I'm thinking of a vintage DW for my next house (coming soon!), and a KA KD-11 would be very appropriate, in terms of style.

Can anyone who's been there, done that tell me what the parts availability is for KA's of this vintage? I'm most worried about soft parts (door seal, racks, etc.), but motor and pump availability would also be of concern.

Or are these machines for advanced collectors- the kind of people who have rare machines and parts "magically" appear wherever they go? Those things never happen to me, LOL.

My goal in restoration is a completely usable machine; I like my vintage stuff in daily service, as it was intended to be. I'm not interested in ending up with something so rare and precious that one daren't use it. Is that a realistic goal for KA's of this vintage?

I have a KD-2P (portable version of the KD-11, I think). I had to machine my own parts (lid hinges) but that was kind of a fun project. I was able to pick out a water valve at the local appliance parts store to replace the one in the machine (it was an earlier replacement that worked, but routed the hoses all wrong).

I think there are some collectors here who may have parts for the KD-11/2P series. But I think the easiest way to go might be to try for a KP-11 that is already restored. The rubber on these machines seems to be long lived, but the valving might be a problem area. One might to have to have a motor rebuilt rather than replaced if that goes out.

The KitchenAids are not a difficult restore, depending on the age and condition of the machine you find. The KD-12 series may not be difficult to find as they were quite popular. Parts OTOH, may be a bit more challenging. Certainly cosmetic parts are quite likely not on any dealers shelves, but you may get lucky with a few other necessary parts like pump seals, drain valves, etc. Again, anyone with a vintage - or any other machine in daily service can expect some repairs at some point.

Sounds like the KD-11 is what I suspected- a machine for more serious collectors. My own approach to restoration is that I don't mind restoring if parts are in decent supply, but after the resto I want to party like it's 1957- in other words, I want to be able to use the result without undue worry that I'm eventually going to run into a parts hassle again. From what you say, Greg, it sounds like any KD-11 that got a full restoration should be respected as a machine that shouldn't be used very much, so as not to detract from its value and rarity.

Thanks for the info!

I have a KD11 in my kitchen like new & does a great job, Cool machine I must admit. I have been searching for a GE impeller wash "pull out" to trade it out for. (the machine I grew up with) If rinced & loaded properly the GE can wash 2 times the dishes per load. Just my thought. Mike