I presume the freezer isn't frost free. 

The rusting is probably a result of a bad gasket combined with frost accumulation and perhaps poor leveling.  The unpainted length of cord between cabinet and refrigerator door could be an indicator of a butter softener and the original pink exterior color.  Too bad the front grille is missing.  That would be tough to find. 

Per the illustration in the ad, it looks like there's room to cup fingers under the top trim piece to open the freezer door.  With old-school latches, I doubt a pedal was an option.

The early 60's Coldspot (frost free) bottom freezer model that I got at Goodwill around 1980 sported the same type of revolving crisper.

That is a beautiful refrigerator.  Even without the candy apple green it demands to be noticed!  Being in southern California, it stands a very good chance of finding an appreciative new owner.

Steel, aluminum and porcelain...Gorgeous! Never seen one in that color. Who made them? Whirlpool?

My sister had a huge 1961 frost-free bottom freezer model.  In Pink, with the nuclear SR badge.  That thing must have been 6'-6" tall at least, and a good 3' wide.  It had "Space Master" shelving and the refrigerator section was lit by a florescent tube across the width of the top rear.  The freezer had a door, not a drawer. 

She got it used in the mid-70's.  After having been through The Energy Crisis of 1973, when I first laid eyes on it, all I could think of was how much of a HOG it had to be.  She left it behind when she moved.  Nobody wanted to wrestle that thing UP a narrow flight of 15 or so steps to get it out of there.

May have been a General Electric Phil.

It has an ice bin, but not an ice maker. 

GE's bottom freezer models in 1958 had a freezer drawer, not a door.  I don't know who the manufacturer was for this Coldspot.  The majority of what's been showing up of this vintage on line lately has been GE, but this one appears to be another make.

This is a WP-Seeger built refrigerator and while a decent refrigerator I don't think that WP really started to build great two door refs until about the mid 1960s. Even though this would be better in overall power use than the completely FF models that followed it would still not be cheap to run.

By the mid 60s WP built refs were as good as or better than Frigidaire, GE, and ahead of every other brand in performance, build-quality and reliability and best of all WP brought America and the rest of the world into the world of Automatic Ice-Makers that actually worked and by the late 60s WP was building IMs for 9 out of 12 brands of Frost-Free refrigerators.

Hi Sandy, yes Servel did invent the IM and were first to bring it to market and it is said that WP bought Servel largely to get the patents for this great idea, but it was truly WP and Sears that really were able to get it into millions of homes.

I to believe that the color of this ref could be original and yes this is not as great a ref as Frigidaire, GE and some others in 1958 which is why I said that WP really did not have great refs till the 1960s and by the 1970s-today WP built refs are still the BEST overall.

Also did sell electric refrigerators and they had IMs in both designs, even Servel saw the difficulty of selling gas refrigerators.

Gas refs were not powerful enough in warm climates and they always had a difficult time maintaining 0 degree freezer temperatures,

ever hear of a gas food freezer, LOL.

After taking another look at the close-up shots, I agree that the paint is probably original.  The lighting in the full view photo makes it appear to have a metallic finish.

I agree with the observation that the GE's and Frigidaires from 1958 do not look 55 years old today.  Most people don't realize my '57 Combo is so old, even with its pink interior, because its exterior lines are so clean.

Clearly though, if you're looking to make a statement in your retro modern kitchen, this Coldspot's design is the best one for the job compared to its GE and Frigidaire contemporaries.

Let's not forget the clunky exposed hinges on the Coldspot.  That means having to provide dead space on the right for the doors to open fully.  The shoulder hinge design on the GE allowed it to be built in without any gaps, and the forced draft condenser coil underneath provided a clean back for counter-depth installation. 

You can't find a refrigerator made today by any manufacturer that doesn't have shoulder hinges, and forced draft condensers are widely used on all models but those toward the BOL.

My '57 Combination has the forced draft condenser and a frost-ee freezer.  I defrost the freezer two or three times a year and it's a fairly quick and painless process since it has a drain that routes water down to the trough on the rear wall of the refrigerator section and from there into the pan at the bottom in front of the condenser fan.  All I have to do is wipe the freezer interior dry, which is a cinch on a top-freezer model.

I vacuum the condenser coils no more often than twice a year and even with my lousy housekeeping habits there's not a lot of dust accumulation on them.  I'd really like to find an original pair of knurled-head screws that secure the front grille.  Being able to remove those by hand would eliminate the need for a socket wrench.  Member "juice61" who joined this site and quickly disappeared after he found what he wanted had a problematic '57 he was going to junk.  I e-mailed him with an inquiry about those screws and he never responded.  :-(

I don't think there were ever any color choices for interior liners.  You got what the manufacturer was doing that year.  In the case of my '57, the interior liners for that model year were pink regardless of the exterior color.  The color options for exteriors that year were Canary Yellow, Turquoise Green, Petal Pink, Woodtone Brown, or White.

I imagine it was a similar situation with Coldspots.

Sandy your parents GE where the compressor died had very or nothing with the lack of condenser cleaning. When GE went to the scotch-yoke compressor design around 1955 they had SEVERE durability problems that GE did not correct till around 1963. Almost EVERY GE refrigerator from this time period that I have ever seen either has had a new compressor or needs a new compressor, LOL. It is one of the first things I check if I am looking at an old GE ref built in this time period for someone to use, this is also true of ALL the GE Wall Refrigerators, I have NEVER seen that has not already had a NEW compressor, usually long ago.

Refrigerators did go a little wild with colors in the late 50s, I believe that Ralph is correct in stating that manufactures never let you chose an interior color, they did sometimes change them from year to year however.

I remember one customer here in College Park Maryland that a late 50s GE ref in cadet blue with a pink interior and deep green plastic breaker strips around the liner, she commented that one would often loose ones appetite upon oping the door when looking for something to eat, LOL. Some of the possible color combinations were just not that great.

Could be the server update last night had something to do with the message that your posts didn't take.

Buying a vintage fridge is always a gamble.  Just the process of loading and transporting it can cause a fridge in perfect working order to develop issues when it reaches its destination.  

I think this is the first we've seen of a fridge of this make and model here on AWO.  That's a good indication that parts may be tough to find.  You'll have to keep an eye out for interior and exterior parts.  It's the refrigeration system itself that would be expensive to replace.  You just have to hope it will keep running without issues.

I still think the rust on the pictured fridge is a result of not defrosting often enough.  Even with perfect gaskets, you'll get melted water seeping out if enough ice has built up.  The good thing is that the rust is at the bottom where it's not easily visible, and some Rustoleum or other inhibitor should keep it from spreading.

If the gaskets are bad, you might be able to find NOS replacements.  Larry at Modern Parts in Parma, OH would be the guy to check with.  They won't be cheap though.

It wouldn't hurt to offer less than the asking price.  The leak and rust give you bargaining power, along with the missing front grille at the bottom.  A $75 offer could get you to a $100 sale price, which is a good deal, but if they're firm with $150 that's still not bad for such a nice example of 50's industrial design.  Ask the seller to have it plugged in and cooling when you go to take a look at it.

Keep us posted on how you proceed.

Yeah, that rust is more widespread than the ad copy suggested.  It looks scary, but could just be on the surface.  You really should tilt the fridge backwards so you can see underneath.  It may or may not be something that a good cleaning and a generous application of Rustoleum would fix.  It would be best to remove the molding from around the front of the freezer since it appears there may be some rust behind it that also would need to be treated.

Those two protrusions for the leveling feet obviously are supposed to hold a grille.  I'm betting the feet are rusted in place and can't be adjusted anymore, but that can probably be remedied and would be the least of your worries.

What I find interesting is that the freezer interior isn't lined with textured aluminum.  It resembles the interior of a frost-free model.  It appears to have a drain opening on the floor.  Is there a removable plug in it?

The first picture you posted with the foot pedal shows the gasket isn't sealing at the bottom.  That would explain the water leakage and accumulation of rust.  You might be able to adjust the door latch mechanism to make it close tighter, but that will only help if the gaskets are in good enough shape to provide a seal.

I don't know what that powdery white stuff is, but it looks like it has obscured the model information and other specifications.

Given the issues this fridge has and the fact that it's missing its grille and some key interior parts, I'm not so sure I'd pay $150 for it.  Would I consider it a candidate for a daily driver in a retro kitchen?  No.  Would it be OK in a garage, a party room or as an overflow/drinks fridge?  Probably.  But -- have you confirmed it operates properly and cools in both sections?  Run away -- don't walk -- if it doesn't.

As for the stove you bought, a new thread showed up today with a link to an eBay seller out of Covina who may have the part you need.  Here's the link:

The rust is very serious, the insulation below the freezer floor is almost certainly full of water, this was a common problem with many refrigerators with fiberglass insulation, I would not take this ref for free unless you just want it for the look and might only turn it on for a party.

You can also see paint over-spray on metal parts in your new pictures, either the ref is not the original color or someone has already tried to fix a rust problem.

As I had said before WP did not come into building a good ref till the mid 1960s, but unfortunately when they went to a Frost Free designs they used way too much electricity to consider using them today, even two door refs like this were not very economical to run. I have been working on appliances for over 40 years and have always though Sears and WP refs from this time period were cool but I have never seen one in good enough condition to save even going back 30+ years.

If you are looking for a classic ref that can be used for everyday use you are best off with an older manual defrost single door model, or something from the 1990s and newer and have it painted a cool color.  John

You are correct Andy that the corroded aluminum plate [ which was the model tag ] was used to cover the refrigerant lines as they came from the inside of the ref and went back under to the compressor and condenser. And yes a badly overcharged system, or more likely a manual defrost ref like this that was left running for years with less than a perfect freezer gasket without defrosting for a few years could cause enough ice on the suction line to cause this type of damage.

BUT I will still put my bets on saturated insulation below the freezer, we used to see this when the model tag was this badly corroded, we used to drill or punch holes in the metal shell above the evaporation tray and water would poor and drip out for days. When refs had wet insulation their performance really suffered, especially when the freezer was on the bottom.

It would be costly to fix -- if you could find anyone willing to make the repairs.

This is a job for someone who has the skills and abilities to do it themselves, not to mention any parts that might be necessary.

If the sellers aren't willing to budge on price, I think you would be wise to pass this machine by.  It doesn't even have all of its shelves and accessories, and odds you'll find a donor fridge are ridiculously long.

Since you want a fridge for everyday use, be both patient and vigilant and something complete, in better shape and with a retro look will come along.

Keep in mind that if you limit your search to a pre-1960 fridge, you should plan on having to defrost the freezer a few times a year.  If you're willing to go a little newer, you could enjoy the convenience of a completely frost-free system and still have retro exterior color options.

111 your F&P refrigerators defrost heater would not likely use 900 watts AND stay on for 22 minutes, if it did it would likely start to not only melt frozen food but start to cook it a little LOL. 22 minutes of 900 watts is about 900 BTUs of heat that would have to be removed from the interior of the refrigerator and 900 BTUS is likely more than the full capacity of the refrigerating system of the refrigerator, so the ref would have to run at least an hour just to recover from defrosting alone, let alone any normal cooling needs.

Hi Phil, impressive testing on the power consumption of your old Frigidaire refs, things to keep in mind however.

Frigidaire refs were generally always a little more economical to operate than most other brands of the same time period.

In the states we pay closer to double for electricity than you are paying. And because of our warmer climate not only is the ref going to be operating in a warmer home most of the year than 75F but we also have the added cost of running central A/C half of the year so the actual cost of running an older ref can be VERY expensive here.

My guess is that the parts of the system that make it frost-free likely failed quite some time ago.  I doubt highly that it's frost-free anymore. 

That's still a lot of rust under there, and I still wouldn't consider it a viable candidate to be your everyday fridge. 

You may, however, be in the driver's seat on this deal.  If the seller wants it gone and nobody else is showing interest, you might offer them $50 for it based on the issues you'll have to address.  It wouldn't be a bad gamble at that price.  You could test it out and try to locate and resolve the problem that's causing the rust before making repairs and putting it in your kitchen.

This refrigerator is NOT frost free, it had a pan underneath to catch defrost water during MANUEL defrosting, it may work but I would run away from this deal even if they give it to you and deliver it to your home, LOL.

US average retail electricity price is is 9.83¢ per kwh. The northeast is quite a bit higher than the rest of the country, by and large. Of course taxes add to the bite.

Prices for individual states are at the link.  Or you could consult your electric bill. ;)

And cycle-defrost refrigerators (with manual defrost freezers) do need a drip pan for their refrigerator section too...