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Here are some pictures of my Vendo 44 project. Started of with a decent machine that had its share of dents and some hidden rust. I was lucky It had most of the parts there and most anything else I needed I was able to get from Fun-tronics. Biggest issue I ran into was belt line rust and the bottom cabinet pan was completely rusted out. I removed the old pan and had a new one fabricated at a sheet metal shop. I am lucky to have a neighbour who owns a auto body shop and has a TIG welder at home. We welded in the new pan and removed and patched any belt line rust. I did all the other body work which included some sandblasting and dent repairs. I primed the machine in automotive primer and then my neighbours body shop applied the paint. Had the coin bezel re-chromed and the stainless trim polished as well as the crank. Getting the liner back in would have been a royal pain had I not seen the tip on using cardboard to hold the insulation in place.

Coin mechanism and the refrigeration system works great, all I had to do was clean it up and she runs nice and cold.

One of the final steps was I had a sign painter do the embossed lettering.

This site has been a great resource, here are some pictures. I am sure once I get a proper shop built I will do another machine. Maybe an 81?

And done.

1 more with stickers on.

That looks awesome! You did a really good job!

Looks GREAT!!! :smile:

Nice Job

Wow what a great job. Now you have been bitten by the soda bug. A 81 would be a great choice for a second machine.  :happydrinkers:

Very nicely done ! ! !
There is definitely room along the wall for a couple more machines ! ! !

Looks great .. do the can rollers in the vending mechanism work well,, often thought about putting them in mine... just haven't..

Not bad for a rookie.  Keep up the good work.

BC

Great job!!

Wish I had friend in the body shop field....

All my friends are computer techs and stay at home dads lol

 :happydrinkers:

Thanks.Cans work well, its a replacement bottle rack that works with cans or the smaller bottles.

Great job. See, you're already a better restorer then Rick Dale.

Nicely done! You did a great job, period.

You did a nice job on that and you should be proud  of what you did  :smile:.

Very nice...

Wow! Great job! There is nothing like the feeling you get when you see something done so well that you did yourself.

Thanks for all the comments it was definitely a fun project.

So what's next?

Nice job, looks good

WOW!  YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION TO PEOPLE LIKE ME THAT WANT TO DO IT BUT ARE WORRIED ABOUT GETTING IN OVER THEIR HEADS.  WAS THIS YOUR FIRST MACHINE? WHERE DID YOU FIND THAT MACHINE? DID YOU GET IT CHEAP? SO YOU HAD SOME GREAT RESOURCES, BUT IN THE END WHAT WAS YOUR TOTAL COST? DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE IN ANYTHING THAT INVOLVES RESTORATION? DONT HAVE TO ANSWER THE COST QUESTIONS IF YOU DON'T WANT, SOME MIGHT THINK THAT IS PERSONAL, BUT PEOPLE ARE CURIOUS WHEN THEY ARE CONSIDERING A PROJECT LIKE THIS. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU?  MY FIRST IS A WESTINGHOUSE STANDARD SITTING IN MY GARAGE I PAID 250 FOR AT AUCTION. THOUGHT I WOULD START WITH SOMETHING THAT DOSEN'T HAVE MANY MOVING PARTS. CAN'T WAIT FOR WEATHER TO BREAK SO I CAN START.  IT LOOKS VERY NICE, THAT IS THE ONE MACHINE THAT I WANT. BUT SO DOES EVERYONE ELSE.

Thanks. I found this machine locally for $1800. It is the first machine I have done. I think it was a fair price as it was mostly complete. Once I figured out which machine I wanted I researched info prior to buying it such as parts prices/availability. I am fairly mechanically inclined so I felt comfortable doing it. Bodywork was something I had never done and I have a new respect for guys in that trade.

When taking on a project like this always assume it will be a bigger job than you thought. Much like restoring a car or a house reno you will likely find more things than are first apparent. If you know this going in then its not such a big deal if there is hidden rust that needs repairing. I worked at this project over several months taking my time and taking lots of pictures to help with reassembly. This site is invaluable for information on these machines. As for my total cost I have not added up all the receipts but I am comfortable I could sell it easily for more than I have into it. I am not going to sell it however. This was about having fun bringing something back to what it once was. It was also cool for my kids to watch the restoration process and now on special occasions they can have an ice cold Coke.