Sadly, the 350 rpm spin speed of the Bendix translates into a paltry 35 g's of force. About 1/10th or less of what a modern Miele can deliver to the wash load.
On the other hand, it didn't tangle clothes much (according to CR) and it looked so good not doing it.
;-)
I'm thinking of having the side and front panels powder coated, until I saw the heavy sound reducing mats that are glued to the inside of the panels. These would probably be destroyed in the curing oven (about 450F). So I guess I'll have to settle for some cans of "appliance white".
The Bendix Deluxe we had when I was a kid was on a rather tall concrete pedestal in the basement. It was tall enough that I couldn't see the top of the thing. Well, tall for a kid. I remember it looming large and imposing in the basement, between the concrete stairs leading to the slant access doors outside, and the big oil tank for the furnace/water heater. Like a monument to American industrial design. It was sad when it finally broke down and wasn't repaired. I remember my mom fussing over adding soap or detergent... which she seemed to do a lot, shooing me away if I got too close (my older brother had ruined it for me by one time opening the door during the wash cycle... spilling laundry, suds, and water all over the place). She was probably religiously doing the pre-soak soap addition and then the second addition for the wash cycle.