Yesterday's finds

[myhooverco]

Here are two Hoover finds from yesterday's thrifting with my sister. One is a Hoover polisher circa 1967-1972 and the other is a U4345 circa early 1980's. With all of this talk about parts becoming scarce, I am willing to pick up anything reasonably priced. While the blue plastic based Convertible is not my favorite, it is a wonderful parts source ie...switch, cord, two speed motor etc.

I passed up two Kirbys that needed a total redo (tradition and an Omega), a self propelled Eureka (early 80's in brown), Kenmore, and several china vacs. Yesterday was not the day of the Hoover but the day of the bojack.

I am sure that there are more out there...who knows what I will find next weekend!!!

--Tom

 

[tlee618]

Hi Tom, Great finds!!! That little polisher is sure cute! I think you are very wise to start stocking up on spare parts anyway you can get them.LOL Terry

 

[bobbyderegis]

Hi myhooverco!
I love my blue plastic top converitble. I think it's one of the nicest newer convertibles. Mine is newer. It has larger pedals.
Bobby in Boston

 

[brettsomers]

i had a full hood Hoover identical to the one you got. i sold it on ebay. i kinda regreted it. it was nearly mint condition. does the brushroll have plastic endcaps, i forgot? its a good Hoover, with a steel-lined fan chamber and TOGGLESWITCH. David

 

[bobbyderegis]

They booted the TOGGLESWITCH on mine. It has a sliding switch and plastic retainer. How could anyone get rid of a TOGGLESWITCH?? :.)
Bobby in Boston

 

[myhooverco]

The Convertible is a lower serial number at 44,391. Probably during the run of this model it got the newer "micro" switch. I like the toggle switch much better...you just cannot go wrong with a proven design that is over 50 years old. Yes, this is the good metal lined fan chambered Convertible. This is definitely a pre-1984 model. I do like the color too. This one even had the metal agitator ends still with a grey agitator. This one has the large handle release pedal and the smaller height adjuster pedal. As they say parts is parts!

--Tom

 

[westytoploader]

Hi Tom, cool finds!! The light-blue Convertible is very neat...I like the full-hood Deluxe and Custom models. What is the model number on this one, and is it rear-conversion or front-conversion?

When was the last rear-conversion metal-body Convertible produced? I had an orange/white U-series "Deluxe Convertible" version a few years ago, with a metal fan chamber and baseplate, even though it was plastic-body. What was interesting about it was that it wasn't a full-hood model, and it took type C bags. No "Deluxe" features as far as I saw...

Needless to say I don't really care much for the plastic-body Convertibles with "front conversion". Currently I have a "slightly modified" 1020 from 1970 (with newer Genuine Hoover cord and outer bag so I could use the larger Type A bags) that I was using as my "daily driver" in the house, but recently moved it down to the laundry studio with the washers and other vacs. Until recently, not many metal-body machines appeared on eBay...so now I will have a chance to add a few more vintage Convertibles to my (small) collection.

--Austin

 

[hoover1060]

Austin:

The last metal base Convertibles were probably 1979 or 80 sometime, although the Commercial and Guardsman cleaners were made with the metal chassis until 1987.

The early plastic bases were all metal lined fan chambers.

The last rear tool conversion model was the 1976 promo Convertible U4089, it was the only one I know of that carried over past 1977. After that it was all front tool conversion.

The toggle switch was replaced with the cheapie slide switch in 1983.

 

[myhooverco]

Austin,

This is an all plastic model with a steel lined fan chamber. It has a bottom fill bag and front conversion. I am not a big fan of the front conversion. I like the ease of use of the rear conversion. I too have a BEAT and I mean BEAT 1020 that is very early production and that I use to clean the basement. I have a replacement 30' cord and a zipper Hoover bag in light tan housing my C bag. I get the C bags for $0.05 so it is very economical to use. I put in a 4 brush Hoover metal agitator and it grooms the rug very well, but it is a bit of a strain on the original motor. My daily driver upstairs is its deluxe sibling the 1070 in blue. It has a high performance motor with a non Hoover wooden brushroll, 30' cord, and C bag. I use my deluxe tools all of the time to do my hardwood floors. Hoover1060 is right about the end of the rear conversion in about 1977. The model number is U4345.

--Tom

 

[westytoploader]

Interesting information! I have a black wooden Convertible brushroll as well (I believe it's a chevron pattern, IIRC) that I experimented with but put back in favor of the "Beats-as-it-Sweeps-as-it-Cleans" beater bar. Later on I read somewhere (either on one of the Yahoo vacuum groups or one of Jeff's posts on here) that this type of brushroll puts a strain on the 2-speed motor and is better for the high-performance and "Power Surge" motors. What would the reasoning be behind this?

When I won the 1020 on eBay in December 2002 (hard to believe I've had it for over 3 years), it was all original and for the most part good shape, but the cord, vinyl bag, and even the bellows/fill tube assembly REEKED of cigarette smoke (and I mean REEKED...the worst one that I've ever seen), and I tried literally everything to get rid of the smell. After many attempts, it finally dawned on me that the only solution was to replace the affected parts.

Now I'm going to admit I made one of the WORST mistakes a vacuum enthusiast could make, in my opinion at least. I had a nice (apart from a few scuffs and a break in the cord sheath) "Convertible 700" from 1989-1990 that I hadn't had for very long. At the time I didn't care for it much since it had a "cheaper" feel to it, a 6-blade fan, and the aforementioned brushroll instead of the beater bar--I liked the metal-body cleaners more. So I cannibalized it for parts, kept what I didn't need, and took the cord and Type A bag assembly off and began the task of replacing them on the 1020...switching out the metal bag mount on the Type A fill tube as I thought it was sturdier. Looking back, I can't believe I actually did that to a perfectly good machine, not to mention the last Convertible model, as there are plenty of "junk" Convertibles (that weren't important models) around to use for parts.

Later on, I changed out the grey "Convertible 700" bag assembly and put it on the orange plastic-body Convertible which I subsequently gave away, and now I have a new off-white Hoover outer bag on the 1020, which matches the machine much better, IMHO. This week, hopefully, I'm also going to replace the grey cord with a nice white one and detail it a bit, so even though the 1020 won't be all-original, it will fit in nicely down in the laundry room with the others.

Meanwhile, here's how it looked as of 2004. That ugly cord has to go!! Any suggestions on how to get the handle scratches out?

--Austin

 

[hoover1060]

Austin,

I wash Convertible vinyl bags in my washer, hot water, normal cycle, with 1/2 cup of clorox bleach and a smidge of tide. The trick is to also rinse in HOT water too(cold water and old vinyl don't mix well, and you want the bag to be soft and flexible) which requires re-setting the machine once its drained of its wash water. When done, stretch the bag back onto shape, and hang to dry. The smells should be gone.
It was me who said the 4-brush wooden roller puts too much strain on the original Convertible motors. On the high-performance and Decade 80 motor it works grand. I have two Convertibles that I souped up with HP motors and the wooden brush rolls, they work great in my house with all the dog hair. Tom built one of his own, and we are still working on getting one built for Fred.

I think your 1020 is a beauty, but that white bag has to go. In washer terms, thats like putting a jetcone agitator in a unimatic, nice but it does not belong. You can use the top fill "A" tube in the original bag, just get yourself some type Y filtrete bags, which fit inside the older bags nicely.
What else do you have in terms of Convertibles?? Any Two position models?

 

[hooverwheelaway]

Handle Scratches...

Hey Austin.. That machine looks like a beauty! The 1020 is one that I don't have. I have a so-so model 1010.

Anyway... to get the handle scratches out, I would reccommend taking a 0000 grade steel wool, and with a little pressure, rub on the handle where it is scratched. Then, use Brasso, on a paper towel. Put some elbow grease into it, and let it dry, then buff with a clean towel. Repeat the Brasso step if necessary.

You could also use just the regular type Y bags, attached to a Top-Fill tube, inside a smaller original bag.

-Fred

 

[mrcleanjeans]

triple-action tidbits

So Jeff,are you referring to a "skinny" vinyl bag to insert a Type A fill-tube assembly or the "fat" one ?BTW,where I work, there are globs of Hoovers in the basement,including 2-position machines,which,I agree are superior to the 4-position machines,unless we're talking about the high-performance machines,which boasted a 50% increase in carpet cleaning ability and DID clean better than the 1969-1975 Convertibles before it.Still,the Convertibles of 1957-1975 were much more fun.

 

[brettsomers]

i would suggest against putting ANY vintage vacuum bag, cloth or vinyl, in a machine to wash. its not hard to hand wash and if the material started deteriorating in the water you would be able to tell immediately. if in a machine you might find out after it was too late. also, i think agitation may cause the vinyl to separate from the nylon threads on some convertible bags. and about the double brush agitators, what jeff says is true. i once put a metal Hoover double brush agitator, with the stiff clear nylon brushes, in a vintage convertible. the motor was audibly laboring.

 

[tolivac]

I too,would be gunshy about putting a vinyl Hoover or Eureka bag in a washer.At how old they could be its possible the plasticizer have leached out of the bag material thru age.If this happens-the Vinyl is no longer soft and flexible-washers were designed to clean items soft and flexible-if the Vinyl is aged and brittle-the wash action would tear it apart.The bags should be carefully washed by hand and not flexed.Would think laying the bag flat in the bathtub with warm water would be OK-you could then carefully scrub the bag with a cloth or a sponge.

 

[toggleswitch]

Great finds- enjoy!

(Must admit the shout-out wuz way-cool. Tks!)

 

[hoover1060]

skinny bags and washing

Mr. Clean: Yes, the type A tube inside an older style skinny bag and type Y bags works great. I prefer the filtrete bags myself, but as Fred says ordinary Y bags work equally as well.

With regards to cleaning vinyl bags, there is no "one" right way, I am only suggesting mine. I have close to 100 Convertibles in my collection, and most if not all of the vinyl bags have been thru the washing machine. I've never had a problem with one falling apart, and as long as you watch things there should be no problem. I've found the washer method gets all the dirt out of the folds of the bag, and even out of the texture of the vinyl.
I guess it boils down to "use your best judgement"

 

[hooverwheelaway]

Washing Bags...

I, too, have washed a good majority of my vinyl bags in the washing machine. They come out beautifully clean, and smell fresh. Sometimes I'll run them through twice.

That said, I would definitely not machine wash any (Hoover) bag that pre-dates 1963 or so. They were still testing/playing different configurations of vinyl, and those earlier, more fragile bags would be found on models 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 31, 32, 564, 574. Those are the bags that, when found, usually have holes near the top, and have vinyl seperating from the thread that holds the bag together. I have washed all of those bags by hand, with dish soap and a paintbrush--and have had excellent results.

I would never wash any cloth bag in the machine.. that wouldn't end well. I am even skeptical to wash cloth bags by hand (although I have had to a few times). All of Hoover's original (cloth) bags are 100% cotton (through the 70's at least), and practically shrink at the sight of water.

But, as Jeff said, one can use their own judgement.

-Fred

 

[hoover1060]

cloth bags

I can't remember who suggested it to me, but cloth bags should be washed by hand, cold water, and use woolite.
I'd advise against washing very old cloth bags, they will just disentegrate.
I speak from experience on that one.

I have washed Kirby bags by machine, with good results.