Vintage Refrigerators

[softailgarage]

I know there are a lot of guys on this forum, like myself, that is into anything vintage including refrigerators from the 50's & 60's. I would love to have an old GE or Fridgidaire (made by GM I believe) in my garage, but the problem is here in "everything has to cost an arm & leg or your not cool" land I simply cant afford $1,000 for a non-running rust bucket. Tonight I checked out Ebay, just for shits & giggles and couldn't believe what I was seeing. I'm sitting here thinking why isn't anybody taking advantage of these deals? Most are back East and "for local pickup only" which leaves me on the outside looking in. So, tell me, why aren't you guys scooping these up?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-ret...184?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f37db7640

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-GEN...838?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43caf01a4e

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ant...622?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d1f11909e

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Working-Vin...07904187?pt=Refrigerators&hash=item2ed2f716bb

 

[wildbill23c]

Nope, no antique refrigerators, I do have an older Kelvinator Ice Cream Freezer that nobody seems to want, that I am getting ready to scrap though. I just have absolutely no use for it and no place to really put it. Sadly it still works. Its not high tech enough for people in today's world.

 

[Super Sport]

I'd really like to get one of the GE "By General Motors" ones, but I found a Coldspot in decent condition for $30 at the local ReStore, and couldn't pass it up! It currently serves as the alcohol fridge in the back room. The freezer doesn't work well, but it keeps drinks nice and cool!

 

[softailgarage]

Another one I wouldn't mind having is a "Norge". I grew up with one of them.

 

[The Hot Rod Grille]

We had a "Servel" when I was young. The chrome emblem on the door looked like a gas flame with the words across it. It ran on natural gas and didn't even have an electric light in it! Wouldn't do me much good today, as I have an all-electric house.

Jim

 

[bygasper]

I have a 1940 Norge in my barn that a previous owner painted Coke red. Works great now but I had to do some minor wiring fixes. Bought it off CL for $225. Apparently I don't have a picture of it on my phone. I'll locate one in a bit.

 

[mmack66]

That Kelvinator fridge is pretty sweet.

 

[bygasper]

I have a 1940 Norge in my barn that a previous owner painted Coke red. Works great now but I had to do some minor wiring fixes. Bought it off CL for $225. Apparently I don't have a picture of it on my phone. I'll locate one in a bit.

I need the door emblem...if anybody has any idea where to locate such a thing.

 

[Hornman]

I too like the old "roundtop" fridges, but here in the DFW area any that come up for sale are priced more than new, much higher efficiency ones. So, I gave up style for a late model efficient fridge. Plus, if the late model dies I won't feel bad about junking it the way I would if it was vintage.

 

[alinc100]

I'd really like to get one of the GE "By General Motors" ones, but I found a Coldspot in decent condition for $30 at the local ReStore, and couldn't pass it up! It currently serves as the alcohol fridge in the back room. The freezer doesn't work well, but it keeps drinks nice and cool!

here is one in Metro Detroit:
http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/app/4512941972.html

 

[Falcon67]

I too like the old "roundtop" fridges, but here in the DFW area any that come up for sale are priced more than new, much higher efficiency ones. .

This. However, I know a guy that updates older refers so I keep one eye peeled for an dead but pretty round top. Same deal with small older "coke" machines. They either want a double sack of Bitcoins for one or the unit is gone before you can dial the number.

 

[softailgarage]

If you ever check out home design sites like houzz.com you'll see it starting to become fashionable to have an old fridge in the kitchen. Usually, they're brand new replicas, but if that fashion ever gains steam guy's like you & I will be screwed as far as finding something affordable.

 

[volleyball]

How much could you sell some fridges for? Worth buying several from back East and shipping them to you?
There would be more there but it seems Ca. people tend to trash stuff long before it gets old enough to be cool.

 

[Falcon67]

If you ever check out home design sites like houzz.com you'll see it starting to become fashionable to have an old fridge in the kitchen. Usually, they're brand new replicas, but if that fashion ever gains steam guy's like you & I will be screwed as far as finding something affordable.

http://bigchill.com/

Big chill - big bucks. 14 cu/ft $2600.

http://www.elmirastoveworks.com/

The kicker is that if an oldie dies, it's likely big $$$ to fix it. I've also been warned about old Coke machines using gobs of power, I'd think an an-tee-q fridge would be similar.

 

[trainer]

We had a "Servel" when I was young. The chrome emblem on the door looked like a gas flame with the words across it. It ran on natural gas and didn't even have an electric light in it! Wouldn't do me much good today, as I have an all-electric house.

Jim

My project for this weekend is to hook up an old servel propane fridge at our cabin. We've had it in use for 40+ years. I disconnected it last year while we were doing renovations and now i need to clean the burner and stack before it goes back in.

It's heavy and burns quite a bit of propane, but it's pretty much bullet proof because it has no moving parts.

They can be a c0 hazard if they aren't maintained properly, but I've put two c0 detectors in the building and a big notice on the wall warning people not to ignore them.

 

[trainer]

Here's my shop fridge. International harvester

 

[Daves69]

Here is my International Harvester Jan 1953 model G-85.

Looking for a handle.

 

[softailgarage]

Cool fridge (no pun intended). Anybody else have fridge pics to post? This is what I like...

 

[don long]

Softtail

I have a built in old norge that I brought down from the cabin a few years ago
and it still works very well

It sits in the wall behind the bar in the game room

 

[superdutymike27]

Here's mine.

 

[softailgarage]

Don- when the heck did you put that in? Looks like a bottom freezer, I believe those are fairly rare. It looks good.

 

[Labradorian]

Here's mine.

Good to see some nice restored fridges. I have a Gilson Snow Bird(Made in Canada) looks like a late 50's early sixties fridge. Has the dupont outer finish on it. It works but sits unused in my basement.....Im planning on painting it to look like a PEPSI can and putting it in my garage. Should start this project soon.

Cheers

Glen

 

[superdutymike27]

Good to see some nice restored fridges. I have a Gilson Snow Bird(Made in Canada) looks like a late 50's early sixties fridge. Has the dupont outer finish on it. It works but sits unused in my basement.....Im planning on painting it to look like a PEPSI can and putting it in my garage. Should start this project soon.

Cheers

Glen

I bought this in upper Maryland last summer while out east working. Some young kid bought the house this refrigerator was in from an elderly couple. The refrigerator apparently spent its whole life in the cellar. We spent about 2 hours trying to get it out but finally did. I swear they must assembled it down there? Payed $100 for it. Works great and keeps my beer cold.

 

[WQ59B]

I have a '58 GE Combination, fridge over freezer, ribbed stainless lower door with the foot pedal that pops it open. Fridge shelves rotate outward- pretty cool. We used it about 1.5 yrs ago when our main fridge died and it worked fine. Would like to find a new home for it tho.

 

[James_B]

What ever you do, don't look at the Antique Appliances web site or the the Vintage Appliances section of the Antique Mall site.

My wife wants a restored 1900s vintage Oak 8 door McCray Icebox that's been retrofitted with a modern refrigeration system. A few were fitted with commercial Frigidaire systems back in the 30s, but now they're starting to fit them with modern frost free systems.

Even doing the restoration and conversion ourselves, it'd be an expensive proposition. An unrestored 8 door McCray in good condition goes for $4,000 to $5,000 (about half that price if they're in really rough shape), and we'd be looking at at least a 2 day trans-border trip to pick one up.

 

[Samh]

http://bigchill.com/

Big chill - big bucks. 14 cu/ft $2600.

http://www.elmirastoveworks.com/

The kicker is that if an oldie dies, it's likely big $$$ to fix it. I've also been warned about old Coke machines using gobs of power, I'd think an an-tee-q fridge would be similar.

I read somewhere that the old ones were actually pretty efficient up until they started making the Frost-Free ones. Those are supposed to be energy hogs

 

[James_B]

I read somewhere that the old ones were actually pretty efficient up until they started making the Frost-Free ones. Those are supposed to be energy hogs

I had an early 70s vintage Australian made 16 cu ft frost free and my parents had a similar vintage 20 cu ft side by side US made 2 door GE frost free. When these refrigerators were installed, each caused very noticeable bumps in the power bills.

I had a couple of spare utility company type power meters, so in 2001, I wired my refrigerator through its own meter and over 2 years, I monitored the refrigerator's power usage. I discovered that between 1/4 and 1/3 of my total power bill went towards covering the running cost of my refrigerator.

In late 2004, after 30+ years of use, the motor in the sealed unit of my refrigerator failed, and as it used R12 refrigerant, and no repair center wanted to touch it. I replaced it with an identical sized modern frost free, and my power bills dropped so much that by the end of 2007, the new refrigerator had paid for itself due to the reduced running costs.

That being said, the the new Brazilian made refrigerator was far lighter and appeared to be far more fragile than the one it replaced. In 30+ years, the only problems I'd had with my old frost free was the defrost timer, the fan on the condenser coils (both of which I replaced myself at minimal cost) and then the motor on the sealed unit. The new refrigerator was nowhere near as reliable, and I was thankful for the warranty. In the first 2 years, a solid state control board failed (the repair bill I submitted to the company providing the extended warranty was 1/4 of the cost of the entire refrigerator), and I had 2 failures of the sealed unit (both covered by the manufacturer's warranty). In early 2008, I put my house on the market, and included the refrigerator in the sale.

 

[Samh]

I had an early 70s vintage Australian made 16 cu ft frost free and my parents had a similar vintage 20 cu ft side by side US made 2 door GE frost free. When these refrigerators were installed, each caused very noticeable bumps in the power bills.

I had a couple of spare utility company type power meters, so in 2001, I wired my refrigerator through its own meter and over 2 years, I monitored the refrigerator's power usage. I discovered that between 1/4 and 1/3 of my total power bill went towards covering the running cost of my refrigerator.

In late 2004, after 30+ years of use, the motor in the sealed unit of my refrigerator failed, and as it used R12 refrigerant, and no repair center wanted to touch it. I replaced it with an identical sized modern frost free, and my power bills dropped so much that by the end of 2007, the new refrigerator had paid for itself due to the reduced running costs.

That being said, the the new Brazilian made refrigerator was far lighter and appeared to be far more fragile than the one it replaced. In 30+ years, the only problems I'd had with my old frost free was the defrost timer, the fan on the condenser coils (both of which I replaced myself at minimal cost) and then the motor on the sealed unit. The new refrigerator was nowhere near as reliable, and I was thankful for the warranty. In the first 2 years, a solid state control board failed (the repair bill I submitted to the company providing the extended warranty was 1/4 of the cost of the entire refrigerator), and I had 2 failures of the sealed unit (both covered by the manufacturer's warranty). In early 2008, I put my house on the market, and included the refrigerator in the sale.

The older ones I was referring to were prior to frost-free which would have been in the 50's

 

[Closhdez]

Here's mine just finished last week. Might sell if the $ is right in OC CA

 

[Closhdez]

Way cool & everyone that comes over wants to open it.

 

[Closhdez]

Emblems.

 

[Falcon67]

What ever you do, don't look at the Antique Appliances web site or the the Vintage Appliances section of the Antique Mall site.

Those prices are on crack.

 

[Flat-rate]

I have a '58 GE Combination, fridge over freezer, ribbed stainless lower door with the foot pedal that pops it open. Fridge shelves rotate outward- pretty cool. We used it about 1.5 yrs ago when our main fridge died and it worked fine. Would like to find a new home for it tho.

My grandparents had one of those in the '60's. My sister and I would take turns hitting the pedal, until grandpa would get pissed! I clearly recall the little plunger that poked the door open. thanks for reminding me

 

[James_B]

Those prices are on crack.

The problem is that people are willing to pay those prices for a restored vintage refrigerator, so unrestored 'fridges are being snapped up by pickers to sell to these kinds of companies.

 

[dfiler2]

This old Philco fridge has been sitting in the basement of a building I bought a few years ago, last fall I grabbed an extension cord plugged it in and found out that it works and decided I should fix it up and put it my shop when I get it finished. I got the shop insulated and heat put in it and I've been working on finishing it this winter but about 5 weeks ago I snapped my achilles tendon so I haven't been able to do much work on the shop but I thought maybe I could start on the fridge. A couple of buddies offered to haul it up and put it in my shop last week so I pulled it apart yesterday and started sanding it down. One thing I've never done is body work but I ordered an HVLP spray gun and some other supplies last night and am going to paint it a Coke red. There are a couple of small dents that I'll fill with bondo. I'm always amazed at the enormous of talent here on GJ so any advice on the steps I should take to do a nice paint job on this thing would be appreciated.

 

[Iroc-Z]

Cool fridge (no pun intended). Anybody else have fridge pics to post? This is what I like...

I have this model I traded some car parts for. It needs to be restored but still in awesome shape. I also had my hands on a slightly newer one that and old lady next door had in her basement. I saw it when helping her move and she couldn't believe i would want it. Got another neighbor buddy to help me get it out of her basement. Got it over to my house and he really liked it. So I told him to take it. I didn't need two just didn't want to see one get scrapped. Now I always just keep my eyes open for more so I can save them.

 

[a1veedubber]

I have an old red GE Monitor Top from the 30's, pretty reliable fridge, does not use much power at all. The best feature is the the lever you can step on to open the door when your hands are full!

 

[harleybuilder]

I have been working on this 1950 frigidaire by general motors since late last summer. It runs like the day it was made, just waiting for the new door gasket I ordered and it will be ready for shop beverages. ...

 

[colt zantop]

Here's one I plan to restore. Had a tenant leave it in a rental property garage.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249131

 

[redmondjp]

Gads, these things were as common as heck when I was a kid back in the 1970s. We had one ourselves in the basement, which we used to keep boxes of apples for several months per year. They worked for decades with zero maintenance.

I can't tell you how many of these got simply thrown away and were still working perfectly fine. I went out to a junkyard back in the 1980s and pulled a compressor out of one which I used for an automotive HVAC vacuum pump for many years.

Some of the 1950s high-end models were simply works of art, especially inside. They had chrome trim, fancy plastic emblems on the fronts of the drawers, and so on. Those are the ones that really draw top dollars today because they are so rare.