I've enlisted the services of a pinstriper for my cooler lettering & larger chest machines as well. check with some of your local auto detail shops & bump shops as well, chances are they know someone who does pinstriping/lettering, also check with local sign-shops.

I’m hoping someone can help me. I have several of the Progress and Acton picnic coolers from the 50’s and 60’s I’d like to restore. These include Coke, Pepsi and Royal Crown coolers. They’re the ones with the metal(aluminum) corners that are removable. I’m no professional but I enjoy restoring things as a hobby. I’d like to use vinyl to mask the letters after painting them and then spray the entire cooler. Afterwards, removing the vinyl to reveal the letters. I fully realize some will say it’s the wrong way to do it but I rather enjoy the process so it’s fine for me. This is just a hobby and I try to keep it manageable. My question is, does anyone out there have the files for the Pepsi and/or Royal Crown logos they’d be willing to share with me? Funtronics has all the vinyl for Coke but nothing for any others. Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks so much for any help or leads.

Cool.  Thanks.  I'll check it out .  I know there are timing marks on both sides and I set the marks for the right and left side.  Then the book says to move the cams to align the motor timing marks.  It doesn't make much sense to me to set the timing marks for the sides only to move them to time the motor.  I'll check it out again using your pictures.  Thanks and I'll let you know.  That machine and motor look exactly like mine so hopefully this will do the trick.

Here, I think this picture from an older repair I've done might help (maybe) it's of a VMC Pepsi VF148's vending motor repair I did. the pic' with the vicegrips show how to lock the vending carriage in place when to pull the motor for repair or replacement, notice the "cam-lobes" are locked by the vicegrips & are facing forward when the carriage bar is in the  starting position as shown in the other picture... anything other than what is shown the vending mech will not cycle & may jam and burn up the motor.

Sorry, I can't see anything from the old post being it's a photobucket picture ( they still around?) & the there's now way to zoom in, also the delivery chute-tray is in the way blocking the view...similar to the Westinghouse selectamatic series, often the carrier switch is reinstalled/rewired backwards ( the normally open & normally closed switch terminals..double check that.

Yes, it is rotating counter clockwise.  I didn't replace the motor, just a gear in the gearbox.  I fear I don't have the shaft that has both the drive gear and the cam that runs the switch set properly.  I was thinking about taping down the sold out switches, opening the door with the latch latched and dropping a quarter, then pushing a button to see how the drop arms are working.  Apparently this is not a very popular machine.  I got it probably 15 years ago for $50.  It's not the greatest looking machine but it's cool to have in the garage.  I keep a stack of quarters on top in case someone wants a soda.  There's not a lot of people who work on these old square tops.  All of the restores and parts people seem to work on the round tops and the ones with the glass doors that open.  Any help is appreciated.  If someone has a picture of the motor installed in there machine, that might be a help.  Thanks.

The attached is not my motor, but it looks just like it.  I got this from an old post that Termite posted.  His machine is a VF-100, mine is a VF-148.  They are very similar.


(Square top)
(pics of the machine; http://soda-machines.com/discussions/index.php/topic,21007.0.html)

Is it rotating in the correct direction? (replacement vs original), some motors rotate clockwise & others counter-clockwise & the vending assy won't work backwards... just a thought.

Hi,
I'm in the process of restoring a Jacobs 26.  So far so good, however, I'm having issues with the lower stop pawl getting wedged in the sector assembly swing arm.  The lower stop pawl stops the drum from turning after it has dispensed the soda. The sector assembly swing arm, (see picture) which spins after a good coin drops into the ratchet wheel and I believe releases the lower stop pawl so it can spin and dispense a soda, gets caught on the lower stop pawl . The lower stop pawl appears to stick out to far causing the sector swing arm (see picture) to get caught on the lower stop pawl arm that sticks out and gets wedged in that position. To release it I have to take the drum off, remove sector spring and disengage the sector link assembly.

I've tried adjusting the stop pawl, the sector assembly, but with no luck.  Seems like something is missing to get the stop pawl arm to go under the sector assembly to release the drum and dispense a soda.  I am hoping that my above explanation of how this works is incorrect and I am missing something simple. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Doug

Hello everyone.  I have a Vendorlator VF-148-BB soda machine.  It has a single motor to drop the sodas.  I've had it for years and when I first got it, it vended fine.  One day it didn't.  I took the Merkle-Korpff motor/gearbox off and took it apart.(without taking pictures and yes I'm kicking myself).  I found a gear with a missing tooth.  TI tried to find someone to make a new gear to no avail.  I found an older guy, I believe in one of the Carolinas who had the gear from another box.  This guy used to work on vending machines and it was the correct part.  I put the gearbox back together and back in the machine and guess what, It would not drop.  It's been several years now and I'm trying to get it to work again.  I took the gearbox apart again and moved the gear to where I though it should be and still no worky.  I have the manual and set the timing to the proper setting and it still doesn't drop.  I think the guy I bought the gear from has died so I can't use him as a resource.  Does anyone know anything about this machine or maybe have a motor/gearbox that I can buy that hasn't been taken apart that I can buy?  This thing runs real cold and was vending before I took the gearbox apart.  I can take engines apart and pretty much get anything to work so imagine my frustration on this thing.  I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the gearbox.  The motor runs, but again I'm sure it has something to do with not taking pictures of how the gearbox was when I took it apart.  Thanks!

Very nice Jim!