VintageFrigidaire Custom Dlx Electric stove - $160 (Hanford)

[ovrphil]

(not sure if it was posted before, but search yielded nothing here)

Ad reads: " This stove was in a house we purchased and appears that it was PROBABLY NEVER USED! It's a Frigidaire Custom Deluxe stove, "harvest gold" is probably the name of the color, it has double ovens and looks like new. The last image shows the size of the outlet where it was plugged into the wall. We've seen others like it for sale at over $200, one even listed for more than $500 because it's vintage. I'm located in Corcoran but stove is in Hanford. Call or text with questions. "

http://hanford.craigslist.org/app/4307098611.html

 

[ovrphil]

Panel - Frigidaire Custom Deluxe Stove

closer in

 

[hippiedoll]

lower left oven compartment...

what is that lower compartment in the left used for??? is it part of the oven, like for cooking? or is that for broiling? or for making a pizza (cuz of that round thing)???

 

[philr]

Christina, 

 

That's for storage. The round thing looks like an early version of the Frigidaire "Kant-Slide" Griddle, much older than that range. 

 

[philr]

That range is the 40" double oven equivalent of my 30" DeLuxe self-cleaning range. 1971-74 range. I really like mine! 

 

[ovrphil]

PhilR- what color is your 30"?

It's not this color, is it?

 

[hippiedoll]

philr...

thank you for your reply & adding the picture so that i could see exactly what "the round thing" was.

so than, that round griddle doesn't go with this frigidaire stove, right? you know, the stove looks really clean & of course, i dig on that "harvest gold" color too.
i hope someone here gets this stove, it looks like a nice one.

maybe it's a good thing i don't have my own house, cuz i've seen a few stoves, washers, and dryers that i like!!!
i would probably have appliances instead of furniture!!! AHHHHH!!!
LOL......

 

[jamiel]

We've got a friend with this range, you won't be able to pry it from her hands...she's 82 y.o. and raised her family using the stove. She likes the 2 equal sized ovens...it's a beast. I've spent many an hour helping her make matzo balls in the kitchen. She's also got the coolest cabinet for canned goods over her stairway--big trays which you can pull out without worrying they're going to pull out spill.

 

[philr]

Phil,

Mine is white (it's the one I currently use in my kitchen).

 

Here is my RDE-38S Deluxe range when I got it. This model was renamed RCDE3-38S Custom Deluxe for the early 1973 production.



 

 

 I'll soon have a 30" Custom Deluxe Harvest Gold range that I bought a few days ago. When Frigidaire introduced the Touch-N-Cook ranges in late 1973, the 30" Custom Deluxe ranges got the features of the former Custom Imperial.

That means a full glass control panel and a Heat Minder burner. The one I'll get had it's Heat Minder burner control replaced with a regular infinite switch but I should be able to re-install the correct one!

 

Here's a picture of the Harvest Gold late-1973/1974 Custom Deluxe (equivalent of the 1971 to early 1973 Custom Imperial). The model number should be RCDE3-38W.

 

[ovrphil]

White

PhilR - between you and Sandy(Danemodsandy), I can see an appreciation for some white appliances. Like some cars...some look good in white and some don't. Your stove in white and the P7 that Sandy has referred to a few times(the 30 and 40") look great in white, (imho).

Just curious, do the glass panels stay grease and dirt free behind them? I'm sure they would, but just wonder if a cleaning behind the glass is needed, if you use the stove regularly? Thanks for the info, as always.

 

[philr]

Phil,

In fact, glass panels are easier to clean than painted aluminum panels. That's the main reason why I'm getting this one (which will probably become white as I'll probably switch parts from both ranges to make one that fits in the kitchen!). That will be the occasion to use my 1962 Custom Imperial range for a while in the kitchen (which is also white!). Yesterday, I cooked something in it and fixed the meat thermometer buzzer! I really like that 1962 range too but it's not self-cleaning... I wish they had introduced self-cleaning ranges 10 years before! 

 

I haven't cleaned the glass on the 1962 yet (you can see some grease under the glass under the thermostat dial), I'll remove it and clean it before I install it in the kitchen! This range had a few minor electrical issues but it's now 100% functional and even the electric sensor type Heat Minder burner works well on it.

 

[ovrphil]

...that sensor is interesting - does it really work as you like? It delegates, upon selection there, the temperature required to cook the type of meat selected. I've never seen that.

I thought there might be some grease and dirt behind those glass panels, but it wouldn't become noticeable, I'm guessing, with normal, non heavy restaurant type cooking.

 

[philr]

There's a probe that connects in the oven that senses the internal temperature the meat. Once the desired temperature is reached, a buzzer sounds to let you know it's done. Frigidaire offered this feature from 1958 to the mid-1960s when they introduced the "Tender Matic" controls but other makes continued to offer that much later. 

 

[ovrphil]

Thanks, Phil - it seems, and I'm guessing, that this was a feature that they eliminated to be more cost competitive with other brands, even though it works well(??)

 

[appnut]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Frigidaire ever offered a setup where both ovens were self-cleaning--either free-standing or wall-oven. Wouldn't have been a bad idea though especially with their 40" ranges offering equal sized ovens.

 

[philr]

Phil,

 

They eliminated that feature because they introduced a more complex "Tender-Matic" feature in 1965. Built-ins got the Tender-Matic later than Flairs and free-standing models but as soon as they got that, they also got rid of the meat thermometer and buzzer. Even in Canada, they didn't get the Tender-Matic feature but the meat thermometer was also gone on free standing and Flair models by 1965 and built-in ovens shortly after.

 

Bob,

The left oven was always shorter on Frigidaire 40" models. Some have removable panels that could be left in the right self-cleaning oven. I never had one of these! I was lucky that Paul found me a self-cleaning 1971 range at a local thrift store since these were not supposed to be sold here! Only a few late-seventies models were imported just a few years before GM sold Frigidaire to WCI and they were expensive! 

I got my self-cleaning 1969 Compact 30 from a friend in NY State.

Also, 40" free-standing ranges were discontinued in Canada 10 years before the Canadian factory closed. The last year for 40" ranges was 1960, then Frigidaire Canada relied on their Flair ranges for customers who still wanted a 40" model. 

 

 

Here's a newer Philco range that has a meat thermometer. The ad says it's from 1971. I don't know much about Philco appliances but it's probably different from the US models too.

http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/ppd/4304196296.html

 

[philr]

Likely made by another manufacturer since the tag says "made for"...

 

[philr]

And here's another Canadian range that I think looks different from US models that's currently for sale. This is a GE.

 

This one looks like it's using an older style top with one large burner on the left but burners with infinite controls... I wish someone could chime in and date it! My guess is late-1960s or early 1970s.

[this post was last edited: 2/24/2014-23:09]

http://montreal.fr.craigslist.ca/app/4343621276.html

 

[philr]

Another picture of the GE range.

 

In the link above the picture there's another very similar GE range with 2 8" burners for sale (note that the pictures are reversed). 

[this post was last edited: 2/25/2014-00:13]

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cuisiniere-f...dre/564759090?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

 

[firedome]

thanks to Phil...

up in VT we have the '77 Harvest Gold version of the 40" one shown up top, and it does have the full glass panel, which is a dream to clean, just one big flat piece of glass. Nothing from cooking gets behind it. But oddly, ours has the rolling cylinder digital clock, and some kind of dark film from it has been lightly deposited on the back side of the glass right in front of it, probably graphite or whatever was used to lube it! Will have to disassemble the glass panel to clean it off sometime.

 

[ovrphil]

Rolling clock numbers

...have come to find those as fun to see as hands on a clock...have a couple clocks that flip - seems they were here and gone so fast..kj

PhilR - thanks again for the photos. I'm looking at your flickr photos and watched this;
https://www.flickr.com/groups/1704348@N21/pool/with/8298906977/lightbox/
and I enjoy those photos!

 

[philr]

About clocks that make a dark film in the control panel glass, that also happened in a few of my ranges. I don't know why they do that! Even those with needles do that but that's easy to wash!

 

Phil, here's the Meat Tender that I repaired! I tried to cook something with it and it didn't buzz, so I left the plug in the oven as it cooled down and fixed it. I like to play with clocks and buzzers! 

 

 

[ovrphil]

PhilR - Reply #21 - ? link or photo

Can you provide a link? I got this from the posting:

www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart..." type="application/x-shockwave-flash"> www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart..." /> www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart..." flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=d932d24060&photo_id=12783933255" allowfullscreen="true" bgcolor="#000000">

 

[philr]

For some reason, videos from Flickr don't embed like those on Youtube. I already edited my post and replaced that with two links! 

 

[ovrphil]

GOT IT!

Thanks!

 

[dak131]

Frigidaire Custom Deluxe 40" Stove

I have a Frigidaire Custom Deluxe 40" stove and need help with the speed heat burner. I have just recently replaced the burner but it does not heat up completely. Note: it didn't before the replacement either. I don't know if the switch is wired incorrectly or is the wrong one. I don't remember if it was ever replaced over the years or not.
If I do need a switch I can't locate a part number anywhere to search for one and unfortunately I cannot locate the manual for the stove.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[philr]

Did you replace the burner with a 118V burner? The Speed Heat burner itself is different from other Frigidaire 6" burners as it's a 118V burner instead of 236. The switch itself isn't the same as the regular burner switches.

If your range uses the original switch, it's a dual voltage switch that flashes the 118V burner on 236 volts for a few seconds after you turn it on. Then it cycles it on and off on 118 volts so it maintains it's temperature to the chosen setting.

The Speed Heat switch, because of the low resistance of the 118 volts burner is subject to a lot of wear from arcing the contacts when it operates on 236 volts. If the contact points go bad, they could either stick together and stay closed or burn and not make contact anymore. Many things can happen, it could flash the burner on for the quick warm up then nothing, it could cycle on 236 volts which makes the burner red hot everytime it cycles on=off or the "surface" light could stay on when the control is set at off.. In any of these cases, the switch needs to be replaced.

If the burner was replaced with a regular 236V burner, it will stay too cool. If the switch was replaced, there's a special type that is made to cycle correctly with the 118 volt burner (won't do the quick warm up like the original) or you could use a regular 236 volts burner and a regular 236 volts switch like the one used for the rear 6" burner. In both cases, there's one wire from the original switch that has to be removed. The neutral wire won't be used with the 236V switch and burner setup and one of the hot wires won't be used with the 118V switch.

 

[ovrphil]

PhilR - are you surrrrrrrrre?

I'm kidding - great answers.