They're here! 1967 Speed Queen set

[swestoyz]

Hey gang -

The Speed Queen set that was posted over in Shopper's Square a few weeks ago arrived safely in Iowa this morning. A shoutout to Kermit/Will for posting the set to the board. I hemmed and hawed that weekend and by Tuesday I figured I'd give it a shot as it didn't appear there was much interest in the set.

A solenoid driven Speed Queen has been on my short list for a long time, in fact a handful have come home over the years but none were in good enough shape to save. This particular model is owned by only a few folks on the board and it's honestly one of Speed Queen's best looking pairs, IMO. A rare instance where the wood tones actually look great, balanced out by the rest of the panel's graphics and fonts.

Overall both are in really nice shape considering the age and that they were still in use up until a few weeks ago! They were originally installed in a cabin up in the thumb part of Michigan, which may explain the extended life cycle of the set.
Lots of lint dust covered both which may have blown out of the dryer during transit.

Model numbers are A78F and 166F -

Vintage speed queen washer and dryer pair great condition

$350 in hale Michigan, near pristine condition https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/413066063564420/

www.automaticwasher.org

 

[swestoyz]

Before anyone asks here are the money shots, including the bleach dispenser! Again, overall everything is in really nice shape and there is minimal rust along the boot guard edge of the washer top. The stainless steel drums in these dryers are just a marvel in manufacturing stamping.

With this set having been used recently I wasn't surprised to see a generic replacement water valve. This will need to be replaced eventually to eliminate the stress on the fill flume hose and to meter the water down to the appropriate fill rate. But, I WAS surprised to see the original marketing stickers on the side of the washer. How cool!

Any guesses on what that grey hose/cord is just behind the water valve?

 

[repairguy]

Congrats Ben! I sure am glad you saved these.

 

[swestoyz]

Once hauled inside I let them warm up a bit as it's been chilly over the last few days while they were in transit. After pulling the front panel I was pleasantly surprised to see things were in pretty good shape, albeit the typical rust seen on these bleach dispenser featured SQs. In fact there's still fluid the bleach hopper, but thankfully the pump has been disconnected. More than likely the pump was leaking during the pump out phase in the wash cycle, dumping bleach out on the frame.

Speaking of the bleach dispenser, another interesting find was the presence of a rectifier for the bleach pump! I'll have to take a look to see what the rated current type is on the pump.

And, here we also see that grey hose I mentioned earlier. The bleach pump pushes the fluid up through that tube to the fill flume during the overflow portion of the wash cycle. Don Shier and I played with this on his A78 with some bluing agent. It was really cool to see it in action.

While I didn't get any pictures I did spy a few date codes on the solenoids (5-67) and selector switches (4-67), which would probably place this as having been made a few months later during the summer of 1967.

 

[maytag85]

Beautiful set, Ben! Hopefully all they need is a good cleaning and servicing and that should be it. If you take the dryer apart, you wouldn’t mind posting pictures of it taken apart? Never seen what the inside of a older Speed Queen dryer looks like or what the overall setup inside is like.

 

[swestoyz]

And of course with the panel off I had to test the washer out. Overall it sounds great - agitation is super quiet, you can hear the fluid drive catching up to speed, the pump doesn't make groaning noises, but there is a dry bearing screech once it gets up to speed that is either in the fluid drive itself or one of the radial bearings in the bearing housing. The bearings will be tended to during a full restoration of both the washer and dryer.

And yes I am planning on hooking this dryer up in the washer studio, paired with the '58 Filtrator. Thankfully more modern and efficient dryers will be available at the ready in the other room but I couldn't pass up using a dryer with that beautiful stainless drum AND an automatic dry cycle.

For now, enjoy this quick clip of testing out the washer.

Ben

 

[foraloysius]

Congratulations! That's a great set. I love the flexibility of this machine with all the separate settings.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Wow Ben, congratulations. Those machines look mint and look how clean it is under the outer tub, amazing! Couldn't have gone to a better home. I can't wait to see them sometime. Nothing like finding a low-use vintage matching set!

 

[appnut]

Ben, glad they are home safe and initial power up. Thank you for all the terrific panel close-ups.

 

[goatfarmer]

Fine looking set, Ben!

 

[spacepig]

Beautiful set--congratulations! Do you mind sharing what shipper you used?

 

[pulltostart]

Ben,

Verrrrry cool!  Can't wait to see "after" pics and videos.

 

lawrence

 

[peteski50]

Speed Queen!

Ben congratulations and Best of Luck with this great set!

 

[Ultramatic]

 

Oh they're beautiful! Congratulations Ben!

 

[kermit]

Congrats

Congratulations, glad I was able to help!

 

[lotsosudz]

Total Envy

I think i popped a woody when I saw this set. I love the solid tub SQ's. I love the overflow feature on both the wash, and rinse, as it was very effective on these machines! Congratulations on a great score, and are looking forward to a full length video soon!!!!
Hugs,
David

 

[mtn1584]

CONGRATULATIONS

A truly MAGNIFICENT find!!!
BEAUTIFUL machines built like Sherman Tanks!!
Best of luck!!
I absolutely LOVE THE CONSOLES!
Mike

 

[gansky1]

Truly a great set to find, still in working condition.  I'm sure you'll have little trouble getting these both back to factory specs, they're almost there now!  Congrats, Ben, a really great addition to your collection.

 

[swestoyz]

Thanks for the kind comments, everyone! Louis, I agree. The washer provides the ultimate flexibility on top of it's good looks!

Does anyone possibly have a service and parts manual for the A78 washer? The service manual for the A72/73/75/76 is on AE which covers most of the mechanicals from this era of solid tub SQ but it would be really nice to have both manuals for this machine (and the dryer too!). If so I'd be happy to scan and return to anyone who would kindly send those my way. Send me a message or shoot over an email.

I've about given up on using a specific shipper as each location is often times unique enough that a shipper that has been used in the past is generally not in that area at the time or ends up ghosting. Lately, I've just throw a bid out on U-Ship and use their fixed price option for the last several shipments and it's worked great each time, usually going on the higher side of the scale to attract shippers. Respond quickly as shippers are constantly moving and looking to add to their loads as they criss-cross the US. Washers and dryers are super easy for them to add to a partial load.

The dryer was tested briefly last night and sounds fine. It will need a new set of rollers and the belt sounds like it's got a flat spot in it as well. Before hitting the studio for use it will get a new set of seals, belt, roller, etc., and possibly some paint on the front panel. We shall see!

Speaking of seeing, here are some night shots for all to enjoy!