westinghouse we-6

[Charlotte1]

Hello all. I need some info about a we-6 machine I'm thinking about picking up. It appears to be in good condition and supposedly runs well.
1) Approx how many of these machines were made? They seem to be reasonably abundant.
2) There seems to be a good amount of parts for them. Are there any parts that fail that are hard to get?
3) If a person wanted to keep it in a house, besides the weight, are they prone to leaking? Is this a reasonable idea?
4) Is there any other general info from experience that I should know?
Thanks to all!
ps yay Canada!

[jholmgren]

I really like my WE-6, I think they have a great look with the embossing on 4 sides of the cabinet.  Mine is the two-toned paint scheme.

The embossed panels on the underside of the lids seem to be extremely prone to rust.  Makes sense since they were sitting over the top of a lot of water.  I don't believe they are re-manufactured.  They can be fairly easily replaced with plain sheet metal and decals, but you lose the embossing.

Personally - I would not keep a machine that holds 20-30 gallons of water in my house, mine doesn't leak, yet - but if it did, that would cause major damage.  There's also the logistics of draining/filling it indoors.  I believe they were phased out due in part to some health concerns about multiple people dipping their hands in the water to grab a bottle.  Maybe I would keep it in the cellar, but I'm not keen on carrying that beastie up and down the stairs!  I keep mine on the back deck right now (covered with a large grill cover) and just fill it with ice for parties. 

I'm planning to have it converted to air-cooling and re-painted so I can bring it indoors this summer.  It should complement my embossed Ideal Coke slider nicely when done.

Jim

[Charlotte1]

Hello.
Who/how are you going to convert to dry? As it stands, how often do change the recirc water?
Thanks