dangerboy
Well-known member
I may be facing a bit of a condundrum (a good kind) and I need a little help making a decision.
In my cabin I have a 1956 GE Speedster Range (Picture 1). It's been in the family since 1973 and my Mother was in love with it. I really like it too.
I've had some issues with the oven temperature control this year but I think I'm close to having that all sorted out. Everything else works perfectly on the unit.
I decided a little while ago that I should look for a "parts car" for it so I can keep it going for the next 50 years at a reasonable cost. Parts for it are often hard to find and expensive so having a complete oven to part out for it would put me in a much better position.
A friend of mine may be offering me his Grandparent's old 1955-ish GE Stratoliner for cheap (Picture 2). He doesn't know what is ans what isn't working on it because it was hardwired into his grandparents' wall but now it's sitting in his garage with no plug-in attached.
The only issue that I can see with it is that the oven thermostat has been replaced and so the original oven temp control knob/dial is missing and a period incorrect replacement dial is now in it's place. I do have a thermostat that will work with the original dial so all I have to do is use that thermostat and obtain the correct dial to put it back to original. The thing is, that thermostat is the one that's in my Speedster.
So what I'm getting at here is that I have a choice of which one to part out for the other. Between the two ranges, I can have a 100% original and working one and a whole lot of spare parts to keep it going which is a very good thing.
Putting the sentimental value aside, I like the Speedster because I think I prefer to have the working space in the center and the burners on both sides. Aesthetically, I like the symmetry of that layout as well. What I'm not so high on is that it only has one large burner; the other three are only 6" which is not the most useful configuration in the world. Two large burners and two small ones would be more functional IMO.
What I like about the Stratoliner is that it has two larger burners and two 6" burners and it has more cool chrome than the Speedster. I'm just not so sure about the layout of the cooktop, preferring the Speedster's layout a little more as I said. I suppose it's not that huge of a deal that the burners are all over on one side and I could probably get used to it and even get to like it given enough time.
Beyond that, the two ranges have pretty much the same features. They both have just one oven and a warming drawer on the right and storage drawers on the left.
What would you do in this situation? Condition wise, you should assume they're both pretty much equal. I know my Mom just loved that Speedster but she would've loved the Stratoliner just as much if it was in our first cabin instead of the Speedster so I'm not going to let sentimentality factor much in the decision. Which one would you part out for the other and why?
In my cabin I have a 1956 GE Speedster Range (Picture 1). It's been in the family since 1973 and my Mother was in love with it. I really like it too.
I've had some issues with the oven temperature control this year but I think I'm close to having that all sorted out. Everything else works perfectly on the unit.
I decided a little while ago that I should look for a "parts car" for it so I can keep it going for the next 50 years at a reasonable cost. Parts for it are often hard to find and expensive so having a complete oven to part out for it would put me in a much better position.
A friend of mine may be offering me his Grandparent's old 1955-ish GE Stratoliner for cheap (Picture 2). He doesn't know what is ans what isn't working on it because it was hardwired into his grandparents' wall but now it's sitting in his garage with no plug-in attached.
The only issue that I can see with it is that the oven thermostat has been replaced and so the original oven temp control knob/dial is missing and a period incorrect replacement dial is now in it's place. I do have a thermostat that will work with the original dial so all I have to do is use that thermostat and obtain the correct dial to put it back to original. The thing is, that thermostat is the one that's in my Speedster.
So what I'm getting at here is that I have a choice of which one to part out for the other. Between the two ranges, I can have a 100% original and working one and a whole lot of spare parts to keep it going which is a very good thing.
Putting the sentimental value aside, I like the Speedster because I think I prefer to have the working space in the center and the burners on both sides. Aesthetically, I like the symmetry of that layout as well. What I'm not so high on is that it only has one large burner; the other three are only 6" which is not the most useful configuration in the world. Two large burners and two small ones would be more functional IMO.
What I like about the Stratoliner is that it has two larger burners and two 6" burners and it has more cool chrome than the Speedster. I'm just not so sure about the layout of the cooktop, preferring the Speedster's layout a little more as I said. I suppose it's not that huge of a deal that the burners are all over on one side and I could probably get used to it and even get to like it given enough time.
Beyond that, the two ranges have pretty much the same features. They both have just one oven and a warming drawer on the right and storage drawers on the left.
What would you do in this situation? Condition wise, you should assume they're both pretty much equal. I know my Mom just loved that Speedster but she would've loved the Stratoliner just as much if it was in our first cabin instead of the Speedster so I'm not going to let sentimentality factor much in the decision. Which one would you part out for the other and why?
