Orange Crush Cooler Acquisition - New to all of this.

[Scott]

New to this forum and bought my first cooler this week.   I found an Orange Crush cooler in my local area that popped up on craigslist.  I have never seen one, so bought it.  I have a business with the name "crush" in it and our company color is orange, so I had to have it.  

Now....what to do with it?  Want to keep the patina, but brighten the paint, remove the rust, rewire it and get the cooling system working.

Would like to thank a person named Lonny that helped me.

[Jim]

Awesome find!  Congrats!
Looks like a Pelco Cooler.
And welcome to SMC!

[MoonDawg]

       It's rare to see a cooler that age with such nice color, nice find.

The Pelco machine is rare in itself, but what makes it rarer is that prior survivors were cut up and the letters welded into Vendolator 81 machines! 

[johnieG]

Nice machine, I repaired the cooling system on one of these models about a year ago, it’s a wet or a dry chest,  does yours have the vertical cooling plates dividing the compartments?

[Scott]

       It's rare to see a cooler that age with such nice color, nice find.

The Pelco machine is rare in itself, but what makes it rarer is that prior survivors were cut up and the letters welded into Vendolator 81 machines! 

The manufacturer label on the back, says it was made by an elevator company.  Is that the Pelco?

[Scott]

Nice machine, I repaired the cooling system on one of these models about a year ago, it’s a wet or a dry chest,  does yours have the vertical cooling plates dividing the compartments?

It is exactly like yours!  Has some rust on the dividers.  I have a coating company very near my house and am considering getting them and the tub recoated with Zinc (original?)

[Scott]

It is interesting that they would have gone to the effort of adding the scalloped edge along the bottom of it.  I did not notice until looking it over in the garage last night.

[Slapshot42]

The manufacturer label on the back, says it was made by an elevator company.  Is that the Pelco?

Yes

[Eric]

Great survivor! And a very hard to find cooler... Some elbow grease and TLC and she should be good to go for another 60 years.

[johnieG]

It is exactly like yours!  Has some rust on the dividers.  I have a coating company very near my house and am considering getting them and the tub recoated with Zinc (original?)

The one I repaired looked to be galvanized, you’d have to cut all three evaporator plates loose from there supply lines in order to have them replated , then they’d have to be rebrazed back into the system,    It would be cheaper to have them powder-coated ( as well as the tank if it’s solid enough). Be aware that the old Blissfield compressor weighs about 50-lbs by itself,   mine needed replacement anyway.