Victor 4-Door Chest Cooler

[SodaShopNick]

I have always wanted a Victor Chest Cooler for my basement to use as a bar.  I found a few on Craigslist over the past year, but they were normally either over priced or in too bad a condition......or both!!!  In fact one I found (which was a 3-door, embossed, with a counter top, appeared to be in excellent condition, was working and was asking $500 OBO) I called the guy the day after he posted it to see if it was still available.  He told me "Well, someone is coming to pick it up, but what will you offer me".  I said "I don't really play that way, just let me know if the deal does not work out".  He told me he had several people call him and tell him "you are asking way too low".  After that run in I thought I would probably not have any luck on Craigslist.  That is until around the end of September when I saw a 4-door listed on Craigslist that was about 1.5 hours from my house.  It appeared to be in good condition and to be all there.  So, knowing my luck last time I waited a few weeks to call him.  When I did finally called him last Friday he told me it was still available.  I asked him if he had any offers on it and he said a few.  He said one guy offered him $100.  At that point he was thinking of keeping it and cutting it into a couch!!!   I asked him if it was original and he told me he purchased it from the old country store down the street about 4 years ago when the owner was getting too old to run the store.  He said the owner said it had been in that store since the 50's and had been using it until around 4 years ago.  I asked him if it worked and he said he did not want to plug it in as he did not know anything about the machine and did not want to take a chance something would get damaged.  So, I decided to take a chance and drove up with my friend and his flatbed trailing Sunday.  To my surprise it was in great shape, embossed and appeared to be all there (cap catchers, interior dividers, drip pan & grates).  He gave me a great deal and we loaded it up (all 770lbs of it) and I now have it in my garage.    It did run when I plugged it in, but the evaporator fan is not working.  Hopefully that will be an easy fix.  I plan on just cleaning it up and hopefully getting it running.   I will be attaching a few pictures shortly.

[SodaShopNick]

A few pictures:

[SodaShopNick]

Last few pictures:

[kbareit]

That is a nice one for the price. I like the Victors but hate moving them.

[SodaShopNick]

Hi Ken,

I agree with you on moving them.  I am really not sure how I am going to get this to my basement, but will figure it out somehow.....

[Chris]

I would use that as a back up fridge when the one inside gets full!

[tkaz]

I think I saw that one in NC on Craigslist, I meant to post it up here but forgot about it.  Good pickup!

[ZiaDan]

Nice Victor!

[Blind1968]

Nice score!

[sledworks]

Finally sold my 3 door Victor. Going to England. Good riddance, you heavy bastard.

[SelVend 7 up]

That is an awesome find though......with a great country store story.

[BONOVOX]

Congrats on the cooler!  I too am having a 3door restored (by Pat) to be turned into my bar.
Although with mine, I took out the motor, and the doors etc... and will be getiing a stainless counter and counter top made up for it.
The 3 door is heavy, I cant even think about a 4 door.

Every day I look at my staircase to the basement and think how am I going to get it down lol...... I think I might let gravity just work it's magic 

[SodaShopNick]

bonovox, yep I believe mine is just under 800 lbs, but feels like about 2000 when you try and lift it.   I with you on the gravity theory of getting it down stairs!!!!

[sc1101]

Looks like its in great shape. Nice find!

[HowDueYouDue]

Great find. Congrats and enjoy

[cola62]

Looks great, good pick-up

[vintage-air]

Nothing like the victor coolers for sure. I too found mine on Craigslist in a small town just east of Indy. It spent its whole life in the same spot from new. The building, currently slated to be torn down due to new construction, was functioning as a small town bar but closed a few years back. In its hay day, the building was actually a schoolhouse where the cooler was used in the cafeteria. Pretty neat story and pretty neat price at $500. I enjoy mine everyday so good luck with yours.

[SodaShopNick]

Vintage-Air,

I love your story.  I only wish in my case I would have stopped by the country store my victor was at and took a picture with it in it.  Do you do any restoring of yours at all?  For me I have to at minimum replace the evap fan motor, but I am thinking about doing something with the removable grates and bottom of the inside of the cooler.  I don't want to spend alot of money as this is just going to be for me, but would love to know your thoughts if you did anything like this.  You can PM me directly if you would like.

Thanks,
Nick

[SodaShopNick]

Well, it has a been a little over a year and I am finally finished working on this Victor 4-door cooler.      Besides a repaint and replacement compressor, which looked to me to be done when it was in service and a long time ago, it was complete.  It worked before I started working on it, but had to hand crank the evaporator fan to get it going.  A year later, one new evaporator fan, new wiring, one new thermostat, one new 3 in 1, some POR15 putty and paint on the tub floor, some hammer-tone paint on the tub walls and many hours of hand cleaning and polishing it is finally done.   Oh and lets not forget the moving company I had to use to get it from my garage to my basement.    It now works perfectly, but will probably only be turned on when we have parties.   Next I will be getting a counter top for it.  I was lucky enough to find original counter-top brackets on eBay.   I did want to thank everyone on this forum for all your help.   A special thanks to Ken (kbareit) and the people at soda works jerks for going above and beyond in their assistance.   Here is a link to some before and after pictures:

http://s40.photobucket.com/user/ndercole/slideshow/Victor%20Cooler

[GreenMo]

That looks amazing!  Outstanding job!

[HowDueYouDue]

Came out great.  Congrats

[Jonathan816]

Hi Ken,

I agree with you on moving them.  I am really not sure how I am going to get this to my basement, but will figure it out somehow.....

good luck, and remember lift with those knees 

Hopefully you don't have to go around any corners to get it in to the basement.

[ZiaDan]

Looks nice!

[BONOVOX]

me and 2 buddies took down my 3 door to the basement.

I have 2 stairs to the basement... a typical curved stair, where there was NO way it was going down that way because of the length of the cooler in relation to the radius of the curve....the railings would have to come off then it would work.
The second stair is from the mud room, and it is a straight stair with a bottom landing, then 2 more steps down  ("L" shaped stair)  We had to tilt the cooler on its end to get it into the mud room... then once in, we had to lay it back down.... we had 2 guys on the bottom, one on the top... laid out moving mats all on the stair and then let gravity take it down..... once we got to the landing, we had to stand it back up again to make the 90 deg. turn to go down the other way......

If the cooler were a 1/4" bigger, IT WOULD NOT HAVE  MADE IT DOWN lol.... there was a point of no return where flashes went thru my head of me having to torch the cooler up because there was no way it was going down or up lol.....
Then we gave it one last PUSH and it somehow made it down.  the base chipped the drywall a bit, no biggie, yet  the cooler didn't get a scratch on it 

years from now when I'm dead, whoever lives in my house will wonder how the heck did they bring this thing down lol....

[GreenMo]

That's a great story bonovox 

[Ltransam]

That's why 2 Doors RULE !!!!

[SodaShopNick]

BONOVOX - what a great story.  I know when I move out of this house this cooler is probably not coming with me.  Ltransam, love the two door.

[Jared]

Is that the Victor from the snow storm? Great 2 door loved that picture in the back of the pickup! !

[Ltransam]

 

Jared .

Nope ! This was found last year in northern Ohio and had been in a store it's hole life . After time they used the building as a  dance hall and banquet room till it was moved in to the back room and not used for quite some time. The owner wanted  to go on vacation .

It's in 100% Original condition I just cleaned it   Need to order some replacement grills though 

[Jared]

Great find. Looks in great shape. Congrats. Love the embossing on that one.  Is it a keeper

[MoonDawg]

 The owner wanted  to go on vacation .

        That's when you 'found' this cooler?  

       It's nice!