WANTED Jacobs 56 Parts

[lowright]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum. I bought my 3rd soda machine, about a week ago. It's a Jacobs 56 Pepsi lite-up. Looks like I need a good used, or a repro lens, a coin mech, crank handle, little metal filler behind crank, and the bottle ejecter, that goes at bottom of bottle rack. Any ideals where to look? I do a lot of gas pumps, but not as many soda machines. Is this coin mech the same as a vendo 44? Thanks, Owen
                                                                                                            Here's a photo of the machine.........

[collecture]

Is this coin mech the same as a vendo 44?

Same basic style - major difference pictured below.

[Eric]

Saw you on oldgas.com with it... nice machine.. there was a seller on ebay a while back that sold repro lenses...
I think we discussed him on here but don't know if the thread/post still exist...
Hopefully someoene here will know who they are/were. looks pretty straight...

Welcome to the site... Hope you find what you need... you're on the site site for parts!

[loman4ec]

I have a mech for sale on ebay right now. It is off of a Vendo 81. All you need to do is cut the shaft to the correct length and drill the hoe for the pin. Its a lot easier than making the shaft longer. My mech is a very nice original. The ebay auction link is http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110529859494&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT#ht_500wt_1182 The auction ends in less than two days. It is only At $300 right now which is really cheap for a mech in this condition. I am not trying to push this on you but it is not too often that a large door change giving mech shows up on ebay.

You have a great machine! I had one once. They are really cool looking machines. I think they are one of the best style machines ever made. Great find! Do you have any history with it? Can you share the story of how you found it? The light up J56's are very hard to find and very sought after. Great Find!

[collecture]

All you need to do is cut the shaft to the correct length and drill the hoe for the pin.

The end is also turned down to a smaller diameter like the Sure-Vend -- not quite as simple as cut and drill.

[loman4ec]

I did not know that. Is that something that you could do? just in case someone buys this mech and need something like this done to it? I would like to know if I can refer them to you. I already refer you to everyone for mech rebuilds.

[collecture]

I can, but it is not cheap. You have to (almost) completely break the mech down to get the shaft out and then you have to modify the shaft and reassemble the mech.
It takes 2-3 times longer to reassembly than to break down.

[loman4ec]

Thats not too bad. The chances of finding a Jacobs 56 mech will be almost impossible.

[SIGNGUY]

Tom,
Or if it will work, that surevend shaft I sent you that I was going to modify for an 81? can we just swap those out? less modification on both ends for us?
just a thought?

[collecture]

The chances of finding a Jacobs 56 mech will be almost impossible.

I have one J-56 mech already restored and a spare shaft that I can use as a model to modify from.

Owen - I spoke with you the other day. I called the guy I knew about the lens, but have not heard back from him. I'll call again and will let you know.

Or if it will work, that surevend shaft I sent you that I was going to modify for an 81? can we just swap those out? less modification on both ends for us?

John, The J-56 shaft is much shorter than the Sure-Vend. Also what you sent me was a SelectiVend shaft, which is from a small door mech. Two different animals.

[Crazzy Canuck]

Are the lens still in the 56 now. If they aren't cracked/chipped but just faded, you can put them on a buffer and they'll look like new. I had a Jacobs 50 one time and I have a buffer on my bench for buffing small items and tried it and they came out like new.

[collecture]

I spoke with a customer today and he said he bought his repop Pepsi lense from Dale LaRoche at Chicago many years ago - early 90's. He said he did not think Dale made too many of them - maybe 20. Dale told him that he could only get 3-4 lenses out of a mold before it looked bad and he'd have to make another mold.
Dale is the one that sold you all those 81's - isn't he John?

[lowright]

Thanks Guys, I may have to buy a rebuild coin mech, but I was hopeing that I could find a good used one on the cheap.( Wishful thinking? ) How much is to much to put in a 56? How much will it bring in this economy? And yes, my lens has some small cracks down in the plastic. Anybody know the proccess to reproduce the lens? Could a small plastics company do it? Thanks again for all the info! Oh, is there a # for the mech that I need?

[SIGNGUY]

Yeah,
I know Dale, I bought out his inventory a few years back, the only 56 lenses in that groupl where a couple cracked ones too.. I inquired about them, and the guy who made them isn't around any longer he thought?
it would take building a mold,

Rod,, do you think you'd ever get into this, , would be a similiar process to the Have a Coke lenses I'd think?

[Crazzy Canuck]

Dale used to bring some really cool finds to Chicago years ago. Is Dale still buying?

Sorry didn't mean to hijack your thread here

[SIGNGUY]

Dale used to bring some really cool finds to Chicago years ago. Is Dale still buying?

Dale has restored over 200 machines during his days and owned some incredible machines including a Vendo decapper.  He also had the most incredible collection of vintage coca-cola advertising I ever saw in person. He sold it all at a Gary metz auction years ago..  I bought out his machines inventory, some tools and parts about 2 years ago as he was getting out of doing it.. his wife was sick and needed some cash so I went and picked up the whole stash in 3 trips..
I still stay in touch once in a while...