Just when I thought I was done with compact, vintage dryers, this one showed up last night. Now I have no more use for another dryer, but I just couldn't bare the thought of it going to the crusher. So without further ado, I present  Mr Coppertone:

HI

If I am reading the code correctly, he was manufactured in 1972. I plugged it in, the the motor runs, and the heating element started to warm up, but the drum did not move. It moves freely with my hand though. So I suspect a snapped drum belt. I know, I know, I need  another project like I need another hole in my head. Needless to say, hubby was not pleased.

Nevertheless, I  think this one is going to need far less TLC that the Harvest Gold Whirlpool. Even though it's older, it seems like it saw far less use. The drum is immaculate. Stay tuned!

LOL Martin, you naughty boy! I ought to put you over my knee and spank you.

You know what I REALLY want next Martin don't ya'? A nice Kenmore Elite (Calypso) pair in white. LOL!

That's exactly what I am looking for. I want to lessen the the load on the Maytag and move up to a full sized 220V dryer.  You're partly to blame for the demand Martin. After seeing yours in action, everyone wants a set!

Well this one isn't that "portable", no casters. I guess they were replaced at one time.

The filter is shot, and the housing is warped. Let the ordering begin.

Well I got around to removing the rear panel. YIKES!

There's a good 1/8" of lint and dust on that pan.

Notice how thick the power cord is. At first I thought it was after market, but it seems original. The plug however is not.

The hinges for '72 were of a different design than the '74 model that I have. And 74's were chrome plated. The hinges of the '72 are a superior design. They don't let the door swing all the way and bang against the cabinet. They're also invisible when the door is closed, giving a tidier appearance. As for the handles, they were body colored for '74 as well. Here's the link for the 1974 Whirlpool and a 1987 Kenmore:

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?45817_4

After a quick vacuuming, it's beginning to look a little better.

Two things I've noticed here, half of the blower housing is in (black) plastic. Unlike the '74 which is all metal. Now there's a switch, replacing plastic with metal. And another odd thing, notice under the the heating element housing. There is no asbestos heat shield like in the '74 model, nor a metal shield like the '87 model.

Popped the top off today.

The timer is filthy.

The belt is not broken, in fact looks kinda new. It certainly is not attached to the motor or the pulley.

After a quick vacuum.

Now the front panel has been removed.

Odd, I see why the belt is loose, what happened to the idler pulley?

Wow, a bit linty in there. Notice the pulley under the motor. How did it end up there?

That has to be the dirtiest motor I've seen to date. I can't believe it hasn't burned out.

Some vacuuming later, doesn't look too bad.

I'll be removing the motor to air blast it clean and to oil.

The pulley has a groove for the belt. Never seen that before.

I figured out why the pulley was dislodged. The dryer must have been dropped on it's bottom left side (see first 2 pictures of this post).  I think I can straighten the bottom out.

Most of the edges of the fan blades have worn away. Apparently they have been rubbing up against the housing for a long time. 

I don't think the fan needs to be replaced.

Here you can see the rub mark on the housing.

Cool little dryer Louie I remember these well, The lint filter may be NLA if it isn't it may be expensive, I may have one if you cannot find one.

The grove in the white idler pulley was worn there by the belt, it means the bearing is not in good shape, you need a new IP.

The blower rubbing on the rear housing is caused by the motor mounting brackets being bent so the motor is back too far, the motor mounting bracket is easy to straighten when you have the machine apart.

This dryer may still have the 240 volt 5600 watt heater element in it, on WPs early 120 volt portables they just put the regular 240V-5600 Watt elements in instead of making a special 120V 1400 watt element just for the 120 volt portable dryers. If you run the 240V 5600 Watt element on 120Vs you get exactly 1400 watts of heat, but the element runs very cool [ it will never get red hot ] this is why they did not need the asbestos insulation under it and best of all the 5600 watt element should have a life expectancy of about 3000 years of normal use.

This dryer with the older style door hinges will allow you to add a window door which I have several of if you want to add this valuable feature, unfortunately I do not have have a brown door but they are easy to paint, John.

Hey John! Would having the 240V heating element explain the heavy gauge power cord? Thanks for all the info!

Hi Louie, No older cords just had thicker insulation, and the 240 volt heater draws the same 1400 watts on 120 volts as your other two 120 volt dryers.

Well, I have been searching for coppertone touch up paint, but so far zilch. Would anyone know where I can try next? Thanks!

I removed the heating element from it's housing.

Just like John said.

Wow.

Straightening bent corner of base. (See reply 19, second image.)

The bottom isn't too dirty, well compared to the others. I've removed the feet. Going to replace them with castors.

Removed the side panel. Better access for motor removal. I've decided to completely dissemble the dryer for a thorough cleaning.

Our beloved '62 Imperial WP had the window, exact hinges as John said. Go for it, give her the full treatment, the window would look lovely :-)

Robert

But I'd have to paint the door and the machine. That's just not in the cards now.

I've made some progress in the rebuilding of the dryer but I've run into a snag. The timer does not line up to the cycles on the knob. For example, the machine will turn off at the 60 minute mark on the regular cycle. I reinstalled all the wires as they were. So I'm wondering, was the timer installed incorrectly by the previous owner? It advances fine. Just does not match up with what the dial says. Any ideas what may be wrong?

Pictures and video to follow soon.

For example, the machine will turn off at the 60 minute mark on the regular cycle.

You should Go for the window door, You can always paint the door a contrasting color. On your timer that is not lining up, be sure that it is not mounted 180 degrees out of aliment, look at your early pictures of this dryer and see if the red heater wire is still at the top with the timer installed.

I always take pictures of the wiring before I disconnect them, so I reconnected the wires as it was when I first opened it up. I will remount the timer at a different angle to see if it corrects the alinement.

Before:

After:

Some light rust here and there, but cleaned up well enough.

Motor is smooth and the quietest I've heard yet. Even quieter than the NOS motor I got for the Kenmore portable dryer.

Rabbit cage is not welded to rear vent. Making it very easy to remove and clean.

Apparently the timer has been replaced with an incorrect model. The faceplate has been partially removed (and damaged) to install the replacement. I tried the other mounting holes, but of course, they were of no use. The timer would mount too low.

Notice the mounting screw deep behind the faceplate.

The offending timer.

Well I found a way around the timer issue. Going to drill new holes on the bracket that holds the timer to the dryer. It will then line up correctly. One thing though, if you notice in the video above, the timer is awfully noisy.  Is that a bad sign or it just needs some oil? Pic's to follow.

That little machine is awesome! Nice and simple design.  Are you restoring this to sell? My bother in law lives in a loft in Brooklyn and would probaly love to buy it from you.

Actual date of manufacture is January, 1972. Almost complete. Stay tuned for final video and pictures.

Sorry Tony, this dryer is joining it's younger brother until the full size, 220 volt dryer arrives.