Restoration project vmc 27a

[Ben]

Hello all,

This is my first post to this discussion group, and my first restoration. I think I can do most of the work, but I have a couple questions before I start this project. 1. Should I lose the water fountain on the side? D 2. What should I do for the inside paint? I hear powder coating is the best, but it is cost prohibitive. Should I do a hammertone finish and if so could I match the "salmon" color, or would it be better to do a gray "galvanized looking" finish?

I had a coke machine just like this when I was in college (almost 40 years ago).  Everyone knew where to come for an ice cold beer. Someone liked it so much they stole it......

I appreciate any and all advice,
-ben (not sure if image is attached)

[Kilroy]

Lose the fountain
Hammer tone is fine, the color choice is up to you. Personally I like the galvanized look/color
Welcome, and keep us posted on the progress

[Ben]

Thanks for the input. I think it will be a better looking machine without the fountain and the pink inside.  Should be a fun project.

-ben

[Slapshot42]

How does the front look?  If the machine looks nice you may just clean it up real nice!

Not every machine needs to be restored!  You could easily remove the compressor and repainted it.
The liner could also be removed and painted separately.

A great machine but a full restoration would be much more than what it's worth!

[Ben]

The outside of the machine has to be repainted.  It looks like someone painted it with a brush, but the paint underneath is white and sprayed, odd.  I know these little machines aren't as collectible as some of the others, but my goal is to see if I can do a professional looking restoration; sandblasting, cleaning, painting, etc... I'm sure if I sell it later, I will probably lose money, but I will have had many hours of restoration fun  (I hope). Glad I have this site as a resource.

Thanks for the info,

-ben

[Slapshot42]

Ben,

After seeing the front, and the way you have described the paint I would say go for it!!!

Make sure to get more than one bid for the work, you may find a big difference in the pricing!!!

Take a lot of pictures, go slow, and have fun!

Jared

[Ben]

we'll see. I plan on doing the blasting and painting myself. My brother has all of the equipment, and I have "played" with it a little, but have never tried anything like this restoration. I will either end up with something really cool, or have to pay someone to fix my mistakes.

[cohammer]

Give it a shot  you learn by mistakes , just don't make the same ones twice.