What’s better than one Thor Automagic and one Youngstown Dishwasher? (My recent trip)

[dishwashercrazy]

What’s better than one Thor Automagic and one Youngstown Dishwasher? Three Thor Automagic machines, AND Three Youngstown Dishwashers!

One week ago this past Saturday (Saturday Feb 25) at 5:15am, I set out on a 2,240 mile journey that would take me through eight states in slightly less than 3 full days. My objective was to pick up two Thor and two Youngstown machines. So with apologies, as I sometimes do, with regard to my lengthy trip reports, here is an account of that weekend.

Mike

 

[dishwashercrazy]

First Leg of the trip.



After about six hours on the road, my first stop was in Milford, Ohio (Cincinnati) to see Pete (rollermatic). Over the past 3+ years, we have talked, emailed and messaged numerous times, but had never met. I was fortunate to find him at work at Home Depot on his lunch break. We chatted briefly before I resumed my travels east.

Thanks Pete. I wish I could have seen your collection. There will be another time.

 

[dishwashercrazy]

Second Leg of the trip.



Five hours later, I arrived at my first pickup destination – Wytheville, Virginia. Here I picked up a Youngstown freestanding Dishwasher.

This dishwasher first came up in an ebay auction, which ended on November 28th. I had seen the auction, but I didn’t bid because of the complicated logistics of getting it back to Peoria. There were no bids in the first auction. The dishwasher was relisted a second time, ending on December 5th, but again I did not bid, and nobody else bid either. Then after thinking about it, on December 14th, I decided to contact the seller and see if they would sell the dishwasher for the last ebay starting price, and if so, would they be willing to hold the machine for an unspecified amount of time while I arrange a trip to come pick it up. The answer was yes to both.

So upon arrival, on a very chilly evening, we stood in a garage and talked about the history of the house that this Youngstown had come out of. I usually try to take video of these interviews, mainly because I have a bad short term memory, but also to capture the folks themselves, whom I have been working with. They also took me inside, and showed me the beautiful 1950’s kitchen with a full set of Youngstown metal cabinets.

 

[dishwashercrazy]

Does anyone remember when Bobby (whirlaway) from Hampton, Virginia, posted his thread back in August 2009 about finding the Thor Automagic Sink?

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?24203

 

[dishwashercrazy]

Third leg of the trip.


Well, back in September last year, I came across a paper copy of that thread that I had printed out for future reference. I wrote to Bobby asking him what ever happened to this machine. He wrote that it was located 45 miles from his home, and he would drive there to see if he could find out if it was still available. Then, I didn’t hear anything again until early February. He had been preoccupied with personal business, but was now starting to help me get some information. He had already driven there twice, but no one was at home. He went back two more times, and still nobody was at home. I was making final preparations to begin my trip on February 25th, and I was just about to give up on this particular machine, at least this time. Then Bobby made one more trip on February 22. Fortunately, he came up with a phone number posted on the Motorcycle Repair Shop door on the property, and he also gave me the address. I immediately called the number that Bobby provided, and much to my surprise, a man answered. I explained who I was, and why I was calling. He told me he still had the Thor Sink. I explained that I was preparing to drive from Illinois to the western part of Virginia that coming Saturday February 25. I asked if he still wanted to sell the Thor, and he said yes, and we agreed on a price. We initially set noon on Sunday February 26 for a pickup time.

If you go back and read Bobby’s thread a little closer, like I did, I discovered that this thing weighs 475 pounds. And that the cabinet was really rough. I imagined that it would take us a couple of hours to get this machine loaded onto my truck, if the thing didn’t fall apart first from all of the rust damage.

After picking up the Youngstown in Wytheville, I was still much further ahead of schedule than I had planned to be. So instead of spending the night in Wytheville, I drove on to Richmond, VA, to spend the night there, plus that placed me only about an hour away from the town of Gloucester, where the machine was at.

Sunday morning, I pulled into the driveway, and met the seller. He motioned me to the building where the Thor sink was located. He had an overhead crane, with the sink already hooked up with straps. All I had to do was back my truck into the garage under the sink. Then it was only a matter of pushing the down button on the hoist, and lowered perfectly into place. We chatted for a few minutes about the history of this machine, and within about 20 minutes of driving in, I was on my way back out of the driveway. I had built into my schedule, two hours to load the Thor Sink, but thanks to the overhead crane, I was another hour plus ahead of schedule.

As Bobby mentioned in 2009, the exterior of the cabinet is in pretty rough condition, but the porcelain sink top is in amazingly great condition. The tailpipe coming off of the sink strainer looks to be the original, and appears to have never been attached to a drain. Likewise, there is a drain trap attached to the Washer/Dishwasher outer tub, and it too, despite some dirt, appears pretty clean. So I am uncertain whether the washer has been connected and used. I am not a good judge of this. However, the agitator cap stud has been replaced with a Machine Screw with a blade head. This leads me to believe that the machine was used as a washer, perhaps so much that the drive block was damaged or worn out I have not started to work on it as of yet.

 

[dishwashercrazy]

Money Shot!

 

[dishwashercrazy]

External Composite

 

[dishwashercrazy]

Washer and Dishwasher Composite


The Dishwasher Tank and all of its parts are intact, and outwardly clean. It is dirty on the inside where I found a nest of some kind.

The Dishwasher Tank rests on a swing out bracket for easy access and storage underneath the sink area.

 

[dishwashercrazy]

Fourth leg of the trip.



I fully expected to take 2 hours to load the Thor Sink, but since it took only 20 minutes, I was back on the road by 10:15, headed to my next pickup stop in Erie, PA.

Now, just about 30 miles south of Erie, is the town of Meadville, PA, and right on my route to Erie. A nice lady, who lives there, had found my YouTube videos, and contacted me in January. She had just recently moved into a rental Cape Cod home, which has a 1950’s kitchen including all Youngstown Cabinets and a Youngstown Electric Sink. The landlord had told her not to even open the dishwasher because it didn’t work. So over the past two months, we exchanged emails about her dishwasher, and about my hobby collecting vintage dishwashers. I knew she was near Erie, but I didn’t know where. Then when I started putting this trip together, and I inquired where she lived, we discovered that she lived right on my route to Erie. I offered to stop by her house if we could work out a time, either as I was approaching the area, or after I was finished in Erie headed on towards home. But it just didn’t seem like it was going to work out because of what I thought my schedule was going to be, plus she had conflicts tied to her own work schedule. With my trip to Virginia going so smoothly, now about a half day ahead of schedule, I arranged to stop by her house Sunday evening on my way towards Erie. I spend about an hour and a half with her and her boyfriend. It didn’t take me too long to figure out why the landlord didn’t want the dishwasher used – two holes rusted completely through the bottom of the dishwasher tub. I believe that if they cleaned these areas up completely, that two-part epoxy could possibly be successful in plugging the holes (Robert’s Apex Dishwasher Repair is vivid in my mind). Plus the lid and lid seal are quite rusty and dryrotted. Closed Cell Foam would possibly work to replace the seal, but still it would be quite a clean-up job. We chatted about the various possibilities for the dishwasher, but likely in the end, the landlord is going to gut the kitchen and renovate it. I also answered a bunch of questions that she had for, she is a writer for the local newspaper. She wanted to write about me and my collecting. What a great opportunity to get more exposure about “My Crazy Obsession.” Before leaving, I commented that it really is special when one can say they have truly found new friends just from a simple Craiglist ad.

 

[dishwashercrazy]

Fourth leg of the trip - continued.



In early December, I found a Youngstown Electric Sink/Dishwasher (with lid window) on Craigslist. The ad had been posted on December 4th, and I emailed the seller on December 7th. He had made an offer on a home in Erie back in October, which was accepted. At that time, he anticipated that he would be closing on the house in mid January. He had told me that he wanted to get started on a whole-house renovation project, including the kitchen, just as soon as he closed on the house. Therefore, he had posted sale ads for the Sink/Dishwasher and an Electric Range, in advance, hoping to have both sold by the close date. I offered to buy the Sink/Dishwasher, and we agreed on his initial, yet appropriate, asking price. I suggested that I could plan a trip, weather permitting, to coincide with his closing day, come in and remove the sink myself, thus avoiding any damage that might be caused by a contractor. He agreed, and so it was only a matter of locking in the closing date. This whole trip was focused on nailing down a day and time when I could arrive to begin the removal process. When the closing date was finally locked in for February 24th, I started putting the whole trip together.

I met with him Sunday night after I arrived in Erie, to get a quick idea how much work was going to be needed to get the sink out. We evaluated electric and plumbing issues, and then called it a night.

 

[dishwashercrazy]

I met him back at the house at 9am Monday morning. Part of the job went smoothly, but I overlooked the drain connection to the dishwasher which had me stumped for a while trying to figure out why I could not get this machine to budge. But once I realized my mistake, it wasn’t much longer and the sink was in the middle of the kitchen. And speaking about the dishwasher drain – I find it amazing how much of a contortionist those early 1950’s plumbers must have been to secure tight fitting drain connections near floor level, at the back of the cabinet, amongst all of the motor, pump, electrical and plumbing fixtures. By 11:30, we had the machine loaded and secured in the back of my truck. (These pictures were taken Tuesday in my driveway.)

 

[dishwashercrazy]

Fifth leg of the trip..



On down the road: Next stop was Modern Parts House, in Parma, Ohio. I have become good friends with Larry, his wife Sharon, and their employee, Ray. I think this was either my 3rd or 4th visit to their store, and they always seem genuinely happy and pleased that I stop by an see them – perhaps because of the several hundreds of dollars I have spent in previous visits, plus mail-ordered parts. Just as soon as I arrive, I am invited back behind the counter, and further back in the warehouse to the sitting area. Sharon fixed me a mug of hot tea. This time, I didn’t need to buy anything, but I always enjoy walking around their parts warehouse, down those narrow aisles, searching for something that looks familiar. And often times I am amazed at what I find. This time I spied a brand new, aluminum Dexter Wringer Washer Agitator, just like the ones that were in my Mom’s washer. How much do you want to sell this for, Larry?, I asked. Oh, $50 was his reply. I carefully put it back up on the shelf where I found it. I said my goodbyes to all, and I was back on the road.

Please note: If you have never met Larry, I STRONGLY suggest that you make every effort to get over there this year. I have observed Larry getting more and more affected by I believe, arthritis. He has such a hard time negotiating the narrow aisles, cramped quarters, high and low shelves, etc. He is such a wonderful, helpful person, and always willing to help those of us who are vintage appliance collectors.

(This picture of Larry was taken in May, 2010)

 

[dishwashercrazy]

Sixth leg of the trip.



Now, I am on my next to final pickup leg, headed for Holland, Michigan where I have had my eye on a free-standing Thor Washer since May, 2011, when I first came across this machine in a Craigslist ad. The seller had included a phone number, so she and I have been having Text Message conversations about this machine for some time. I was in the Lansing, Michigan area last November 6th, when I was uninstalling a GE Pull-out Dishwasher from a home in Mason. My good friend, Roger, has relatives in the nearby town of Leslie, and I thought it would be a nice gesture to offer to take him, and his sister, with me on this trip so that they could visit their two nephews. The trip was strenuous from the beginning, especially for Roger, as he had to ride the center seat position all the way up and back. Not a pleasant 5 hour ride. But we made it. I dropped the two of them off, and then I headed up the road the 10 miles or so to Mason, where I had been told that the dishwasher was disconnected and all I needed to do was to slide it out. With this assumption, I contacted the seller in Holland, and they were going to be home that afternoon. I felt pretty certain that I could make the roundtrip to Holland and back to Leslie in a reasonable amount of time, and still be able to get us back to the Peoria area before Midnight for Roger to get a good night’s rest for work the next morning. Well, in the end, it took me nearly 90 minutes to remove that dishwasher because it was still fully connected to electrical, water supply, and drain, plus it was secured to wooden cabinetry with screws. Once again, requiring contortionists’ agility I was finally successful in negotiating a pair of vice grips to remove the last screw – located above the clamp-down dishwasher lid. Finally, I had the dishwasher sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor, and shortly thereafter, loaded and strapped down in the back of my truck. Dirty, sweaty, and tired, I reluctantly sent the Thor seller a text message saying that I had simply run out of time to successfully make the trip over to Holland and back, and still keep my friends happy about the time they would get back home. She was so gracious to agree to keep the Thor until I could arrange a different time to return to Michigan to make the pickup.

When this latest trip came together, and I knew I was returning back to Peoria, via interstate I80. Once again, I contacted the seller to see if they would be available, and fortunately, again this time, they were at home. So, I made the decision to include a diversion north into Michigan to finally retrieve the Thor. Just the day or two before, Holland had received a few inches of lake effect snow. When I arrived, now completely dark, the family pointed down a steep hill at a large storage shed in the lower back yard – where the Thor washer was at. We walked down the hill, and with flashlights examined the machine. We talked about the Dishwasher tub and what it looked like. But they didn’t remember seeing it, but we searched the main floor, then climbed up in the attic of the shed, but again, did not see anything that resembled the large Thor dishwasher tub that I was now familiar with. All along, the seller would not tell me what their asking price was – they wanted me to make an offer. In the end, I offered $50, and she told me that was the same amount she had in mind. They seemed very happy. And so was I. Well, we ended up hauling that machine up the hill, the three of us (husband, wife, myself) through several inches of snow on the ground. But we did manage to get it up the hill without dropping it. And that sucker is really heavy, but the three of us manage to lift it up and onto the side of the truck bed. Then we gently slid it down into the last remaining spot in the bed of the truck - on top of a makeshift platform that I build to go over the left wheel well. With all of my calculations before leaving on the trip, I wanted to make sure that all four of these vintage appliances were going to fit perfectly and safely for the trip on home. After securing everything again with ratchet straps, I was finally on my home for the last five hour leg of this long trip.

(These pictures were taken the next day, Tuesday, in my driveway.)

 

[dishwashercrazy]

Seventh and final leg of the trip.



I arrived home about 12:45am Tuesday morning - just 4 1/2 hours short of 3 full days on the road. About 37 total driving hours. Several have asked how I manage. I take my XM radio along, I set the Cruise Control, and I just go. And the hours pass fairly quickly. The countryside is quite beautiful to look at, and I really enjoy all of the hilly, mountainous terrain throughout most of the states east of Illinois. Getting away from the flat fields of Illinois is a welcome change.

Here is how I had the truck loaded when I arrived home, taken later Tuesday.

I hope you enjoyed this lengthy trip report.

Mike

 

[petek]

What a trip. I guess I can sort of see how you do it.. I've hopped in my car and driven 60-80 mi to pick up a vac and thought to myself, what the hell am I doing LOL. But not that far and not overnight, kudo's to you. It's great how it all worked out so well too.

Too bad it was Feb when you drove past Saugatuck MI. great summer resort town, going to be there this July 4th for 5 nights of sun and fun.

 

[circlew]

Wow Mike, talk about a whirlwind trip! Just thinking about driving that far and doing that much in three days leaves me exhausted. It certainly looks like it was worthwhile, though.

Glad you got to meet up with Pete. I live about 20 minutes from that HD, and would sure have enjoyed meeting you, but know you were short on time. Let me know whenever you get back to this area, perhaps we can get together.

The first Youngstown looks to be in decent shape, as does the Electric Sink. Do you plan to restore both, or use the parts to combine into one working unit? I see the sink cabinet has the pre-'53 handles. Do you know when it was made?

The Thor Automagic sink top is in beautiful shape. You said the unit weighs well over 400 lbs. Is the top and sink bowl cast iron or steel? Hopefully, the cabinet has just surface rust, and not ate through. Perhaps the other Thor was used only as a clothes washer, with no dish tank purchased.

Looks like you have enough to keep you busy for awhile. Glad you had an enjoyable trip, and you and your treasures made it back safely.

 

[easyspindry]

Mike, you are amazing . . .

. . . sounds like a wonderful trip. And what amazing machines. I've seen only one Thor built-in like you got. Looks like the agitator in that Thor is different from other Thors.

Good luck with all of them. I can't wait to make it out to Peoria one of these days.

Jerry Gay

 

[cycla-fabric]

Mike - Wow, what a trip that was, glad everything worked out for you. Good Luck with your treasures.

Doug

 

[Unimatic1140]

Ugh what great finds Mike, the Thor Sink is so extremely rare!!! And never used no less, I'll be interested to hear what kind of work is needed to get that machine going.