ovrphil
Well-known member
A remnant of the Kelvinator brand that Nash held onto and came along with the merger to create AMC. Did AMC rebrand the Kelvinator refrigerators as well?
Vintage AMC range oven - $400(Detroit area)
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You're probably more learned on this than I am, but I did not think there was a connection to the American Motors Corporation and the "amc" appliance brand, which I believe stood for American Machine Company.
I think AMC appliances were sold to departments stores, including (but not limited to) Detroit's Hudson department store... Which ironically had no connection to the Hudson car company beyond J.L. Hudson (store founder) providing the car company's start-up capital in the early 1900s.
I think AMC appliances were sold to departments stores, including (but not limited to) Detroit's Hudson department store... Which ironically had no connection to the Hudson car company beyond J.L. Hudson (store founder) providing the car company's start-up capital in the early 1900s.
AMC was a department store brand and stood for Allied Merchandising Corporation. Big department stores collaborated on this. Salesmen were told to push them and got higher commissions for them. Refrigeration products were Gibson. Ranges were cheap POS Sunray and the laundry line was by Easy. Rich's in Atlanta handled the line, briefly, because they had a policy of taking back merchandise with which the customer was not satisfied and a lot of customers were not satisfied with these. Oven liners rusted out. Broiler elements dropped when the screws holding the supports fell out of the rusted holes. The clothes dryers still used a galvanized drum although they did have an intersting air flow path from the right rear to the left front, but the pull out lint filter in front resulted in wasted drum space because the throat of the drum had to be deeper than say a GE. This was mid 60s and Easy's line was due for a modernization. I don't know what the major problems with the Gibson line were, but I heard the window AC units rusted pretty fast and when it is the base pan of the AC unit, you are kinda screwed.
As with most of life, you got what you paid for.
As with most of life, you got what you paid for.
ovrphil
Well-known member
AMC
AMC - American Motors Co. merged with Nash Motors, creating a Nash-Kelvinator division in the late 30's. I'm not familiar with American Machine Company and you are, Chris, have a greater range of history/knowledge than me with appliances. Nash merged with Hudson Motors, but somewhere along the merger timelines, American Motors (the car company) retained Nash-Kelvinator as a divsion up to (so I read)the late 60's, after which Kelvinator joined White-Consolidated.
I honestly had to research to verify what my father-in-law mentioned long ago.
American Machine Company-not familiar with their heritage and contributions.
AMC - American Motors Co. merged with Nash Motors, creating a Nash-Kelvinator division in the late 30's. I'm not familiar with American Machine Company and you are, Chris, have a greater range of history/knowledge than me with appliances. Nash merged with Hudson Motors, but somewhere along the merger timelines, American Motors (the car company) retained Nash-Kelvinator as a divsion up to (so I read)the late 60's, after which Kelvinator joined White-Consolidated.
I honestly had to research to verify what my father-in-law mentioned long ago.
American Machine Company-not familiar with their heritage and contributions.
fan-of-fans
Well-known member
I believe it was pronounced Aimcee Wholesale. The fans were made by Hunter, those were actually good.
That range is definitely made by Sunray, and some Montgomery Wards ones were too. The slanted controls are one clear indicator.
That range is definitely made by Sunray, and some Montgomery Wards ones were too. The slanted controls are one clear indicator.
ovrphil
Well-known member
Not a Kelvinator
Like I said, I know AMC and Kelvinators were one, but how did an AMC label get by the copyright(?)attorneys? Wouldn't they need to stamp that AIMC vs. AMC?
Thanks Cole - it didn't look so much like a Kelvinator product to me, anyways.
Like I said, I know AMC and Kelvinators were one, but how did an AMC label get by the copyright(?)attorneys? Wouldn't they need to stamp that AIMC vs. AMC?
Thanks Cole - it didn't look so much like a Kelvinator product to me, anyways.
AMC appliances (40s) pre-dated AMC Corporation (late 50s) and vehicles (late 60s). When Aimcee was set up, AMC was Nash Kelvinator, Packard, Hudson and Willys individually (as some of the "independent" car companies) which didn't really come together until the mid-50s (Nash/Packard/Hudson) and 60s (Willys Jeep). Aimcee was more for the independent department stores of the time...May Department Stores had a brandname (Duracrest, as I recall); Allied (Ambassador), Macy (Supremacy); not to mention Sears/Wards/Penneys. I think in the day Hudson's was big enough to private-label themselves some of the more local products (you sometimes see Hudson's refrigeration and ironers in the Detroit area).
norgeway
Well-known member
Hudson
Had a lot of stuff under their name, I have a Hudson vacuum cleaner that is a Kingston, and Hudson used Hardwick ranges rebadged Hudson.
Had a lot of stuff under their name, I have a Hudson vacuum cleaner that is a Kingston, and Hudson used Hardwick ranges rebadged Hudson.
Sunray. Yup, awful crap. This range looks late 60's, early 70's? We bought them for a townhome complex back in the 80's and worse yet, they were gas. Three to four years was all they were worth.
And on so many cheap gas ranges of that period, all of the stamped aluminum burners were 6K BTU so there was no hope for speed.
ovrphil
Well-known member
"Awful crap"
but not as awful as some stuff coming out of China.
but not as awful as some stuff coming out of China.
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