Done! Vert 6 case

[fabes]

UPDATE #1 ON PAGE 2 - 9.26.11
UPDATE #2 ON PAGE 3 - 10.4.11
UPDATE #3 & #4 ON PAGE 4 - 10.8.11
UPDATE #5 ON PAGE 4 - 10.13.11
FINAL PRODUCT ON PAGE 4 - 11.1.11

Hello everyone,
I am a newbie and I have just jumped into the restoration world with my first purchase of a Vendo 6 case vertical cooler. I purchased this to keep in my home. As a newbie, I hope my questions are not super annoying to you all, but I do have a lot of questions to ask. I hope that some of you can help me out and I appreciate your time helping me learn! I have posted 50 detailed pictures of my machine on the following link (if people prefer to have them on the forum, that's fine, but I didn't want to have a huge post).  

Link to my cooler: http://www.design46.com/cokemachine.html

I keep going back and forth with whether I totally restore this machine or just do a partial restoration. What do you think??? The outside shell is in pretty good condition and most of the rust is in the tub liner and below the frame around the condenser. The cooling system does work and is quiet, but when the condenser kicks on, it's pretty loud (I have a someone who knows more about cooling systems coming to look at it on Monday).

I know it's all a matter of opinion on full vs partial restoration, but I'd appreciate your opinion as well.

I have been reading through the forum over the past couple days and I know I'll have a lot of questions on products to use for rust, insulation to use, etc.

So, again, thanks for your time and please tell me what you think.

On a side note, the work you guys do is pretty amazing to me and is inspiring!  

[BrianS]

Fabes,

Welcome to the site and congatulations on your machine.  I can offer a bit of insite as I was asking myself all these same questions just a few months ago.  You will find the people on this site to be top notch and willing to share a vast amount of knowledge that just isn't available anywhere else.  My first recommendation is to do your research.  There is a ton of info already on this forum that can be found through the Search feature.  I have spent hours reading past posts and learned a lot.  Determining how far to go on the restoration is a big question.  I decided to go all out, as best I could.  I don't regret that, but it is a long process for a newbie and not a cheap endeavor.   Each step will have different options and if you don't have the skills or equipment to do it yourself, finding local resources to outsource to can potentally be a challenge.  Regardless of how you proceed, you will find past posts on almost any topic giving you pros and cons of various options so read, read, read.  And if you still have questions, everyone here is willing to share what they know.  Good luck and welcome.  You will find this a fun and addicting hobby!!

[fabes]

Thanks ILikeCoinOp,
I have actually been reading this forum all week and have been taking notes on a lot of what I have read. Sounds like everyone on here is very helpful, which is great!

Well, I guess I'll start with RUST... I have seen POR 15 recommended a lot on this forum for treating rust. so I suppose I'll start there. Should that do the trick, or is there another product I should use instead (given the looks of my machine)?

Again, thanks in advance for the help out there.

[BrianS]

Fabes

Rust is definately the biggest first step.  Others will jump in, but I would recommend getting rid of all the rust not just covering it up.  I would also recommend completely dismantling your machine if you plan to restore it.  Rust can hide!!  I submit the following - which actually amazed me.  I have two machines that I just had blasted.  I am very pleased with the actual rust damage.  There are a few small holes to repair, but overall, the cabinets are pretty solid.  The first pic is a Vendo 81 with a new bottom cabinet panel sitting in place.  The second is a Vendo 56.  Basicly the same pic, but the bottom panel is not there.  From the outside I was originally pretty sure that there were no beltline rust problems with either machine.  The last pic is the original bottom panels from both machines and their replacements.  They were toast and really shocked me when I first pulled out the old insulation.  I would check this out on your machine as this is a pretty common issue.

[MoonDawg]

        There are a lot of machines that require a full restoration, but yours is not one of them (in my opinion). Most people refer to this as a "nice original" and appreciate it more than one with new paint which is usually applied to hide dent and rust repairs.
        Most of the issues you have can be resolved by removing parts, cleaning / painting and replacing screws. If rust has created large holes through the floor of the liner you can choose to remove it, but you will have to cut off the drain tube which is good because it is or was plugged up and caused the rust to begin with. I would certainly leave the wood intact as it in a pain to reproduce. The screws in the bottom of the cabinet and main door are probably disinegrated by rust so you can just replace them with longer and /or larger ones.
       But the first step is to remove the gasket and breaker strip from the front bottom of the liner and pull out the compressor unit. Scrape and clean the floor to see really how much rust damage you have. If you can fix it in place.....the rest will be easy.
        The calcium stains on the grill should be able to be cleaned with CLR and I would suggest trying to find a replacement lock for the main door. I hope you have the cap catcher, that is a really nice cooler...... and welcome to the site. Keep us posted!

[fabes]

Thanks for the insight MoonDawg. I do actually have the cap catcher, just didn't take a picture of it.

As far as the drain tube goes, how would you recommend removing it? Should I get a replacement, or just remove it, clean it up and put it back?

Again, thanks for the help!

[MoonDawg]

        The drain was soldered in after the liner was installed, so it is not one of the removable parts. You could cut it at a point just prior to where it makes the bend, clear the remaining stub, then slip a rubber or plastic hose over it to lead water to your drain pan. Or if you want to get real fancy, you could make a similar P trap out of copper tubing to keep all of your cold air inside the cooling compartment, although I have never done it this way.

[fabes]

Ok, that sounds good. Again, thanks for the help! I'm excited to get going on this!

[rayg]

Welcome aboard !  Nice machine , I agree with Glen I would leave it as a "nice original"

[fabes]

Thanks rayg!

Just curious as to how rare or what this is worth (my guess is it's not that rare). I paid $700 for it. Rare or not rare, I'm pumped to have it in my house for my beer and Coke!

-Pete