Thread Number: 74095  /  Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
Frigidare and Norge Timeline washers
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Post# 978746   1/17/2018 at 18:18 (2,262 days old) by Losangeles (Muscle Shoals, AL 35661)        

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Ok, I may get laughed out of the AW forum, but here goes.  I desperately desire a Frigidaire Unimatic and a Norge Timeline washing machine.  I live in the deep south and the vintage washing machine population is slim to none.  I know there are members who have these machines, but do you have more than one and willing to share.  I have no idea what these machines are worth and I am not asking for free.  Pick a price and I will check the piggy bank.  They will need to be in good working condition.  Thanks





Post# 978787 , Reply# 1   1/17/2018 at 23:44 (2,262 days old) by Washerlover (The Big Island, Hawai’i)        
You Are Not the Only Desperate One!

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I’m not laughing at all. I, too, will pay a very good price for those types of machines if anyone is willing to part..!

Post# 978805 , Reply# 2   1/18/2018 at 06:35 (2,261 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

Watch the want ads for estate and barn sales. Talk to any independent service people you can find.  As Robert can tell you, some of them kept favorite machines. Maybe you can rescue one or two before a child makes them get rid of them. Your area has to have some old machines seeing as how it was part of the TVA.  I remember spending most of an afternoon at Wheeler Dam watching a barge come down the river and go through the lock.  WOW! How exciting; all of that machinery and water moving and very nice men explaining how it all worked. Your local library might have old phone books and you could check the yellow pages for dealers and see if any of the families still live in the area. Talking with an old dealer would yield a wealth of information, sort of an appliance dealer history project. Talking old appliances with the people who sold and serviced them is a rewarding endeavor.


Post# 978825 , Reply# 3   1/18/2018 at 09:17 (2,261 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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I may get laughed out of the AW forum, but here goes. I desperately desire a Frigidaire Unimatic and a Norge Timeline washing machine.

I hope you don't think you'd get laughed out of AW, the whole reason AW exists is because of love, enjoyment and proper understanding of washers like a Unimatic or a Norge Timeline.

IMO no other washer I have ever used both vintage and modern can wash towels as fast and as well as Unimatic.


Post# 978873 , Reply# 4   1/18/2018 at 17:07 (2,261 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)        

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Have you checked out any mom and pop appliance stores. Show them some cash, leave your number, and tell them if they get one in on trade, you are interested. Check out junk shops on the wrong side of the tracks. Check out estate sales.

 These machines do not magically appear, they are found after due diligence. A friend and me checked out an old junk yard years ago, that turned up LOTS of vintage machines. He got a couple of late 50's Norges, and was making one out of 2 last I heard..


Post# 978889 , Reply# 5   1/18/2018 at 18:30 (2,261 days old) by Gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA)        

Some of the best machines I found were on day trips down backwoods roads in Alabama. There is all kinds of hidden treasure to be found,however, it takes work. Also, there is a reason these old machines were taken out of service to begin with.
It is an unrealistic expectation to think you will find too many new in the box. I have found one in a dozen or so years of collecting.
Nobody with any sense is going to sell a fifty year old machine with any kind of guarentee. It's great if it is working when you find it, but it may not be working by the time you get it home. Sometimes it is better to open it up and take a good look first. I've had a lot of machines clean up well that required a lot of work. I've had new from old stock parts break. I've sold machines with great expectations that turned out to be duds. I've purchased a few duds. With old machines it's the luck of the draw.
So, I wish you good luck and happy hunting. I would love to live in your area for a while just to go "fishing".


Post# 978908 , Reply# 6   1/18/2018 at 21:46 (2,261 days old) by Losangeles (Muscle Shoals, AL 35661)        
Frigidare and Norge Timeline washers

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Thank you to all the guys who responded, and esp. for not laughing.  I will keep my eye peeled as advised.


Post# 978930 , Reply# 7   1/19/2018 at 04:10 (2,260 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield, East Midlands, UK)        
Shoppers square

vacbear58's profile picture
No laughter here either.

Dont foregt to check out the Shoppers Square forum here too, many members wikll list items they find which are either too far away for them or they have not got room for.

Good luck with your search

Al


Post# 978942 , Reply# 8   1/19/2018 at 07:22 (2,260 days old) by Gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA)        
Estate sales, Estate sales, Estate sales------

You will encounter them where you least expect them in out-buildings covered with dust and or junk. In the back corners of basements covered with dust and or junk. Sometimes, in the basement, still hooked up, but, not part of the sale.

Most of the time they aren't even part of the Estate sale because clueless people don't see any value in them and assume that nobody would want them! They may already have plans to have it hauled off to the krusher. Sometimes you can get them for free just by offering to haul them off!

I always ask "do you have any old laundry equipment in the basement or garage not part of this sale that you would like removed?"
I've gone away with many a treasure just because I asked that simple question.

Another thing to improve your chances is to go to your local appliance parts store and ask "who is the oldest retired appliance repair guy around here? Hopefully still alive. Where can I find them?" Chances are if you can get to them,or one of their children, they will be an invaluable source of information. Even if they don't have any machines, they will know someone with a "mother-lode". Go to the cities and town surrounding where you live and ask the same questions. There may be a building full of hidden treasure in the town right next to you. If you cant find an appliance parts house, find an old time Hardware store. They will know who does the repairs around there!

You need a reliable pick-up truck, and a for-real appliance hand-truck (I bought mine at Home Depot in the beginning and it is still serving me well. For just $100.00 I sure got my money's worth!) A roll of shrink-wrap and a roll of Duct-tape and ratcheting nylon straps with hooks.
Always wrap them well to keep lids from opening and tops from flying-off. Always turn the machines so their "back is to the wind" in case some other vehicle launches a rock at you and especially in the rain. No point in driving rain water into an old timer or other electrical switches. I wrap from the top going back and forth and around all the way down the machine, especially if there is an open back exposing the motor,etc. Buy a couple of six-paks of those foam cushions that fit together like a jig-saw puzzle. They are great for protecting machines. You can wrap them inside the shrink-wrap to protect the machines during the ride so they dont rub or bump against each other.

Be careful not to use the console for leverage especially if it has glass parts!
Keepa yo hands off!

Get to know the people who haul away junk for a living!!!!!!!!!
Tell them you like to tinker with old washers and to give you a call if they come across one.Especially, ones in pastel colors (a fifties/sixties giveaway) or coppertone/green and gold (a seventies giveaway). I offer them about ten or twenty dollars more than the krusher will pay them to drop it off at my place. I got a WO-65-2 that way! It is also a way to build a parts supply for cheap----provided you have the time to tear them down and the places to store the parts.




This post was last edited 01/19/2018 at 07:47
Post# 979037 , Reply# 9   1/19/2018 at 16:06 (2,260 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)        

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^^excellent advice^^



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