The Pink Maytag

[cadman]

Fresh from the St. Vincent DePaul warehouse! A pink Maytag 740C- with backlit controls, a drum light, and an ozone lamp! Not the greatest of shape, a mouse chose the lint screen as his home, and there's some streaking from what I would guess is bleach, but it's 50's, and it's pink. I've got the timer disc inside, it's in two pieces but shouldn't be bad to epoxy. Anyone got a spare?

BTW, this one is Ben's find. Interesting they used copper below the glass...

 

[goatfarmer]

I might have the timer dial you need. Got a picture? Nice find,BTW

kennyGF

 

[retromom]

Great find (again) Cory!

What a terrific little dryer! I just can't imagine anyone giving this one away!

Ok, dumb question department.....just what is that little drawer for?

Venus (the uneducated)

 

[swestoyz]

It made a great home!

Thanks to the little mouse that decided to consider the Maytag a prime piece of realestate, its original purpose was designed to be a lint trap. Well, lets just say it hasn't trapped lint in quite some time. I think Cory can work some magic with some screen from the hardware store, along with some needed nuts and bolts for the right side. This is the first unit that will actually need some real elbow greese, a few weekends, and a couple of cold ones for us to get going.

So do I even ask if parts are available for this unit?

Ben

 

[rickr]

Great finds guys!!!

Boy,you two are the "Pied Pipers" of classic appliances!! In what key do you play your flutes?? That dryer looks great! You just can't be a classic appliance lover and not love the center timer Maytags.They have that great classic 1950's style we love.
Congrates!!

Rick

 

[kenmore1978]

Little drawer

Interesting, I assume this is an electric dryer, since the little drawer is a little door on gas models to access the pilot light. Isn't the lint filter in the back of the drum on electric and gas models?

 

[swestoyz]

Pilot Lighting

The pilot light door is missing from the top of the unit. We were kinda in a hurry to move the thing (hum... they did said just take it), and didn't look around to find it. Does anyone have a photo of what it would look like with the missing piece on the top? The bottom door is for a the lint filter (or mouse nest).

 

[bethann]

Nice one!

Now your talkin my color! I guess this is going to be a daily thing for you two! Can I put in my order?

 

[veg-o-matic]

Man, how do you guys keep doing that? You ought to hire yourselves out as vintage appliance locators!
Oh, and congrats, by the way!

veg

 

[bethann]

Question for Cory and Ben

Since you two now have the experience of heisting these things... Would you mind cruising through the Kansas City Museum and grabbing the set of Pink Frigidaires that are sitting in there? I really don't think anyone would notice! Plus, they would look so much better in my basement! I'll cook ya dinner and make cocktails!

 

[kenmore1978]

little drawers, little doors, pilot lites & lint traps

OK, Maytag history buffs, every Maytag gas dryer I've seen has the pilot light behind the little door on the bottom of the machine. Who knows the "timeline" of when doors, drawers, filters, and pilot lights were switched around. And in the later machines where the pilot lite WAS behind the little bottom door, what was behind the door on electric models?

 

[Unimatic1140]

Oh very cool Cory, March must be Pink month this year!

 

[gansky1]

Wow - very good find! This is actually quite an interesting model. Maytag made this dryer for only a year or two before the Halo-of-Heat models came out in 1958-59. I believe this dryer has an electic ignition, the last non-standing pilot gas model until the Big-Load models came out in 1975. The small door on the top is for access to the gas valve and electric ignition controls I think... I would be surprised if it weren't as with a standing pilot at the top of the cabinet like that, the paint on the control panel glass would be completely destroyed. This happend on many gas models of later vintage, the heat and fumes from the pilot destroyed everything inside. I have parts manual for this model so I can check for sure. I do know where you can get this exact same dryer, in pink no less, and not too awfully far from you guys. Email me as I think I have the business name around here somewhere. The dryer was complete with all the doors, screen drawer and black dial. They used to have the matching washer, but junked it when it started to leak oil.

 

[scott55405]

Ben, you're dryer is very cool!

Greg, why in God's name do you suppose they would have gone from electronic ignition *back* to a pilot light? I always thought it odd that Maytag hung onto that whole pilot light thing for so long.

 

[alr2903]

Lint @ bottom right.

Greg whis machine would have a "mesh drum" like in a large laundromat dryer? Last time this subject came up with the tags door on the bottom right came up i wanted to ask. i figured with the lint "drawer" at bottom right, it would NOT be the halo of heat type drum. Thanks.

 

[swestoyz]

Update - 3/22

This afternoon after work, Cory and I dug into the Maytag in atempts to get most of the nesting out before taking her downstairs. Cory did some polishing of the chrome, and I worked on the dirty stuff. I pulled out a good size rug's worth of yarn in the lint housing, plus the rest of a typical mouse nest. I did most of the cleaning through the front little lint door, not realizing that you could take a section of the drum out, align it with the lint housing for complete access! Got all of the pulleys lose and the belts free, checked the bearings on the blower, did some final vacuuming of the interior. I decided it was time, so Cory plugged her in.

At first, there was nothing, then the control panel light came to life! After putting the door back on and closing the handle, the motor sprung to life, delightfully exciting the both of us! The timer doesn't work, due to the infamous mouse chewing threw the housing. We pulled the original 40w and ozone, and replaced with new. Unfortunately, the replacement appliance bulb was not 40w, and blew out a NOS ozone bulb in about 5 minutes. Good thing Cory has some more on stock.

Tomorrow she will hit the basement, in hopes of getting most of it functional. More photos to come...

PS - Goatfarmer, all I know is the timer dial is black, and has etched out numbering for a light to shine through.

 

[appnut]

Sounds like things are progressing y'all. Can't wait for more updates.