Thread Number: 73891  /  Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
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Post# 976079   12/30/2017 at 02:11 by gasMan (Honolulu Hawaii)        

HI everyone just found the forum and i have been reading a lot and enjoying myself. Well i really don't have the room for a collection i just want to restore my 1993 Kenmore 70 series. Looking for ideas and tricks of the trade on how you all make these look and last so beautiful.
One of my issues is the control panel the brown how can i make it look new again and not rub off the lettering. And the paint do you can spray or brush. And any other secrets you might want to share.
Thanks for your help
Happy New Year!




Post# 976117 , Reply# 1   12/30/2017 at 11:07 by firedome (Binghamton NY & Lake Champlain VT)        
welcome!

 firedome's profile picture
I've used isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol to clean certain sensitive areas, try it in an inconspicuous area to determine if it may take off any color or lettering. Have also used nail polish. Mild soap and warm water is always a good bet too.

Post# 976181 , Reply# 2   12/30/2017 at 17:20 by Gyrafoam (Roanoke, VA)        

Meguire's automotive Cleaner Wax.

Post# 976187 , Reply# 3   12/30/2017 at 17:39 by henene4 (Germany)        
Last so beautiful

 Your main enemy long torm will be corrosion and bearings.

Bearings are often a pain in the ass to replace and if you don't do everything correctly and do all the related seals in conjunction, they wear out pretty quickly again.

Corrosion is a big enemy because there is usually verry little you can do once the damage is done. If for example a port on the tub rusts out, well, there is verry little one can do without major welding and reconstruction.



A good idea is to keep a little stash of replacementparts like pump, timer, pressure switch.
Parts like valves or cabeling and tubeing can often be sourced for later machines and retro-fited so to speak with little effort.
Some other parts like a transmission and a tub are usually no longer avaible, so keeping them from a donor machine might be a good idea. If space is a constrain, one could probably make a tub double as some kind of bin for something. Bins don't get much wear. And if the times comes, just get the tub out and replace.
Donor machines in general are a verry good source for parts for older machines.

Also, maybe switching to something more recent and keeping that for the long term might be an idea. 1993 is pretty early and machines appear to be rather differentiated in terms of parts by that time.
The best bet for a true traditional TL to be repaiurable for as long as possible is a late WP DD drive from the early 2000s.
These can be had pretty cheap used by now, parts are verry widely avaible and by the time these designs were being phased out, most parts were the same independent of which brand was put on there and which spec was used.
So, getting an early 2000s WP direct drive (which should operate pretty simmilar to a 70 series 90s Kenmore anyways), rebuilding that completly and stocking parts for that might be a better and less stressfull solution for a daily driver over the longterm.



Oh, and a chekup every few years might be a good idea. Things like lubricating bearings and suspensions, checking for hoses that became brittle, for wiring that might go downhill, and acting more preventivley then reactivley to issues is always a good idea.

Post# 976800 , Reply# 4   1/4/2018 at 01:33 by gasMan (Honolulu Hawaii)        

Thanks for the help.. What about painting did anyone ever repaint a washer and dryer before? Am stuck between spraying or using a foam brush. The color is Almond. I like my things shinny. And Thank you Henene for the advise on the 93 to 2000 DD top load Whirlpool idea i might do that instead. And repaint the white to almond and make it look more classy.




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