Whoops! look what i bought......

[BrianB]

My local A/C&R shop buddy turned me on to this fella who said he had an "older" square top Coke machine that he claimed didn't cool down and only vended the "small" bottles. So....since it was only about a 15 minute drive I figured, what the heck. It couldn't hurt. Turns out the guy hadn't used the machine in years and it was sitting in his basement gameroom next to an old pinball machine.

After examining the machine and plugging it in I came to the realization that machine seemd to start to cool down fine. I also turns out that this machine had been retrofitted by Vendo to vend cans. the bottle crown opener had been removed and a decal was place over the top of it that indicated that you needed to place your tabs inside.

I ended up paying $150 for it and took it off of the guy's hands. I'm pretty sure I could have gotten it for a bit less, but oh well! Hindsight is always 20/20!!.

Once I got it home and let it sit overnight, I plugged it in with my trusty thermometer in place and left it alone for about 30 minutes. When I came back I was very happy with what I was seeing, around 33 degrees!!! (colder that the picture I included) I was pretty stoked!

This machine will more than likely make its home out in the garage and be my "work" machine. I did have to replace the ballast and bulb for the light up sign and also replace the bottle door lightbulb. Other than that, just gave it a quick wipe down. I'll end up cleaning the insides up nicely and probably spray some Hammertone to finish it off. Here's a few pics:

[BrianB]

It's sooooo chilly!

[Bob K]

Oh man, you had to replace the light bulbs and ballast? - he took you for a ride!!  '>

Seriously, great score, LOVE those 56's!  ENJOY!

Bob

[dr galaga]

Nice score!

Great job!
Now about that pinball machine...

[Kevin C]

Hey

Dont tell my wife but I am in the market for can machine now!
This machine would be perfect for what I want.

Can you vend cans from a bottle machine?


Kevin

[loman4ec]

Kevin I have a Cavalier 55 that I wm having shippid to me in a weeks that will be for sale. It is able to vend cans if you are interested but it will be slightly expensive. PM me if you are interested.

[BryanH]

Nice deal Brian.  $150 for a complete VF56 isn't a bad deal (even with the cheesy wodgrain).

[BrianB]

Thanks fellas!

Kito - Don't get me started on pinball machines!! I've wanted one for awhile now but have been unable to "pull the trigger" on one. I really want an old EM Gottlieb. The reason the guy said he wanted to get rid of the machine was so that he'd have a spot to put another pinball! Blasphemy!!!!  '>

Bryan - That makes me feel better knowing that I didn't get ripped on this one. I've kinda been watching the boards/Ebay to see if I could do a little trend analysis on pricing for a machine like this. Your not feelin' the woodgrain!?!? '>  '> Yeah, I'm not a big fan of it either. It takes me back to an era I choose to distance myself from..... '>

Kevin - Actually, there are a few different machines that will vend bottles and cans with the proper spacers, like Josh said, the Cavalier 55 will vend cans. The Westinghouse WC-44SK will also vend both bottles and cans.

[BryanH]

Quote (VMC117BMB @ June 28 2005,1:59)

Your not feelin' the woodgrain!?!? '>  '> Yeah, I'm not a big fan of it either. It takes me back to an era I choose to distance myself from..... '>

The problem is matching them with your interior decor... they really only look good sitting on orange shag carpet  

Did I get the right era?