Fantasy Jacobs 56

[vendo81d]

I have seen people turn generic VMC 81s into fantasy embossed Orange Crush and Frostie Root Beer machines and sell them for big money, bigger than other 81s except for the ultra-rare RC Cola version.

That got me thinking.  Wouldn't the light-up Jacobs 56 look cool in other version.  Basically, the only thing that identifies it as a Pepsi machine is the light up disc.  With today's CNC technology, I would think it possible to have someone machine a block of plexiglass and make different versions of the disc.  Three version come to mind right away: Dr. Pepper, 7up, and Orange Crush.

The Dr. Pepper version could have the 10-2-4 logo for the disc.  You could paint the cabinet mint green and maybe use a darker green for the coin door and kick plate.  The 7up version would have the 7up logo in the disk and the machine could be painted two tone green or a combination of green and white.  The Orange Crush version could have "Crush" spelled out on the disc and have the rest of the machine painted orange.  A couple of "Crushy" decals on the sides would look cool.

[mygoose101]

I think it would look great but at the expense of a very collectible machine. With a generic 81 it has to be turned into something. On your idea if you wanted to do a fantasy Jacobs I would do a Coke 26 or 35 and not worry about the light.

[ajf5577]

I think it would look great but at the expense of a very collectible machine. With a generic 81 it has to be turned into something. On your idea if you wanted to do a fantasy Jacobs I would do a Coke 26 or 35 and not worry about the light.

I agree. You are starting out with a very cool (and expensive) machine to start with. It would look cool, but you'd be upside down immediately. If you like it, and have the money..... Post some pics when its done!

Going along with Rays idea, fabricate a "topper" for a Jacobs 26 with the light up plastic sign in whatever flavor you'd like. That would look nice.

[SIGNGUY]

I agree.. use a Jacobs 26 or 35.. leave the Pepsi original ones alone... it will only hurt value..

same with fantasy 81's use 81a's...

[MoonDawg]

      The 35 is probably just as rare as the 56.......... best to stick with the 26.
      Great idea as far as design but unlike the 81, it will still only be a single vend.
      But since so many Jacobs 26's are missing drums and coin mech.s, this would make it a great unit to re-purpose.
      A round light in the door would look nice but may be pretty difficult to incorporate.
      I like the topper idea because bases and globes are already being made for gas pumps.
      The door latch is easy to open and close so it would make a great storage cabinet,.     
      Fantasy themes are unlimited. 

     

[vendo81d]

I think it's pretty easy to be upside down cost-wise restoring a Pepsi Jacobs 56.  If people have paid $12,500 for a fantasy Orange Crush VMC 81, how much would they pay for a fantasy Orange Crush Jacobs 56?  I think the market would be higher for the fantasy machines than the Pepsi machines.  Personally, I don't like the looks of the Jacobs machines and that is why I don't own any of them.

[BeaYoung]

Forget upside-down, it would just be a a sacrilege, pure and simple. 

[vendo81d]

Sacrilege?  I think that's a little strong.  You would not have done anything to the machine that couldn't be undone.  All you would have to do is repaint it and put the original Pepsi lens back on.  When those fantasy Orange Crush and Frostie 81's were done, something such as an original cooler had to be permanently destroyed for the embossing.  We certainly have seen a lot of unoriginal paint jobs on classic soda machines, gaudy pinstriping, and excessive use of decals before.  The funniest one to me are the decals that have been sold for years that misspell "nickels" as "nickles."  If a guy has multiple Jacobs 56's, why not keep one Pepsi and do something different with the others.

[mygoose101]

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer, if that is something you want to do then do it. A friend of mine did some fantasy 44', both Vendo and VMC. He did about 3 or 4 flavors so that means 3 or 4 Coke Machines were cut up. I personally wouldn't have done that but the machines looked cool. When he had them on display I doubt he ever looked at them and thought, ok, this fantasy Pepsi 44 is worth x amount of dollars and if it were left a Coke it would be worth x amount of dollars. He enjoyed them and that's what really counts.

[Eric]

A Dr Pepper would be awesome... the 10-2-4- disc, if you could get one made, would look perfect in it and their green color is classic.

[BeaYoung]

Good point! I am a purist! 

[genudoc]

Go for it
There is a jacobs 56 pepsi on ebay
now. The machine is in connecticut now

sell the pepsi lens to recoup some costs

[Zerbie]

I'm going to slightly modify my Jacobs 56 by attempting to do the following:

Separate the power source for the lights (nickles only, empty & the big Pepsi button) from the cooling mechanism. This way, I can turn on the lights at any time without having to have the machine running. I'm going to search for a capacitive touch switch that will work from behind the plastic lenses to turn the lights on & off. I will also replace the conventional light bulbs with LED lights.

All of these changes would be easy to undo for the purist. 

[Creighton]

That well be very cool !! If you have time post photos.
Thanks,
Creighton

[Zerbie]

I certainly will !