New to GJ. Lista Question

[Hisierra]

Hello to all! I ran an internet search for Lista and found GJ link. Glad I found it...a wealth of knowledge and an interesting group of people.

I picked up a couple of what I believe to be Lista cabinets for my shop. I got both for $120. They were in a building flood back in the early 1980's and had been sitting around since then. Great deal, yea right! Little did I know how much metal work they needed. To my surprise the bearings, rails, and drawers were in good shape once I got past the mud and **** that was in them. The work was in the cabinet shells, bent, dented and rusted.

The bottom of one almost fell off when my brother an I started cleaning them out. Ended up drilling out spot welds and we rebuilt it. Rusted through in some places, and had to scab-patch the insides on all three sides.

Anyway, I believe these to be older Lista cabinets. I am almost finished painting and installing these cabinets under my blue workbench. Should have them installed tomorrow and ready to load up. But, I am missing a couple of lock parts.

So here is my "Ask"- Can one of you Vidmar/Lista gurus let me know if these are Lista or not. Also, is there a provider out there for older parts? I need one drawer lock, one cabinet "spiral" lock rod, and 5 drawer handles.

I will post my needs on the "Wanted Forum", but any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Hisierra

 

[larry_g]

Contact member
Linda@Lista

As she is our resident Lista rep.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Hisierra]

larry_g,

Will do...Thanks

Hisierra

 

[rburke65]

Welcome to GJ from Ohio! Those are good cabinets. Are the blue ones that are pictured the finished product? nice job.

 

[frankush]

The refurbished cabinets look great. Another option is Joe at Motorhead Extraordinaire. He is a Lista distributor and also a member here. I've redone a couple of Lista's myself and some of those parts look nothing like anything I had. Joe was able to get me what I needed.

 

[Hisierra]

rburke65- thanks and yes, the blue ones are the finished product. I have added a couple pictures of the condition these cabinets were in and the work that was done. Took about 3 weeks to get these done. Can't complain, I love doing this type of work.

frankush- thanks. I will get in contact with him on these parts. I have had Vidmar and have 2 other 1980's Lista and the parts are different. I think these are from the 1970's.

Thanks again,
Hisierra

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

Hello to all! I ran an internet search for Lista and found GJ link. Glad I found it...a wealth of knowledge and an interesting group of people.

I picked up a couple of what I believe to be Lista cabinets for my shop. I got both for $120. They were in a building flood back in the early 1980's and had been sitting around since then. Great deal, yea right! Little did I know how much metal work they needed. To my surprise the bearings, rails, and drawers were in good shape once I got past the mud and **** that was in them. The work was in the cabinet shells, bent, dented and rusted.

The bottom of one almost fell off when my brother an I started cleaning them out. Ended up drilling out spot welds and we rebuilt it. Rusted through in some places, and had to scab-patch the insides on all three sides.

Anyway, I believe these to be older Lista cabinets. I am almost finished painting and installing these cabinets under my blue workbench. Should have them installed tomorrow and ready to load up. But, I am missing a couple of lock parts.

So here is my "Ask"- Can one of you Vidmar/Lista gurus let me know if these are Lista or not. Also, is there a provider out there for older parts? I need one drawer lock, one cabinet "spiral" lock rod, and 5 drawer handles.

I will post my needs on the "Wanted Forum", but any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Hisierra

Hello Hisierra,

I got your PM last night and am glad to help out. Those are Lista cabinets, probably about 15 years old, maybe older. I am amazed at what skilled craftsmen can rebuild. You have done a great job.

Regarding the spare parts.... Unfortunately there is absolutely nothing available for spares anymore for that vintage. I have asked all of the old timers in customer support and on the factory floor and have even gone on parts hunts in the factory. All of the old stock has been depleted.

Those lock cam parts were actually made in Sweden and the locks in Germany. I was able to get a "must have" lock a few years ago out of Germany but it ended up costing almost $100. Even with a new lock, you still need the cam and lock rod.

As an alternative, we can get you a lock bar that you can face mount to allow you to lock up your cabinet. Your cabinets look like they are 750's which would be 33-1/2" tall. If so, the correct part number would be HLB750/L-FM (left mount) or HLB750-R-FM (right mount). List is $43.20, GJ Member pricing $34.88 each.

Feel free to call me at 800-618-8028 if you want to chat directly or let me know via the forum how we can help further.

Joe

 

[Hisierra]

Joe,

Thank you for the compliment and the information. I figured these were older cabinets and that parts would be hard to get, if not impossible. I even thought about salvaging out the one cabinet that was in real bad shape. But it was reparable, just time consuming.

I appreciate the effort in trying to locate parts. I see why the parts are depleted...these cabinets are awesome and keeping them working becomes an obsession.

Well, I have 2 original locks , so it looks like I will be making the cam and lock rod. As for the drawer latch, if I get ambitious one day I will try to build one of those, but for now the drawer can do without it.

Is there any chance that there are replacement drawer handles out there that will work? These are the basic curved handles I have seen for years on Lista cabinets. I have seen several people looking for them. Any chance?

Thank you so much for the assistance, I will keep you posted on the cam and lock rod build.

Hisierra

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

Hisierra,

I don't know of any handles for those old cabinets. They have been gone for some time. In the newer design, the handle is actually formed into the drawer face panel with a variety of handle covers.

I would think that the right extruded aluminum shape might look rather good on those drawers. With a few internet searches I'm sure one could come up with a bunch of interesting ideas.

Regards,
Joe

 

[Hisierra]

Joe,
I was hoping there was a provider out there you know. I have looked on the internet for extruded aluminum, but haven't found anything close to use. There are some specialty extrusions options but not cost effective. I will keep trying!

I had an old Vidmar, that the handlesstyle would work, but most likely those are not available anymore.

Thanks
Hisierra

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

Joe,
I was hoping there was a provider out there you know. I have looked on the internet for extruded aluminum, but haven't found anything close to use. There are some specialty extrusions options but not cost effective. I will keep trying!

I had an old Vidmar, that the handlesstyle would work, but most likely those are not available anymore.

Thanks
Hisierra

Try a kitchen pull handle. I did a very quick Google search and came up with http://www.myknobs.com/hok1011ss.html which is stainless steel and short money. Your old cabinets might just look super fly with a cool looking kitchen handle.

Joe

 

[Hisierra]

Joe,

Thanks, I will research that option for replacing with standard cabinet hardware. I didn't think about that, but you are right, the cabinets could look sweet with modern stainless drawer handles.

Hisierra

 

[bl00]

Someone on here used aluminum C channel for drawer handles and it looked great. Can't remember where the post is, though.

 

[ChevyEFI]

Is there a standard location for model / other identification numbers on Lista cabs? Probably 80s vintage. Thanks.

 

[Linda@Lista]

Thanks @larry_g! @Hisierra please feel free to send me any questions you may have.
And thank you @MotorheadExtraordinaire for always helping out!

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

Is there a standard location for model / other identification numbers on Lista cabs? Probably 80s vintage. Thanks.

No. Lista does not mark the cabinets with model numbers. There are just too many variants, with drawer options, etc.

Most models are referred to by their footprint designator and their capacity in mm for the drawer opening. Refer to http://www.motorheadextraordinaire.com/content/7-lista-cabinet-dimensions for the current list of Lista cabinet dimensions.

Also .... If you pull out a few of the top drawers and look up on the inside part of the top or on the backside of the top rail, in an around the lock area you might just see a small white label. On that label will be the order number that the item was produced under. If you get me that number I can try to look it up at Lista to get any build info they might have.

If you are still unsure, take some measurements and some pictures and send them along to me. I should be able to identify the cabinet for you.

Regards,
Joe

 

[ChevyEFI]

Thank you Joe. I know on one, the drawer interlock works for certain which is a good sign. I'll probably pull drawers to move them and inspect from there. I appreciate your response.

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

Thank you Joe. I know on one, the drawer interlock works for certain which is a good sign. I'll probably pull drawers to move them and inspect from there. I appreciate your response.

ChevyEFI,

It would be a good idea to inspect and lube the roller bearings. I wrote about it in this thread.

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=179140&highlight=all+about+lista

Joe

 

[Hisierra]

Lista Handle Repair
After looking at the cost of replacing the handles, I decided to see what I could do to "repair" the ones I had. A little background...I had 5 original handles from this earlier post that were beat up. None were cracked, but I worried if I tried to reform them they would crack.

Well, I gave it a try and I was surprised the material was very forgiving. I used some 1/4" x 2" angle as a platform for working. There is a couple photos of the typical damage to the 5 handles. I have one that had gouges in it, and those I did not try to get out, just formed back to shape as the others.

I think it worked out fine. They are not perfect, but they look good and are true to the style of cabinet since I have 4 Lista cabinets with the same handles. More and more I am liking Lista cabinets over the other brands I have used in the past. Smart on Lista's part not to have the handles heat treated to the point of cracking.

Hisierra

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

Hisierra,

Nice job fixing those handles. The guys on this forum are so darn resourceful. Too bad it can't be bottled.

Joe

 

[Hisierra]

You are right Joe, wish it could be bottled, I would drink plenty. It would on the shelf next to the cold beer in my shop fridge.

Like most of the GJ, they have a story about how they became interested in their passion and how they built their skills and resourcefulness. I would probably go with it was a learned-behavior from someone close to them.

Fortunately, I was smart enough to work and learn from the old-timers when I was young. My skills are from others that took the time to teach me. My craftsmanship comes from within which was instilled in me by my step-father.

Just a short time on this forum I have viewed some amazing projects being done by gifted people. This is what America is about - creative thinkers, innovation, and amazing craftsman.

Just my opinion.
Hisierra

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

You are right Joe, wish it could be bottled, I would drink plenty. It would on the shelf next to the cold beer in my shop fridge.

Like most of the GJ, they have a story about how they became interested in their passion and how they built their skills and resourcefulness. I would probably go with it was a learned-behavior from someone close to them.

Fortunately, I was smart enough to work and learn from the old-timers when I was young. My skills are from others that took the time to teach me. My craftsmanship comes from within which was instilled in me by my step-father.

Just a short time on this forum I have viewed some amazing projects being done by gifted people. This is what America is about - creative thinkers, innovation, and amazing craftsman.

Just my opinion.
Hisierra

You sort of hit the nail on the head. My Dad was immensely talented, a WWII veteran, he could do anything. He gave me the knowledge and determination to try to do anything and everything I could possibly. What a blessing to have that gift from a father, step father, uncle, or other gifted mentor.

Joe