Wd-12

[small block]

i just bought a westinghouse wd-12 in fair condition.is there companys that makes aftermarket replacement parts for these coolers?the rear cover is missing,the catch box for the caps is missing.the lids have some rust around the hinge mountinng areas.i could repair them but it would be alot of work.also the floor on the inside is rusted bad.do they make floor panels for these ?i know its sounding like a real basket case but ive been restoring cars for 15 years so a little rust doesnt scare me.this is my first cooler so i dont know much about part avalibility.i plan to start restoring these things so i could use any help.thanks,small blosk

[johnieG]

Hello small block, I'm putting a WD12 back together myself! (inch by inch, got a four year old kid & not to much free time lately  '> ) internally it's pretty much like the smaller WD10, is it a pre-war square body machine, or a "bow-out" post -war chest unit ( you gotta admire a nice chest!   ) cap catchers for ether type are avalible thru a lot of the parts suppliers who list her at this site check 'em out! however the lids for the "bow-out" post war chests arn't currently being reproduced yet to my knowlage. and the liners can be bent up by a lot heating and cooling sheet metal jobbers (shops)
attached is a picture of the web of the Bow-out type...later JohnieG

[small block]

jon, thanks for your reply.my chest is the bow out type chest.the pic you sent is worth a thousand words. the cooler on the left is what i have.i dont know if that cooler belongs to you,ive been painting cars for 15 years and if thats your resto you the MAN.i have a 2 year old son myself so i know how you feel.DO YOU REMEMBER THE TERRIBLE 2ssss!!!!!!AHHHHH.any whooooo.ive been restoring old johnson outboard boatmotors for the last few years.my wife and i were at a antique show last month and i saw a crappy resto job on a cooler that had an outragouse price! i told my wife that i could restore one ten times over beter than the one we saw.she is really into it and somehow ive flipped over these things.granted i cant put it on the back of a boat,these coolers are awsome!!!!i am a bodyman at a mercedes/toyota dealership in richmond,va.i have the machine in the corner of my bay. ive been lightly sandblasting it alittle each day at lunch.i figure if i work on it a few hours a week il get it done in about a year.this is my first cooler and im hooked.thank you for your information.it looks like ill have to patch the doors i have,no problem.hope to here from you soon, small block '>

Vintage Vending ? makes the front flat lid in stainless steel.
Pretty pricey replacement though.  If you are referring to the galvanized liner and lower floor, the previous person is correct, any sheetmetal shop can cut, bend and solder a liner.  If your slats that support the insulation and galvanized floor are rusted, I have had strips of 20 guage bent in C shaped channel to "cap" the slats.  Or... you can simply mig flat strap to the tops to better support the liner or floor.  When patching the thin lids, I get better results using the new door skin glue rather than mig welding. ANY heat on the thin guage lids seems to create distortion in the surface.
Good luck on your bowout chest.
Larry

[small block]

larry, thanks for your help.when you are using the doorskin adhesive ,are you using it as a filler?these lids are very thin indeed.the back of thr lids has a hard fiberglass insulation panel have you ever removed one of these?thanks again for your help .mark

Hi Mark,

I just finished a 12-D for a customer and it was way rough !
Had sat in water until the wheels rusted to the lower frame.  
Also was rusted on one end all the way through from the inside, including one end of the lids.  Had obviously sat outside on its end for awhile.  The under frame was badly pitted.  I used paintable clear undercoat to fill the frame pits and give it a consistent texture.  As you well know, you can use high fill primer, but then you have to sand it out. Still trying to get my finger tips to heal after sanding around all the Coca Cola embossing.

I found out about the door skin glue doing an early S&S Ice Cooler.  All four embossed sides were rotted out under the Pepsi embossing.  I had a sheet metal shop make new curved skirts from the embossing down.  I tried to mig the flanged "rockers" on.  Even using temp-matt soaked in water wouldn't keep the heat distortion from twisting the panel.  We then tried the new panel glue liberally all along the flanged joint and you couldn't  even start to break it at the joint, plus absolutely no heat distortion. I have also used it to glue in small metal patches.  Finish the seam off with filler and glaze.

Hope this helps.
Larry

I removed the fiberglass lid liners and all the clips were broken off. I glued a thin strip of metal around all four sides (inside), drilled small holes in them, and put on new crimp clips.  You can't see the lip when they are reinstalled in the lids.  Scrubbed the brown fiberglass lids with SOS and hot water.
Clear coated them to bring back the gloss and seal.  All the suppliers listed here have new lid seals as well as the cooler top seal.
Larry

[small block]

larry,thanks again for your info.i will put it all to good use.hope you have a great weekend! mark

[Jim]

All this talk of Westinghouse WD Coolers, so I want to know if anyone has some good photos of a WD-5, WD-10 or WD-12. I have a picture of a WD-12 but would like to have a nicer image for the Soda Machine Listings...

johnieG,
In your attached photo, what is the model to the right and may we acquire a better photo for use in our Soda Machines Section?

[small block]

jim, i dont have anygood pictures, i wish i did ,i would sure send them your way.i would like to thank you personaly for starting such a great web site. i have learned so much in one week from your site,keep up the good woork,thanks mark '> p.s hopfuly in about a year ill have some great pics to send your way.