Whirlpool Imperial Mark 18 - She runs!

[combo52]

Beautiful 1975-6 Whirlpool Imperial Mark 18 Pair

Hi Steven, thanks for all the additional great pictures, 

 

TOP of the Line WPs were very rare compared to Sears LKMs, generally big box stores did not carry them at all because the prices were too high and independent stores often also carried brands like Maytag and for the price of a set of Mark 18s you could nearly get a TOL pair of MTs [ Note the WPs heals a lot more than the MTs and performed much better ]

 

When I worked for a MT-WP appliance dealer back in the 70s whenever I came across  TOL WP appliances I would ask the customer who they knew at the WP distributer and they almost had a friend that got them a deal directly from the distributer.

 

Reply #11, Nearly all automatic washers had a timer that advanced in small pulses, All KMs, WPs, Norges except Time-Line models, All MTs, They did this to reduce contact arcing, GE was one of the big exceptions to this along with a few others like later WH FL Washers.

 

John L.

 

[circlew]

The only store I remember seeing the Mark 18 set in was Swallen's, which was Cincinnati's largest appliance dealer. They sold Whirlpool for many years, in addition to Maytag, Hotpoint, and various other brands.

 

[mrmaytag]

Reply #29

Wow, love the pictures of the baseplate. Talk about a professional job, that is just beautiful work. It looks like brand new out of the box. Does the machine shop you used still do this type work? Because if they do, and at a reasonable cost, I can see them getting much business from this group.

Dennis

 

[arris]

Dennis

Yes they still do... I have a couple other baseplates with the smaller drain holes.. before the guy who does this retires....I can't remember how much it was I think 100, to 150. that included the 10ft... I Think... it was a couple years ago.... piece of NON magnetic steel tube too Jim

 

[bradfordwhite]

First thought was

Brady Bunch W/D, but it's too new for that

and it's TOL.



 

That wood paneling though.

 

Has any appliance collector ever had to worry about termites or carpenter ants infesting their machines ? 

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Wish that Whirlpool kept offering speed selections in their washers and dryers like that...

-- Dave

 

[DADoES]

 
Dave, some WP direct-drive washer models have a rotary speed selector with a range of combinations (same as your previous Kenmore), although Ex Low agitation with High spin isn't a choice as it was on the pushbutton 3-speed Imperial Mark XX belt-drive models.

Tumble speed choice on WP dryers was offered for only a few years, I believe from 1972 to 1977.  Kenmore dryers never had tumble speed choices.  WP had 2-speed dryers beginning in the early 1960s but it controlled airflow rate and heat input rate, not tumble speed.