Restoration on a budget?

[pinballdude]

Glasco Slider...
Would it be better to obtain a side or front panel
from a parted out machine or take the heavily
pitted/rusted panel to a body shop. The side panel where the bottles are loaded and the front top is pitted and looks like it would take alot of grinding/body work to get it up to snuff.
Another question...do you strip off all old paint to bare metal before repaint? I do not have access to blasting and probably wouldn't be good at grinding/sanding. Or are there
chemical strippers?
I got this free, and really would like to get this one looking better. Have a VMC 33 and a Vendo 44 that was repainted but there was not the amount of pitting that this one has.
Ideas/advice appreciated for this newbie. I'll post a parts wanted after reading replies if needed
Terry

[RC kid]

Funny that you should ask. I just read an article in this months Hot Rod magizine on the subject. I recommend you go out and pick up a copy.

Rust with pitting is best fixed by blasting. Not only does it do a better job, but it isn't that expensive either. Especially if you value your time. Around here (North Carolina) I can get an entire glasco blasted for around eigthy to one-hundred dollars. Then you just have to fill in the pits with bondo and or the light weight, easy to sand polyaster filler.
When I do run into a problem that I can not get to the blasting booth I use a product called OSPHO (Phosphric acid) that I get at the hardware store (True Value). Great stuff. Removes rust and can be painted over. I use it this weekend on the chassis of my vette with great results. Soak the parts over night, in some cases the process might have to be repeated a couple of times, then wip down with laquer thinner and prime.
I also have a heavy duty wire wheel (a Mikata) that cleans up parts quickly. $80.00 at Home Depot or Lowes.
I sand blast everything I can remove from the car and I sand blast all of my soda machine parts. They're just easier to work with after they have been blasted.
Good Luck.

[MoonDawg]

Glasco Slider...
Would it be better to obtain a side or front panel
from a parted out machine or take the heavily
pitted/rusted panel to a body shop.

    Since you have all the important parts, slider rack, coin mech and cap catcher....
you may be way ahead finding a clean working shell for under $100 in your area and call
yours the "parted out" machine. There are MANY incomplete sliders to be had.

[Pat Pixley]

As far as the sand blasting it is the way to go. or soda blasting which does not remove the the rust just the paint and any decales .

   But like Glen said there are plenty of slider's around that are cheap that. are missing racks
and or coin mechs .That maybe a way to go.

[pinballdude]

Wish me luck.
Lots of folks around here know I collect Coca-Cola,
there just seems to be very little to be had as far as soda machines
go. I was lucky to get this one from an photographer who had it
about 20 years in a damp basement.
I'll have to see what a former auto body guy mught be able to do.
But I think he might not have a spray area where he lives, just a garage.
I wanted to try to do prep work before paint to save a few greenbacks.
Terry
PS any collectors arouns St Louis, MO? I am south of STL.

[coke_and_stuff]

There is plenty of machines in your area, if your south of St Louis, Eric Wideman is not far, Im right at 5 hrs from St Louis, 2 hrs from Springfield, Ive bought alot of machines in your neck of the woods. I bought 8 at one shot in Steelville (sp?) If you cant find anybody to sandblast and shoot it for you im aways away but would do it very resonable.

Joey

[oscar]

I live about 3 hours north of St. Louis. I see machines all the time in the St.Louis area on craigslist. There was a Nesbitt cooler for $50 in the last month but it was sold when i called. Missouri is loaded with deals. I bought a RC cooler and a cigarette machine in the last 2 months and they were cheap. Check all the weekly free papers in the gas stations sometimes you can find a deal in one of those.

[coke_and_stuff]

I agree Missouri has it going on, I pick up 95% of my machines out of Missouri.

Joey

[davethebirdman]

Anybody got any idea why there are more machines in one part of the country than others???

How about cost of living... Is it higher East or West coast???

I know I'v dragged it off topic but just interested...

[oscar]

It's always higher on the coast than anywhere else but you can still find stuff everywhere. I think the midwest is good but i live there and i can find more deals than i have money. You just have to always be on the lookout and be the first one on the scene. I also found out pretty quickly that you don't have much time to make up your mind. If you hesitate it's usually gone by the time you call back. I've had people tell me that they would ship an item and then change their mind and sell it to someone else. I've also had a person tell me they would sell it to me and then sell it to someone else before i could get there. For me the hunt is half the fun. I really like talking to you guys about this stuff. My wife complains that i spend to much time on the computer.

[RC kid]

Same here. The hunt is half the fun.

But I have placed limits on how far I will travel for an item and how much I am willing to pay. I am willing to buy any parts machines I can find in the local area so long as I am paying parts machine prices, everyone seems to think they have a gold mine when it comes to old coke machines.  And I am always on the look out for good complete machines. I am slowly building a reserve of parts and machines in which to restore as time permits. I am not spending as much on Ebay as one might expect, to many small issues with items that I was not prepared to handle, like broken vmc 27 drums and rust on an machine avertised as really nice.  So I prefer to buy local and sell local.

I lived out West when I was younger and the stuff I found out there was in much nicer condition then what I find these days on the East Coast, but you have those limitations that life places on you and I am now residing in good ol North Carolina. I used to find many machines still in businesses and many still in use. But now I mostly buy them from individuals who have lost interest in there beloved machine and are trying to now reep a profit from the used machine they have injoyed, and scratched up over the years, or worst, it was there first restoration and they really believe you should enjoy the spray can paint job and sticking coin mech.

I am buying much more these days then I am selling. It seems good deals abound in these troubleling times, but sells are slow. So I try to budget myself monthly. A small amount spread out between collecting and restoring old soda machines and keeping my old vette on the road. Its tough but I manage, and the kids still have food on the table, so I guess I am blessed. And with gas back down to less then $1.60 a gallon, I actually have a little left over at the end of the month to spend on my hobbies.

Scott...AKA RC Kid
North Carolina

[MoonDawg]

Anybody got any idea why there are more machines in one part of the country than others??

     This is because the largest populated areas back in the 50's were in the east.
     

[oscar]

I'm finding more in driving distance so i haven't even bothered to look on Ebay. I'm out of work because of knee surgery so i've been running around everywhere. I'm going to hate to go back to plumbing but at least i'm my own boss so i can't be fired. I really need to build a pole barn for all my machines as i'm running out of room.

[RC kid]

I wish I had the room for a large metal biulding or a pole barn. Then I could do my on blasting and maybe even set up a small paint booth. Just Dreaming.