies of the tool this winter with plans to either sell some of the copies or make sure they are strategically located across the US for others to use.

More details to come as I dabble at working a metal lathe and Bridgeport at the local Makerspace over the next several months!

Ben

 

[tomturbomatic]

This is surprising. I was led to believe that the Beltsville 58 pair were loaded onto a cargo container and shipped to Australia after the last Beltsville Wash In. Since we had restored the mechanism in the 1980s, I am surprised that it would be in such bad shape again. Mine was operating when it left my house, but it is good that this one is working properly again. I am glad for all of your good fortune including getting this treasure back in operation.

 

[joelippard]

This really is an amazing restoration job.  One question Ben.  Could you detail for the rest of us here exactly the steps involved in wiring in a relay on a Unimatic?  I'll be restoring a 55 sometime this coming year and those instructions would be very helpful.

 

[jetaction]

Amazing job as always

Having worked with Ben (apprentice here) on many projects I can tell you he does everything well. No cutting corners and quality everything, just like him!

 

[hippiedoll]

WOWZERS!!

What a REMARKABLE restoration you've done here on that 1958 FRIGIDAIRE Unimatic washer. That set looks BEAUTIFUL! These would put ANY modern washer & dryer to shame, when it comes to looks & styling!
It bares repeating, THESE ARE BEAUTIFUL!

I am so HAPPY that this restoration came together for you.

WOOOO HOOOOOOO!
)

 

[swestoyz]

Thanks for the kind comments, everyone. When folks outside the club ask why washers, why this hobby, one thing I like to mention is the community of friends here at AW as a huge reason why this hobby means so much to me.

Glenn - if you could get the mechanism up to Iowa I'd be happy to take a look at it for you.

Joe - I've included a crude but slightly modified wiring diagram below, from a WI-57, along with updated photos with labels for the wiring. There are probably other ways of going about wiring in a relay, but this method has worked well for me.

The key is to get power (hot line) from the protected side of the motor protector so that if the motor pulls too much current the motor is still protected.

To do this I add in a new wire using a piggyback disconnect on the black lead between the motor protector and the timer, and run that new wire down to the switched side of the relay. Next, I add in a new blue wire between the other side of the switch on the relay over to the BLUE terminal on the trip solenoid. That takes care of the new power feed to the motor.

The next step is to wire in the control magnet side of the relay. Take the original BLUE wire that went from the timer to the trip solenoid and run that to the control side of the relay. Last step is to get a neutral feed to the control magnet and a wire from one of the neutral sides of the water valve is usually the easiest place to tap into.

Where you place the relay will vary based on the machine. For the '55 you may find that it is best placed up in the control panel, vs. where I located it down on one of the support legs of the outer tub for the '58. I also cut the original blue wire to fit nicely in the modified harness due to where I put the relay, but if you add in a relay in the panel of the '55, you may be able to take the original blue wire from the timer and connect it right to the relay, depending on if the '55 has 1/4 spade terminals vs. the round Douglas connectors. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you need help when you get to this stage on your '55.

Ben