Restore or not to restore.

[cormy]

I think the popular vote is going to unrestored in all aspects of collecting to include gas pumps and pedal cars.  A complete switch for some years back when "over the top" restorations were the going thing. I never liked all the pin striping and extra decals and chrome plating everything.Restoring signs has almost in all cases been a NO NO. I think Jukeboxes and Pinballs have to be restored due to the electronics involved.

Now its a decision to or not to based on condition. Those that can go either way are tough! Take for instance my Pepsi/Coke Selmix Dispenser...

[Eric]

yeah tough call on this.. do you know what he used to try and clean off?... obviously it was too harsh maybe try cleaning the edge on the side he did to experiment
what you could use on the other side....

[cormy]

WD 40..

[sh0rtlife]

as someone who builds custom cars, restoration and conversions...i have an odd quirk for this

some things SHOULDNT be restored if they are truely a nice survivor, but if its trashed and ya gotta..you may as well go full tilt basicly if your going in for surgery why not go all the way or at the very least "as far as you need to"

in the case of my 12-96 the only thing im considering is re-plating the shelves and stack parts just to  deal with the grimy "look" after cleaning and to loose the surface rust....replacing the insulation is a consideration too but beyond that...

my 58 ford custom 300 2dr will get full boogy restored when i get to it..where my cudas just get used n abused the way they are....my lloyd being the odd man out..painting it TRUE candy which means chip it and your repaining but i plan to BEAT on it

as many have said about "chips dings n scratches"..you cant enjoy it if your afraid to hurt it

[collecture]

As we have all said "It is only original once!"
I like original, but oddly enough the machine that gets the most use in this house is my restored DP Westy WB-60. Probably because it vends eveything...cans, water and beer.
I think unrestored will hold it's value better than restored and will probably appreciate at a better rate. Seems like a restored machine is like a new car - once you drive it off the lot, you can't get your money out of it.
My wife and I are friends with an older couple who have been collecting and restoring cars for some time now. We recently had a discussion and they are of the opinion that there is a fundamental shift happening where nice originals are what people want now.
Bob, we all know you don't use your machines! You are missing out on the greastest aspect - getting the coldest beer out of your favorite cool machine!

[Slider-Bob]

Tom is right. I should use my Restored machines. But they sit next to a fridge that is already in use for other food items.  I frequently use the Popperette that Larry Restored for me and I love it. Makes the best corn ever. Maybe I should adopt that mentality for my other machines and use them (at least 1 of them!). Good topic!

[Larry]

No velvet ropes at my house. Vending machines are made to vend.

[sh0rtlife]

Tom is right. I should use my Restored machines. But they sit next to a fridge that is already in use for other food items.  I frequently use the Popperette that Larry Restored for me and I love it. Makes the best corn ever. Maybe I should adopt that mentality for my other machines and use them (at least 1 of them!). Good topic!

my uss-12-96 sits within inches of the old beer fridge..which we still use for "overstock" as we by milk 6gal at a time and such as well as being a second fully stocked freezer....the cavalier is loved so much that a 6 pack/case of anything gets bought and stocked instantly only to vend it seconds later...no one is NOT kept off the pack or case to drink it gets vended first! thats how much we love our machine

i must agree tho  that anyone who has a machine that will "vend all" is more likely to get used than anything else

[kdog]

Hi,

so I have My Coke Vendo 56 seen in the photos below.  I too have no desire to do a full restoration on it, because the paint scheme on it is the same type as the machine I used as a kid.   No matter how much they replicate the original, it won't look the same.  There is patina sure, but this also reminds me of the machines I used as a kid.  Here in Australia, most machines weren't exactly treated like fragile flowers.  I'm just glad I found a machine that has no break in damage etc, and the paint is 99.95 % all there, with some chipping, scratches etc.

My main question is about cleaning them up.  All the photos of the exterior are before I washed it using automotive was and wax.  The exterior looks even better now, but the interior is my next project.  Is there anything I should avoid doing while cleaning the interior?


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[UnknownDan]

I'm not going to restore my Cavalier 64. I've been fixing whatever needs repairing, and I might need to do some sanding and painting on the bottom.
Age wear is cool, sterile new is not.