Vendo 39

[BrianS]

I'm guessing if I suggest an air meter for her next birthday I better be prepared to duck .  I wasn't really looking for another machine just yet, it just happened to pop up a couple miles from my house so I went to look - no harm in looking, right?  I'm really not ready to start another machine yet, but since I had been working on a couple other machines he wanted me to make an offer.  I actually encouraged the Owner to hold on to it and that he could probably get a better offer.  He called me back later and said he wanted to make sure it went somewhere where it would be restored some day.  Didn't want it sold for parts on Ebay and my offer was fine.  So surprise,surprise, I have another machine.  It will be a while before I can do anything with it, but I am thrilled to have it.  Right now it needs a bath and a vacuuming.  I'll dig into it a little at a time from there.

And yes, I now need to get something nice for my wife.

[bcharlton]

Go on Curtis's website (http://www.retrovending.com/about-us.php)  and do a little surfing with your wife.  She will indubitably find something she likes.  Then promise to find one in rough condition and restore it for her.  This really may work.  Curtis must have 1000 pictures and she is bound to like something.

Your biggest problem will be trying to make your stuff look like Curtis' stuff.  It has taken me over 10 years to copy Curtis and I still have a long way to go.

It has worked for me and just might do the trick.

BC

[BrianS]

Well I picked up the machine on Saturday.  Had to squeeze it in between a couple of the kids basketball games.  It has a few issues.  The paint is not original.  The red was redone pretty nicely but its seen several scrapes and scratches, enough that it would need to be repainted anyway, so the fact that its not original is not a big deal.  The vending drum has been taken apart at one time or another but appears complete and just needs some screws to reattach the back plate.  Inner liner has rust in the bottom of the pan but does not appear to be rusted through.  Needs a vend crank and cap catcher.

Now the good - beltline looks solid. probably a bit of rust on the inside, but no obvious exterior blemishes.  No significant dents other than a few surface scratches.  Plugged it in and let it run for 30 minutes.  Cabinet temp got down to 31°.  I think this will turn out to be a great machine with a bit of elbow grease.

For those of you who have redone a 39 before, are there any significant items to look for in the mechanism or any pitfalls to be aware of?  Is this an easier or more complex restore than an 81?  On the surface, it seems to be much simpler than a bottle stack, but looks can certainly be decieving.

[MoonDawg]

       When putting the back plate on the drum, there are 3 positions it could be installed in. Because of the counterweight........only 1 is correct.