SMC Discussion Areas

Just purchased a rough VMC 27 A?B?  What is the best way to get started?  What should I attack first and how do I reproduce the logos and paint?

Hi Yaand welcome to the site....

Have you got any pictures of your new baby??

Does it run and cool properly???

How much time and money do you want to invest in your project??

Is it a complete back to metal restoration or simply a smarting up job??

What are you going to be doing yourself and what are you going to get others to do??

There are apint codes listed on the site but really I wouldn't get to hung up about the absolutely right tone of paint for your machine. I let my wife pick the last shade.

The logos (decals) can be purchased from funtronics (for coke) and from Soda Jerk Works if you are lucky enough to have a pepsi version.

If you decide to strip the machine make sure you take lots of photos. Its not rocket science BUT it certainly comes in handy when you have bits left over and you can't remember where they go.

What I would say (and Ifound this out to my cost) before you strip down make sure the machine works properly. Its not point having a great shell if nothing works inside.

Before you do turn it on make sure the wiring is of a good standard. You don't want this to be your last project. Even if it looks good it might be worthwhile changing it. Not sure if this model has a wiring harness that can be purchased from the sponsers. Someone else will know. If it does then that's a good start.

Welcome aboard....

Dave

Thanks so much for the welcome and info!  It is a mess.  We are talking complete restore over the next decade.  (my wife wants to keep me busy)  I am going to try to do everything I can by myself, including some metal work.  Does not power up.. and I will have to replace the compressor and who knows what else.  If I end up making it a neat looking display/non-functional piece, then so be it.  It will still be fun!
Here is a pic...

Welcome to the site... you'll be able to get all the help you need (information wise) from these guys...
Looks like it'll be a good machine, little cancer near the bottom, which will take some metal work...
Like Dave said, take lots of photos as you begin dissasembly...
and being your first ,get a few boxes of ziplock baggies and a marker and as you take peices off and screws and such,,, bag them up and label the bags... then keep you bags seperate (door parts) , (inside parts), etc... that will help on the reassembley or if you have to matchup screws and such with ones that need to be replaced with new ones, etc.

Paint and decals will be the easy part... looks like your challenge will be body work and figuring out thecompressor...

Good luck

Have you checked out the wring to that compressor of yours...

Is everything dead... Fans etc...

       We are very doubtful that the compressor is bad. Most likely only a fanmotor
problem. Dave is right, get it cooling and vending so you understand how it works
before you disassemble.
      You have a nice straight machine to start with, hope the rest of the base is
in better shape than the front as far as rust. I have a nice cabinet if you need one.
       Ask for help anytime, especially drum removal and re-install.

      The picture enclosed if for motivation  :happydrinkers:

Thanks so much for the ideas!  I really appreciate it.  Unfortunately, the side is worse than the front.  It is rusted through, so I am going to get very acquainted with metal working!
I will post more questions as they come up.  I love the motivational picture!  Thanks again guys!
-Mike

      I kept this empty shell just for someone like you. You can have it if you can get it
picked up in Southern California. I would hate to send it to scrap metal.

Glen... That is awesome of you!!!!! Grab that cabinet Spitzme! A lot of time saved there
and money... I used FedEx ground to get a cooler from ND to MO and there are others
that have used other freight companies. may save you money and definantely time in
the long run! Keep us posted on the project! And welcome to the board.
I've noticed a few new members have joined in the last couple months we may need a
Who's Who on the board. Welcome... hope you stick around... if you like ol' soda machines
you're on THE best site... great guys (and a few gals) here...
Again...Welcome!

I can only echo what Eric has said.... Grab that cabinet... Glen's a top guy..

Take your time and by the summer you'll have a lovely fully restored vending machine that will be the envy of everyone.

That compressor I'm sure is simple wiring and perhaps a re-charge...


How about that.. You make your first post and you have people throwing stuff at ya..

You gotta love it!  Do you guys know how much shipping would cost to florida? (estimate)
I would LOVE that cabinet!!!!  I have never tried to ship something that big.  Does the shipping company pick it up and pack it?
Thanks Tons Guys!!!
And Glen... you da man!

There is a forward Air in Sandiego , and also 5 location in Florida, Miami, Jacksonville, Orlando, Pensacola and Tampa.

If Glen is near SanDiego or LA and could get it there, they strap it to a pallet and you pick up at the nearest terminal near you... it's empy so should ship fairily cheap.. I am shipping a candy machine to the East Coast that weighs 140lbs and is about the same size for around 90.00

Good luck
www.forwardair.com

spitzme,

Where in Fla are you located...?

Tampa....

Yep forward air should be around $100 or you can use NAVL and it is about $350 but they do door to door. It is worth that to not have to fool with the metal work.

Where are you located Glen?
-Mike

Glen is in Ventura, CA I believe.

Yep, Glen's in Ventura, Ca.

      I drive to L.A. once a month to pick up inventory, I guess I could drop off
to Fwd Air on my way.

Hey Glen... Why not go the whole hog and restore the thing for him...

Its great to see someone giving a new guy a "leg up" in his new hobby.
You guys are really good at that...

That would be INCREDIBLE, Glen!!!  However, I do like the comment that you should just go ahead and restore the whole thing for me. :o)
When you have a date in mind that you will be going to LA, let me know and I will make all the arrangements with forward air.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate you going out of your way for a newbie, thanks very much!
-Mike
813-712-0999 cell
or spitzme@tampabay.rr.com

 Yea, Glen's Great !!
                              And I'm sure he has Room in the PASSANGER SIDE of the T-Bird . :laugh: :laugh: .Sorry Glen It was stillthe funnest dang thing I ever saw


                                                                     Leonard  :laugh:

Hey Guys
Is there a special rectangular screwdriver bit that you need to unscrew the bolts?

You can buy it from Sears, Napa auto parts.

Thanks! :biggrin:

how do you recommend removing the old paint and surface rust?  Glass beads, sand blasting?  chemicals?  Also, the decals look like they are painted on, are they or is it a decal?
Thanks
-Mike

I would blast the machine... Others here will tell you exactly what gritt to use.
Are you going to do it yourself or have it done for you??

The decals come either in water release or vinyal (hate that word) Personally I prefer the later.
They are available from Funtronics so don't work about losing them. Having played around with decals
this weekend make sure you have a lot of patience and no kids under your feet when applying them.
Especially the water release ones.

Dave

I prefer sand blasting or media blasting. The thick metal on these old machines hold up well to the abuse dished out by sand blasting. The plus it creates a good base for your new paint to adhere to. Another of benefit is the fact that a good blasting gets out all of the small stuff in the hard to reach areas, like the area underneath where the compressor is housed. And sand blasting will remove all of the rust. You will find holes where you thought solid metal existed before. Which is better to find now then a year after you painted your prized Coca-Cola machine.

Chemical stripping also works, but it is extremely messy and it is an absolute must that all chemical residues are removed prior to painting. Stripper and paint don't mix so well. And chemical stripping doesn't handle the rust issue. Rust must be removed, either by sand or by torch.

I am taking my projects to a local boy how can blast a machine in two hours and the cost usually runs around $75.00 for a Junior and $125.00 for a larger machine such as a Vendo 110. The best part of it all is that I don't have to sweat so much when doing it this way. A good chemical bath will run you around half that amount, if not more, and you will have a huge mess to clean up and dispose of. I think the current price of a quality stripper somewhere between $17 and $22 a gallon depending on where you get it. And I use stripper every now and then.

I bought a decent paint gun at the paint shop for $65.00. Believe me, you can do most paint and body stuff in your back yard and you do not need an expensive gun. I even paint out side, but this requires spraying the yard prior to laying the top coat so as to keep the bugs out of my final product.

Good luck

      Mike....I'm ready to ship off this 27 cabinet to you, did you get my last e-mail?

No I must have missed it or maybe my computer filtered it ... who knows...   
That is GREAT news!  I can send you a money order asap for the shipping and handling..
Did you get my email from my tampabay account with directions to the shipping place?
Feel free to contact me directly at spitzme@tampabay.rr.com
I cant tell you how much I appreciate this!
-Mike

I would have it soda blasted  low heat no warping,
that will remove the paint & decals & light rust
the heavy rust then sand blast those area's.

 That what I had done to my 55 slider
inside & out.

  Just my thoughts

Thanks Dave, RC and Pat for your ideas and feedback!  I am going to check around and see if I can get someone to blast it before undertaking it myself.  I appreciate the info on painting it yourself... how do the rest of you paint your machines?  Is the inside just cleaned or do I need to spray the inside silver wheel with paint as well?
Sorry for all of the "novice" questions... but I am what I am!   :biggrin:

keep asking them. The answers you are getting are helping me in my projects as well.

Same here!  I'm learning a lot.  What kind of paint gun would be best to use in painting these machines?  I'd like to try my hand with my Westinghouse Standard.

Eastwood Company has a nice little deal about soda blasting.
see attached. :smile:

 http://www.eastwoodco.com/text/content/videos/movies/Soda%20Blasting.mov

Notice to all!  I just had to publicly thank Moondawg for hooking me up with a cabinet for my vendolator 27..  Thanks again Glen!  I appreciate all of the help!
-Mike

Really quick if you have it all broke down then yes have the inside sprayed
it will not hurt any thing.

  I've started spraying the inside cabinet and compressor area's with a spray
on  spray on bed liner then having the shop paint right over it .

Very cool.  Do you clearcoat or put any finish on after the decals, or are they the last step?

I have been looking for the rectangular shaped bit to unscrew the "screws" but have had no luck so far.  Napa, Sears, Autozone all have no idea what I was talking about.  Any place online to order the handtool?
-Mike

It is called a clutch head screw - there are several sizes of bits available. I got mine at ACE hardware. You should be able to wiggle one screw out with a small slotted screwdriver and take it with you.

what have you guys found to be the best way to remove dents from the cabinet and door?  Is there a special tool that I can get to help me with this? 

       Assuming you are removing the door liner and inner liner, lay the piece on a flat concrete floor and use a hammer from the inside to tap the dent flat.

Thanks for the info everyone....  I got the clutch head bits at Ace Hardware...
I am going to start disassembling the machine soon!!!  I can hardly wait!
-Mike

Also, you should work in reverse of how the dent occured...start on the outside of the dent and work inward so to speak.

Hello All
Has anyone ever powder-coated their coke machine?  Any benefits? Drawbacks? Does it hurt the collectible value?
thanks
Mike

What is the best way to refinish the aluminum parts inside the cabinet?  the Dispensing wheel and all of the metal parts that look like they are oxidized?

your best bet is to clean them reall good.. degrease them, scrub them, sand them slightly and then allow to dry.. then spray them with hammertone or other rustoleum product of your choice... Hammertone will give a nice and durable finish if put on right.. read can.
Good luck,
lets see some photos...

Great, thread thought I would tag my body repair question on to this one as you have touched on many questions I had.

How do you remove a popped in section of the door. What I mean is, this is not so much a dent as it is a large section of the door is bent in slightly.  You know as if someone had put a hip check into it. 

Again, this is pretty slight and just by pushing from the back side of the door it pops back into shape.  Problem is, as soon as I remove pressure it pops right back.  How do I get it to stay popped out so to speak?

Thanks,
Steve

Hey Steve
I would start a new thread and see what kind of response you get.  I wish I could help, but I am a novice...   but learning!  It seems that when you start a new thread, you get some immediate replies...  title it something specific about dents...  good luck and send pics!
-Mike

I am waiting to see how your machine is turning out. Keep us posted.

Thanks

Hello All!
I am still working on my VMC 27..  Through another amazing Coke collector here in Tampa, I have my cabinet at a professional painter in Orlando.  It is being completely worked over and painted with some high-end Dupont paint from Germany.  I have seen the finished product on another machine and it is unbelievable!  I will post some pics as soon as I get the cabinet back...  Thanks for all the help.. I will need more, I am sure!
-Mike

I can't wait to see how it turns out.

How's this machine coming along?

I just agreed to buy one and I was curios as to how your's was turning out. Any issues?

Please post pictures as you go along.

Hello Mike:
Looks like the bug has bitten you.
We have the cluch head you are looking for to take out your screws. If you need any parts or decals check out our web sight. www.fun-tronicsllc.com . or call us at 217-857-1759. We would also be glad to answer any of your restoration questions. It's great to see someone doing there first machine. I still remember mine. It was a big old Vendo 110. When I had it all done I thought I was on top of the world. Nothing better than taking something rough and broken down and turning it into a master piece. :happydrinkers:
Best of luck, and hope I can help. :happydrinkers:
Rod
Fun-Tronics

Just curious .. what is so special about Dupont Paint from Germany??? is there paint better than ours? do you gotta pay extra for that?
Can't wait to see photos.

Most paint lines are originally from Europe or Germany . Sikkens, Glasurit , DuPont etc. But sold all over the US .