Official Fridge Transformation Thread
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Moose02
Well-known member
baggedcobra
Well-known member
Lots of cool fridges. My grandparents have a 1950s era fridge I'm trying to get. It still works great and is the original green color (needs fresh paint). I can't remember the make and I've looked all over google images and can't find one like it. The handle on the front is a pull down style almost like a big breaker that you'd see in movies where they kill power to a whole plant/building. I'm trying to find the best way to repaint it myself.
Chris Stapley
Well-known member
I have a Frigidaire exactly like this , mine has been repainted in to Forties Pepsi colours..Of coarse its buried in my shop or I'd take a photo of it..In the spring..
First, awesome fridge! I'll also second the idea of finding one already working, which is actually not what I did haha (luckily, my '34 Frigidaire only has an electrical issue and the refrigerant line is intact). But on some of those fridges, even up til about 1940 (or maybe after, who knows), a lot of them used sulfur dioxide as a refrigerant, which is a nasty, nasty substance. In the little research I did on fridges (trying to find out more about what my fridge uses, Dichrlorotetroflouromethane, R-114), a lot of fridges from the old days used methyl chloride and sulfur dioxide. I read somewhere that once said that due to some deaths where leaking fridges were involved (back in the late 1920s-1930s), they kept working on refrigerants until they settled on R-12 which was the standard for a long, long time. Many times, you can look around on the back/bottom of the fridge and it will have a tag that denotes the refrigerant used.
GE/Frigidaire made some awesome boxes back in the day. They are all beautiful and the inside is often just as pretty. Good luck in your search!
Here are some shots of mine before I cleaned it up:
All my photos of what I've done to it so far are 'unavailable' due to Fotki issues, but hopefully I'll see them up again soon (I hope).
baggedcobra
Well-known member
Found it. It's a Philco from the late 1940's. Still works great, keeps stuff ice cold. Looks identical to this one but paint is faded on mine...
Probably paint mind a 50's teal/turquoise color.
Probably paint mind a 50's teal/turquoise color.
larry4406
Well-known member
This one waits for me - Crosley Shelvador
My parents bought it used in the late 1940's while they were stationed in California. My mom says they took it to Japan shortly after the war where my dad was then stationed. Later it followed them from base to base, including London England in early 1960's, back to the states, and Germany in the early 1970's. In England and Germany they ran it on a transformer (I guess it didn't mind the 50Hz). Then back to the states in 1975, chugging along in the basement till now.
Given the travel, this is a high mileage unit.
Runs great. Needs a new door gasket. First dent in the door was me moving it 3 months ago!
My parents bought it used in the late 1940's while they were stationed in California. My mom says they took it to Japan shortly after the war where my dad was then stationed. Later it followed them from base to base, including London England in early 1960's, back to the states, and Germany in the early 1970's. In England and Germany they ran it on a transformer (I guess it didn't mind the 50Hz). Then back to the states in 1975, chugging along in the basement till now.
Given the travel, this is a high mileage unit.
Runs great. Needs a new door gasket. First dent in the door was me moving it 3 months ago!
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Lets see it!
Scottwi
Well-known member
Found it. It's a Philco from the late 1940's. Still works great, keeps stuff ice cold. Looks identical to this one but paint is faded on mine...
Probably paint mind a 50's teal/turquoise color.
Great color!
GEET
New member
custom fridge art???... it's what we do!
http://lnsigns.com/BeerVaults.html[/URL]
http://lnsigns.com/BeerVaults.html[/URL]
Indiana Dave
Member
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2014
- Messages
- 14
My first post here on Garagejournal
Bought this Westinghouse off my neighbor for $50. Works great, just need to replace the power cord, which is a little iffy at the plug.
Thought I was going to do a hot rod theme on it, black with flames, or black with some pinstriping, but having second thoughts now.
I have 50's white metal cabinets with a stainless (looking) top that I repurposed as my workbench, so this would match if I took it back to just plain white.
Or neighbor suggested sanding it down and giving it a rat rod look. I'm not into the rat rod fad though, so am not too hip on that.
I've got an 85 Mustang in Canyon Red, but it's sitting collecting dust as I buy and restore old Schwinns, so I'm kinda thinking some type of bike theme...
It's going to be cool regardless.
Bought this Westinghouse off my neighbor for $50. Works great, just need to replace the power cord, which is a little iffy at the plug.
Thought I was going to do a hot rod theme on it, black with flames, or black with some pinstriping, but having second thoughts now.
I have 50's white metal cabinets with a stainless (looking) top that I repurposed as my workbench, so this would match if I took it back to just plain white.
Or neighbor suggested sanding it down and giving it a rat rod look. I'm not into the rat rod fad though, so am not too hip on that.
I've got an 85 Mustang in Canyon Red, but it's sitting collecting dust as I buy and restore old Schwinns, so I'm kinda thinking some type of bike theme...
It's going to be cool regardless.
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Indiana Dave
Member
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2014
- Messages
- 14
I wanted to comment and tell you that your shop area looks wonderful - nice, bright and clean. Right on!
Nice work shop... From one bike guy to another!
black00lightning
Well-known member
Subscribing
Lassen Forge
Well-known member
You need to remove or modify the guts of the latch mechanism so it doesn't latch and fix the handle so it's solid... then set up the latch guts with a magnet closure instead of the kid-killer. Done right, the magnets are hidden as they're now part of the old latch, the seals aren't buggered up, and if on the inside a kid can easily push the door open.
My granddad did this to my grandma's 50's Kelvinator way back when all us now 40-50 somethings were kids, after a friend of a friend died in a fridge accident. I wish my dad hadn't gotten rid of that thing after grandma died - it was huge (especially for one that old), and kept everything cold cold... but it had a bad habit of every once in a while shocking the bejeezus out of you. Grandma kept a oven mitt on the handle to keep from getting electroshock diet therapy... looking back, it would have prolly been an easy easy fix.
black00lightning
Well-known member
Do you have any close pics, primarily the handle? What did you use for the chrome handles? Do you have a build thread?
Post pics of the work.
j p smith
Well-known member
Iroc-Z
Well-known member
Really cool
Scottwi
Well-known member
Glad you like it.
It looks awesome in your shop.
It looks awesome in your shop.
G3Duck
Member
mitchtr25068
Well-known member
txturbo
Well-known member
I have 2 1950s coca cola chest type coolers I'll be using in my new shop.
I was in a shop last week that had a 1950's chest vending machine.
Canada Dry logo on it, but it 5 or 6 slots inside where different bottles would hang from their caps.
You slid the bottle you wanted over to a "Holding cell" at the end and put in your monet tp release it.
5 cents a bottle.
It still worked.
You needed a nickle.
It wasn't for sale.
Canada Dry logo on it, but it 5 or 6 slots inside where different bottles would hang from their caps.
You slid the bottle you wanted over to a "Holding cell" at the end and put in your monet tp release it.
5 cents a bottle.
It still worked.
You needed a nickle.
It wasn't for sale.
kaymccampbell
Well-known member
I still haven't seen one turned into a rod oven.
Back in the day when I used to stock several hundred pounds of different types of welding rods, we used to put a 75 watt lightbulb and a clixon switch in an old porcelain lined one and keep our open cans of welding rods dry and warm.
Do folks even use rods anymore? I know I'm down to just a MIG and TIG now.
Back in the day when I used to stock several hundred pounds of different types of welding rods, we used to put a 75 watt lightbulb and a clixon switch in an old porcelain lined one and keep our open cans of welding rods dry and warm.
Do folks even use rods anymore? I know I'm down to just a MIG and TIG now.
shortykorte
Well-known member
Oh great, another GJ inspired project to add to the growing list. I've had an old 50's frig for about ten years, works but don't use. Guess I have to keep it, paint it, post it. Doing GJ projects are turning into a full time job.
Sticking with the refrigerator theme, I work for an engineering firm in the Chicagoland area and last year we demolished the old GE Hotpoint plant in Cicero, IL. They started making frigs in late 1920s and closed the plant in 2008 and it finally met the wrecking ball in 2014. I wish I would have taken some photos of all the old frigs they made that they had in a storage room, but GE sent them off to a museum in Louisville, KY where they currently make refrigerators.
TedInFlorida
Active member
I remember these. We lived in a trailer park and they had one outside of the office. Too bad it wasn't for sale though. I would love to find one.
FFRKing
Well-known member
Picked this up from a friend. Works great. I wanted one to redo but this is too cool to do over.
I also have a 1950's Servel natural gas powered fridge with an ice maker in it that I would like to get rid of cheap. Someone would have to be close by to pick it up. I took it out of a basement and it was still hooked up, but wasn't running at the time.
I also have a 1950's Servel natural gas powered fridge with an ice maker in it that I would like to get rid of cheap. Someone would have to be close by to pick it up. I took it out of a basement and it was still hooked up, but wasn't running at the time.
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Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
That Coke Fridge is just over the top.
Do you mind sharing what it costScottwi
Well-known member
They go for about $250 installed.
ugly kustom
Well-known member
b-garage
Member
Well, here is my clunker. Hand me down from when my grandmother passed away. Tried to sell it in the estate sale, but nobody wanted it. Prob because of the 20 years of nicotine stuck it.
So I decided to take it home and see what $20 worth of Krylon would do.
So I decided to take it home and see what $20 worth of Krylon would do.
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Scottwi
Well-known member
Nice!
I envoy people that can freehand.
I envoy people that can freehand.
Dan in Pasadena
Well-known member
I want to do this. Who is Scottwi and does he make decals for this?
(Oops! Scott, just found you're a member though there are zero threads started by you. Same question about making/selling decals for making this transformation. I'd love to do it.)
Looks great and might even be easier to do a vintage 7up machine since they were all white anyway!
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Go For It!!!!!
mshell56118
Well-known member
I havr s buddy that took an old pepsi machine and turned it into a gun safe next time i am over his way i will get pictures to share