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Title: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: mznb1u on November 02, 2012, 08:01:05 pm As I have mentioned in past posts, my wife's family was in the Coca Cola bottling business for four generations in southeast Michigan. Well today, I went to look at an early model Vendo V-39 that was listed on Craigslist in the Detroit area. From the pictures on CL, I could see that the drum was missing and it had been repainted with the white and red scheme later in it's life. The compressor had also been hacked up by an amateur and it was likely "not cooling", "the wires were frayed" and "it needed a shot of freon"! Even so, the rest of the machine looked solid and it would be a good parts machine if I could get it for the right price.
I had spoken with the seller yesterday and told her that I would stop by today after work to check it out. When I got there, she showed me the machine and I was giving it the once over. The cabinet is pretty darn straight for a machine that is likely over 60 years old. I did not see any evidence of beltline rust and all of the other key parts were there. When I opened the door, I noticed that the compressor tag was still affixed to one of the lines. When I flipped it around, I noticed it read: Wyandotte Coca Cola Bottling Co. 467 Eureka Road Phone 0081 - 0092 Wyandotte, Michigan I could not believe my eyes! My wife's family business was Wayandotte Coca Cola Bottling Company (fka Kreger Bottling)! Needless to say I had to buy the machine. There is a pretty good chance that my father-in-law stocked this machine whe he was in high school. I am very excited for him to take a look and see if he recognizes any of the writing on the inside of the door. I paid a bit more than I had planned but this machine had to be reunited with the family. I will use the parts from this machine and a V-39 that I already have to bring this piece of family history back to life. Restored this one will be worth a helluva lot more than $5 maybe $6 grand! A pretty good day on the collecting trail! On to the pictures! :drinking: Tim :drinking: Title: Re: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: mznb1u on November 02, 2012, 08:01:47 pm a few more
Title: Re: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: mznb1u on November 02, 2012, 08:02:25 pm and a few more
Title: Re: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: johnieG on November 02, 2012, 08:09:11 pm That is so cool, it's like finding a long lost relative!
But as bad as it looks in the wiring department, if the original compressor's electrically sound, it can be made to run again, let me know if you need a hand with it & I can check it out. Title: Re: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: kbareit on November 02, 2012, 08:33:44 pm Congrats on the cool find. :smile: Just goes to show you never know what you might find in this hobby.
Title: Re: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: BONOVOX on November 02, 2012, 08:34:10 pm That's awesome Tim!!!
I like to hear great things like that!! :happydrinkers: Title: Re: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: Creighton on November 02, 2012, 08:45:47 pm Tim,
That is just outstanding!! Darn clean machine. Congrats. Creighton Title: Re: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: Slider-Bob on November 02, 2012, 09:03:32 pm Tim..congrats on the unique find!
i'm sure your wife's family will be proud! way to go! Title: Re: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: Kilroy on November 02, 2012, 09:55:36 pm Snifff. love the story...
Title: Re: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: Eric on November 02, 2012, 10:08:34 pm Awesome story... keep the images coming as you bring it back! Congratulations on a special find! :happydrinkers:
Title: Re: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: Slapshot42 on November 02, 2012, 10:32:06 pm Neat Find! Congrats! Tim :drinking:
Title: Re: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: tkaz on November 02, 2012, 10:43:37 pm Cool! Got to love finding something sentimental, so much more value than can be explained.
Title: Re: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: MaineT on November 03, 2012, 08:27:43 am Exciting find and value doesn't always mean dollars and cents!! Congrats.
Title: Re: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: Ltransam on November 03, 2012, 09:31:59 am Tim Great Story !!! I would Restore It and NEVER !!!!! Sell it Title: Re: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: Eric on November 03, 2012, 11:17:42 am I would carefully remove the tag, frame it , possibly with an image of the plant or family members and hang it beside the machine.
It may have been redone at the plant... If you gave it a good outside cleaning and waxing how would it look?... if it was a 8 or better I may leave it alone but completely restore the inside to keep from deteriorating any further... get a couple vintage cases of bottles to stack beside it would make a great display. Again great story. Title: Re: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: 90grad on November 05, 2012, 09:47:32 am Very nice, Tim! Keep us posted on what your father-in-law has to say about it.
Title: Re: I had an Ol' Smoothie Rootbeer moment today! Post by: Roadman on November 09, 2012, 02:56:10 pm great pick Tim!
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