Larry's Restoration Projects! Pinball to Pepsi to Everything Else!

Pepsi Machine Restoration is complete!

2011-10-24T09:40:00.001-04:00

So My Vendorlator 56 B Pepsi Machine is All Restored and Working!

I have it upstairs in my Living Room and she is humming away and keeping my "Beverages " nice and cold!

Here are some Pictures of the Finished Project!

Left Side

Front View

Right Side

Another Right Side

Top View

Holding the Small Soda Door Open

Chillin' to 33f COLD!

ALL Done!

Well What Do you Think!?

Email or Comment and say Hi!

Larry

Pepsi Machine Soda Door

2011-10-23T16:43:00.002-04:00

So as mentioned in the last post all i have to finish is the small soda door!

Here is the machine front without the soda door.

So i took apart the Soda door into all is important parts! here is the glass. There are 3 pieces and one of them is broken. at this point i fixed the glass with some silicone until i get some bread to replace it.

Here is the guts of the hinges

And here is the door frame.

Took everything all apart and cleaned and painted it (below) and then reassembled.

Almost done! Next time i promise we will see the finished product!
Let me know if you have any questions or if your are even there!

Main Machine Assembly!

2011-10-23T16:34:00.002-04:00

So here is the Unit with the Big door installed!
Yea! Almost Done!

So here is the side show with the Big Door installed but no decals!
So that's next!

And since i only have 2 hands here is a Action shot of the decal installation.

So all that is left is to finish the Soda Door!

Small Door to Big Door!

2011-10-23T16:27:00.002-04:00

So this Pepsi Machine is almost done!
I am a few updates behind so here are a few to get you up to date!

So instead of the "Itchy" fiberglass installation i choose to go with a better solution of closed cell spray foam. I sprayed a few cans in and then waited for it to dry then i used a my magic foam knife to trim it flat.

Here is the small bottle area from the back

And instead of using the original multi-connectors i went with an extension cord soldered to the leads.
This way i can run the parts separately.

I attached the small door to the big door...

Then i wired it up! The white plug is the door and lights and the black is the AC Unit!

Pepsi Machine Small Door

2011-10-12T16:56:00.003-04:00

So this post i have finished painting and assembling the small front door to my Vintage Pepsi Machine!

So here is the inside of the small door with the guts re attached

Here is the Pepsi Sign that sits right above this door
As you can see i had to modify the bulb assembly!

Here is the front of the small door

And a detail of the installed sticker and coin slot.
due to Money i just painted the few chrome peices with silver paint.
When i save up some cash i will remove and take to have chrome!

Painting the Door!

2011-09-21T16:44:00.002-04:00

OK, its been a few weeks! But i have stripped the door down and then sanded and did the body work!

So NOW i am ready to sling some more paint! I went with a darker Blue because i thinks it's More PEPSI Blue than that light blue that was on there.

So here is the door as it was:

And the small center door!

(I got a replacement decal for this door from Heidi at
http://www.barsandbooths.com They were great!)

Here is the big door with a coat of Blue Paint

And the small door

Not too bad for a rattle can finish!
I cant break out the spray guns in my SO Fla town home garage!

Next i get to start assembly!

Yea!

Kirby Back in Action

2011-09-01T12:01:00.000-04:00

Also this week i finally got back my Kirby Vacuum Cleaner from The Kirby Original Owner rebuild program! I mentioned a while ago i was going to try it myself but then Kirby found the records and did it under the warranty! 35 bucks to rebuild it to a NEW condition!

Close Up

And the 4 side shots!

Looks and Runs like a Million Bucks!

Installing The AC

2011-09-01T11:11:00.000-04:00

After spraying the body and the AC unit and the AC base plat i assembled them and brought them in the house. Its easier to assemble inside here is South Florida in the middle of summer!

AC Unit still in its temp home

Here its freshly installed in the Pepsi Cabinet

And upstairs with the product trays!

Next step i work on the door!

Slinging Paint!

2011-09-01T10:53:00.004-04:00

FINALLY I get to the fun part of restorations!

The Painting! So here is the Vendo getting its red stripe down the side. At this point i have already sprayed the whole thing with 3 coats of White let it get good and dry and taped off for the red.

Sides

Here is the top back corner
I tried to show the shine.

Front 3/4 view
I have removed the masking at this point.

Here i have started adding items back in.

Re-History!

2011-09-01T10:46:00.002-04:00

So a few people have asked about finished pictures of the Old Pinball Machine

I had that i sold. so i finally had a few minutes to look them up and here they are!

The Sheriff - All Done!

Prep Prep # 3

2011-08-25T15:35:00.003-04:00

So here is the unit all taped Up ready to be sprayed!

And here is the AC unit with a dusting of High Temp Flat Black Bar B Que paint!

I figured if its wont melt on my grill it wont melt on my Condenser!

I cleaned the Radiator really good and made all the fins straight and then just dusted the thing with Black Paint to keep it working good!

Any Questions?!

next Time we throw some paint!

Prep Prep # 2

2011-08-25T15:31:00.002-04:00

Continuation!

So here are more pictures of the Pepsi Machine being Primed and the painting process being started!

Inside

The AC Mount Primed. Will be painted White

Bottle Holder already with White Pint!

And i rattled Canned the bottom of the unit with Rustolem So it was think and durable.

Next time is the AC unit itself!

Prep Prep Prep Pepsi!

2011-08-25T14:52:00.002-04:00

So I am a few weeks behind on my Blog Updates so i have a few to add!

So this past month I was able to fix all the dents and rusty spots and Prime and the Machine. The Green Primer is a Self Etching primer. This is sprayed everywhere there was bare metal due to sanding or body work.

So Both Sides were fixed

And the Back...

And the Inside of the AC compartment.

I choose to not do the inside of the refrigerated part. It isn't seen, Was in good shape and what kind of paint can you get cold?

Took forever to clean the grime from inside the base of the unit. I can have a sandblaster where i live (town home) so i had to do it with a wire brush and my hands!

Until Next Time

Lucky AC Guy

2011-07-22T18:02:00.006-04:00

So I am in Luck!

First the AC Guy at work looked it over and said he thinks it will be savable!

NICE!

So we worked on it a bit and it turns out the relay that fires off the compressor is bad!

25 dollar part! So he bought a new one and re wired the whole unit for me!

(Its the plastic looking tube to the Left!)

So after that we ran it a while and it did get cold but not a lot!

So he did a pressure test and it turns out that it was low on coolant. but since you cant get R-12 anymore i was worried about having to buy a whole new unit.

He made some calls and found a product called a Hot Shot just for Vending machines! You basically remove the R-12, Pull a vacuum on the unit for a while, then introduce this new coolant back into the machine! All Set!

Cost for this??? another 25 bucks!

So for 50 bucks i got a machine that is ICE COLD!

Now i can work on the pretty parts next!

Until next time!

Larry

Guts and Glory

2011-07-22T17:54:00.003-04:00

S Here is the Compressor for my Pepsi Machine.

I pulled it out as one piece.

The Evaporator is on top and the compressor is on the bottom.

This way i can have it worked on with having to drag the whole machine around.!

I am lucky that where I work we have a whole crew of AC guys and one of them went over the unit with me at lunch time for a few days!

Front of the Machine

Back of the Machine

You can see the fans are running!

That's a good sign!

Top

Compressor

So after trying it never quite started but clicked a lot.

The fans did run but it never got cold!

Hope this inst toooo big a deal!

Larry

More Pepsi Parts

2011-07-20T15:39:00.003-04:00

Here are some more parts that i have pulled off my Pepsi Machine!

Here is the Actual Vending Unit

Here is the same unit from the front

Here is the area where the Compressor goes!

Next Time Some Compressor News!

Pepsi Dis-Assembly

2011-07-20T15:30:00.004-04:00

So Last time i showed what my Pepsi machine looked like after bringing it home now i have started digging into the guts and checking out what i have to fix and replace!

So below are some pictures i took as i took the unit apart!

This is the tag on the slide out tray where the condenser is.

Inside of the Main Door

Inside of the unit where the Soda Goes!

Here is the Condenser and fan unit. In this Pix I have started pulling them out so i can remove them!

And here it is after i removed it!

Next time i will go over what i had to do to make the Condenser work!

My Next Project!!

2011-07-13T12:50:00.007-04:00

So My Next Project is......

A 1964 Vintage Pepsi Vending Machine!

Bought this off a guy in Orlando, non working.

So it will be fun to see what the deal is with it and to see what it will look like when its done! I wonder if it will keep my beer cold?

Face Shot

Side Shot

The Pepsi Logo on the Side. These are available aftermarket so that's nice!

The door open, This machine didn't have a Coin Mech.

What i read in various places on the net is that Pepsi was giving these away when they started going to Can Vending... But didn't want anyone to "Compete" for their customers so they took out all the coin mecs and destroyed them!

Here is the Tag. Is a VFA56B-B Unit

Now i get to start taking it apart!

Buffing the Kirby!

2011-06-29T13:44:00.003-04:00

So i was having an awful time trying to find the correct compound to polish the Kirby Parts. looked around at the local Big Box Stores and while they had buff wheels no compounds. went to the local auto parts stores; polishes but no compound. they on the internet i found a small article that my old faithful, Harbor Freight had the stuff i needed. And Sonofagun they did! and was inexpensive! So if you need to buff some metals go to Harbor Freight.

So here is my small buffing rig. The left side is the Red or course compound with the White or fine compound on the right hand side.

Here is everything layed out. The can is lacquer thinner, i use that to wipe off the dried compound and clean my hands! (I'm tough!)

Next is the assembly and i just got a NEW project !

Wait until you see this one!!

The Kirby Deconstruction!

2011-06-29T13:14:00.003-04:00

So the First thing i did was to figure out how to get the bag off the unit. it was still full of 10 year old dirt (or however old it was since Pop used it last) So i removed the hanging part at the top and the rubber stretch connection at the bottom. Then i did what any Kirby restore would do.

I put the bag in the washing machine!

Came out great and "April Fresh"

Here is the handle all taken apart. As you may be able to see i have already polished the fork part. It cam out really nice!

This is inside front of the motor. The brush unit fits over the end of this and the belt actually hooks to the very front of this spindle.

This is the front part of the Motor Housing.

Hear are some more parts and pieces. I have already at this point started cleaning the parts in anticipation of buffing.

So next time i will show some pictures of the buffing set up!

More Kirby Stuff!

2011-06-29T13:03:00.005-04:00

So It's been a while since i update this with pictures of my most recent projects. I REALLY need to get better so that ALL (none!?) of you can see what i am working on!

So here is a few picks of the Kirby Parts that came with my Grandmothers Kirby!

And here is the label and a Under shot of the unit.

So after this i started taking this baby apart to work on it and make it look like it did when Grandma first got it!

Next i will show you some pictures of it apart!

2010-08-18T16:15:00.006-04:00

Its been a while since i was on here! and i wanted to update everyone on my latest project! BUTT First! The Pinball. I did finish the unit and was playing and enjoying it! Then i place an ad on Craigslist for another unit i was thinking of selling and someone came over and made me "An Offer I Couldn't Refuse!" And he bought all 3 Pinball Machines I had!

Oh Well I could use the Money!

So NOW on to my newest project!

My 1958 Kirby 518! Vacuum Cleaner!

My Dad bought this NEW for my Grandmother and Pop finally let me have it! He even dug it out of the garage himself and brought it over!

Its a Model 518 which was made in 1958

Serial is 310826 and I know pop had it rebuilt once in 1985!

Plus I have a whole box of parts and supplies!

I have not yet had a chance to contact Kirby back in Cleveland and see how much it costs to rebuild. I may be doing the rebuild myself or having them do it depending on the price!

Should be Fun!

Buffing and Back Plate

2010-02-27T14:43:00.003-05:00

Next Step Was to buff out the Chrome that was good enough to stay on the machine and didn't need to re-chromed. so i taped off all the nice new paint work and covered the play field and went to it!

I used a small cotton buff wheel chucked into my hand drill with a red rough buffing compound to polish the chrome.

Here is where i started!

And a side shot

This is the side BEFORE i buffed.

And the same spot after!

There was also a piece of brass that held in the back plate. I removed and buffed and reinstalled.

Since my machine didn't come with a back plate i cut one out of Luan

Cut a hole for the lock and painted it brown, which was a left over color from the side.

Next we get to go to assembly!
Yea!

Larry

Fixing the Back Glass!!

2010-02-26T19:19:00.004-05:00

So the paint is on the way to being complete so the next step is to fix the Back Glass!

This back glass was in pretty good condition except for one color that flaked off. So off to the Art store i went to buy some stained glass paint. there are 2 types of stained glass paint. transparent and opaque. for this machine I didn't want to see thought the glass so i bought the colors i needed in opaque. here is the blue i was mixing up for the Jacket of the "Cowboy" on my machine.

So i carefully brushed the back with a dry and soft brush to clean it and remove any flaky paint. i then brushed on the blue paint where it was missing.

After the blue i mixed up for the brown/yellow for the pant leg.

Here is the completed back glass from the front. See! No Holes in the jacket or pants now!

Enjoy

Now the Fun Begins! Pin Ball Machine Painting!

2010-01-09T11:27:00.009-05:00

OK! So Far I have taken this Pinball Machine apart, Cleaned and repaid the cabinet, sanded it smooth and filled all the holes and marks and painted it with a White Stain Blocker and Base Coat.

So now the fun Begins!

I get to start with the graphics and color!

First Thing i did was measure for the location of my graphics and mark these spots on the body. Then i took take my Acetate templates and sprayed them with a re-positionable art adhesive. This way they would be glued permanently to the cabinet!

This worked pretty well but i ended up only using the spray adhesive on one side as i didn't like the amount of cleanup that was required on the new painted body. so after the first color on the first side i went to taping down the majority of the templates and using a super wide sticky mask called (Of All Things) Sticky Mickeys Masking Paper! Basically its really wide masking tape that you can trim easily and stays put!

So this first picture is after i applied the acetate template and peeling off the Sticky Mickey where the paint will adhere!

This is after i sprayed on the first color on the first side!

As for the Color! I was very lucky that my local LOWES had both a Brown and Orange Spray paint that were damn close to the original colors that i didn't have to have paint made up! Lucky!

Here is the opposite side color

After the paint was dry i pulled off the Sticky Mickey and the Acetate edges

This is the other side!

After the Orange bottom stripe was dry and cleaned off the adhesive residue, I then taped over it and attached the upper stripe template

Its hard to see but the template is on there now

and after the brown was sprayed.

and as i pulled off the template

Template completely off!

Looks awesome!

Half way through doing the sides of the top piece

And after the brown was sprayed

This is the small front section of the top unit!
1 small stripe of brown and lots of orange!

Top Unit all done!

This is the small lift that sits between the main body and the top unit!
It got an Orange paint job as well!

Same piece in place where it belongs on the body!

Enjoy!

Larry