Thread Number: 37073
1963 Frigidaire! |
[Down to Last] |
Post# 551465   10/23/2011 at 21:54 (4,539 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
1    
Hey gang -
I wanted to share a clip I've been waiting ages to make. A few years ago QSD-Dan and I worked out a deal for his 1963 Custom Imperial Frigidaire washer to travel across the country and find residency here in Waterloo. Once we had the deal worked out, I had the machine shipped to Omaha during the my visit there for New Years, and we had a blast playing with this wonderful example of General Motors goodness. I haven't done much with the machine as the pump pees after it sits. I have the parts to fix it, I'm just too lazy (or busy, the verdict is still out). I pulled it out of rest a few weeks ago and washed a few loads of towels in it. Captured prior to pulling it out of service, the following clip was certainly fun to film! It was shot in HD (1280x720 60fps) so make sure you turn it to 720p to fully enjoy all the splashy wash-drama! Enjoy - Ben |
|
Post# 551471 , Reply# 1   10/23/2011 at 22:55 (4,539 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
This is pretty much beyond words. Never saw this control panel--a timeline. STUNNING! Loved being able to watch the movie and still see the whole panel; it was amazing. And the click and roar of the high speed spin--TWICE--it was heaven. Now if I had a million dollars.......
So glad I caught this before bed. First Bob, now this. Life is sweet. Thank you, Ben.
PS: And I absolutely loved how you kept pressing all the buttons--WONDERFUL!!! and DAZZLING!!! |
Post# 551472 , Reply# 2   10/23/2011 at 22:59 (4,539 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551473 , Reply# 3   10/23/2011 at 23:05 (4,539 days old) by peteski50 (New York)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551474 , Reply# 4   10/23/2011 at 23:06 (4,539 days old) by A440 ()   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
The Sturdy Washer! Thanks for the video! |
Post# 551479 , Reply# 5   10/24/2011 at 01:13 (4,539 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551483 , Reply# 7   10/24/2011 at 02:17 (4,539 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Thank you Ben for the memories. This was my very first Frigidaire which got me going in this hobby back in 1979! I had the CD model which never had the lights. This machine is what made me realize the beautiful construction behind Frigidaire, it was the STURDY washer for sure. I was able to buy one of the last new tubs from the factory for this machine, which will now go into Roberts Super Duty Unimatic. I think this is the most GM of all the Frigidaires ever made, it went head to head with the GE machines in construction and style and function! And its the most 1960's of any machine- love the shape of those buttons, who wouldn't want that in your laundry room waiting for wash day!
jon |
Post# 551500 , Reply# 8   10/24/2011 at 04:26 (4,539 days old) by StrongEnough78 (California)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551504 , Reply# 9   10/24/2011 at 06:28 (4,539 days old) by Easyspindry (Winston-Salem, NC)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
. . . that video. What a beautiful machine!!!!! There will never again be anything like the GM Frigidaire. We had the jet cone agitator, and it never seemed to tangle the clothes like the three ring. Jerry Gay |
Post# 551508 , Reply# 10   10/24/2011 at 07:05 (4,539 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551509 , Reply# 11   10/24/2011 at 07:07 (4,539 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
I got a coppertone 63 WCI from a friend in Lenoir who bought it new and other than a new agitator, never had a repair and was still working when I got it, Steve Riley now has it and uses it daily! |
Post# 551511 , Reply# 12   10/24/2011 at 07:11 (4,539 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Nice video Ben that was fun to watch, I may have to pull my 1962 FCI out of storage. I do believe that the 1963 Frigidare washers were the most durable Frigidare washers ever built with the possible exception of the 1-18s. Unfortunately in mid 1962 Frigadare eliminated the Rapid-dry 810 RPM spin speed on these machines, leaving this one to spin at 710 RPMS, still not bad as it was still the fastest spinning US built washer. In 1964 they reintroduced the faster spinning 1010 RPM again in the Roller-Matic machines.
Ben I wonder what happened to the original three ring agitator? The Jet-Cone did reduce tangling but as all can see they don't wash well unless you put a full load in the tub, a smaller load like in the video also wants to go out of balance at the start of spin, where as a full load will spin perfectly from the start in one of these great machines. |
Post# 551518 , Reply# 13   10/24/2011 at 07:42 (4,539 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI )   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551521 , Reply# 14   10/24/2011 at 08:43 (4,539 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551524 , Reply# 15   10/24/2011 at 08:59 (4,539 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Thanks for the kind words guys! The video was really fun to make. Filmed on a Canon T2i DSLR, and all the post was done with iMovie '08. Someday, if I get a nicer lens, I may upgrade to FCP.
Jon - I'm in agreement about this being the most 'GM' of the Frigidaire washers. The early 60's were very much a transitional period for GM cars - just look at the drastic difference from a '60 Chevy to a '64 Chevy. The designers were looking for a new, more modern look during this time and it certainly blended over to the Frigidaire line. No other washer had this look before or after, providing for 3 years of a very uniquie and modern appearing appliance. Yes the washer in the video may be considered under-loaded, but I only had 5 dirty towels to wash! Plus I wanted to give the mechanism support a good test. :D John is correct about the spin speed - 710. Clothes are a bit more dry after the final spin in compairson to say a Maytag, but a bit more damp than the 59-62 850 RPM machines. The transmission in this washer was used up through the early production '64 models, with the Rollermatic being introduced in the late fall in 1964. These later modeled 63/64 Multmatic machines had the 1 year only pulsator with green rings, similar to the one Robert has had in the Super Unimatic for quite sometime now. Ben This post was last edited 10/24/2011 at 11:42 |
Post# 551532 , Reply# 16   10/24/2011 at 10:25 (4,539 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Trying to figure out if your machine is a 10 or 12 pounder. What year did the 12's come into being.?
The '62 CD I have spins at 870rpms, pretty sure. Robert once posted the specs for it, somewhere in the archives. Did I mis-read?
After Aunt Margaret's '47 Easy took its last spin, she bought a Frigidaire with a 12 pound tub and a three ring agitator with the classic ring colors. It was the first time I experienced the two-step spin, and I was just bonkers over it. I think the year was 65, but I'm not certain. |
Post# 551536 , Reply# 17   10/24/2011 at 10:40 (4,539 days old) by rollermatic (cincinnati)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551555 , Reply# 18   10/24/2011 at 12:16 (4,539 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Hey Peter -
She may look like it from the pulsator, but this girl is a Multi-Matic, not a Rollermatic! Just another example of GM constantly changing their minds/drving their service fellas crazy. Mike - '62 was the first year for the 12 pound tub. This load would have been perfect in the 10 pound tub, and was slightly underloaded as I'm not used to washing with such capacity! :D I'll scan in the doctrine tonight if someone doesn't beat me to it on the spin speeds for 1962, 1962 1/2, and 1963 model year washers. Ben |
Post# 551558 , Reply# 19   10/24/2011 at 12:32 (4,539 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551559 , Reply# 20   10/24/2011 at 12:45 (4,539 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551589 , Reply# 21   10/24/2011 at 14:36 (4,539 days old) by peteski50 (New York)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551590 , Reply# 22   10/24/2011 at 14:37 (4,539 days old) by peteski50 (New York)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551591 , Reply# 23   10/24/2011 at 14:37 (4,539 days old) by peteski50 (New York)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551615 , Reply# 24   10/24/2011 at 15:52 (4,539 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
1    
|
Post# 551616 , Reply# 25   10/24/2011 at 15:55 (4,539 days old) by pdub (Portland, Oregon)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551624 , Reply# 26   10/24/2011 at 16:13 (4,539 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551643 , Reply# 28   10/24/2011 at 18:09 (4,539 days old) by miele_ge (Danbury, Connecticut)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551644 , Reply# 29   10/24/2011 at 18:16 (4,539 days old) by yogitunes (New Jersey)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Three words.....FAB-U-LOUS........THE VIDEO, THE MAN, AND THE MACHINE.......
excellent job as always Ben....thanks for all the hard work on everything..... I am gonna have to find one of these.......dag gone it you guys, getting me hooked on machines I never thought about before....first the 1-18, and now these....I love that agitator the best......odd how its shaped like the space capsule of the time period.... |
Post# 551659 , Reply# 30   10/24/2011 at 19:29 (4,539 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Ken - the fold-down clamshell was a 1961 Custom Imperial feature only. Certainly expensive to cast and manufature, I'm sure those conditions kept GM from continuing this in 62 and 63. 1961's also featured a similar button selector of that from the 1960. Simple push-buttons, found on the '62 and '63, would have been another cost savings point.
Kenny - yes, sturdy is the word. Unless this is on a wet floor, then it decides to dance! Patrick - if I can figure out video editing, anyone can! Give it a try and don't give up at first. Eventually the light bulb will click and it's a piece of cake after that. Jim - very cool memories to share with us! Seems quite a few folks here had a '63 Frigidaire in their past. Thanks Martin for the kind words! Peter - holly cow, I forgot I had posted those awhile back! I learned something from the discussion today. For some reason I figured the 12 pound tub came out in '62, but I was wrong, per the doctrine (see below). Enjoy the craziness of speed changes year by year! I forgot to note on the chart the changes in 1962. At some point in the year (I believe towards the end) they changed the mechanism to that of what was in the '63. Changed the timer, motor, pulley's, clutch, etc. The quality isn't the greatest, but that's what happens when you cut from multiple places in each table from each scan, then go from Illustrator to pdf to jpg. Ben This post was last edited 10/24/2011 at 19:51 |
Post# 551668 , Reply# 31   10/24/2011 at 19:52 (4,539 days old) by jetaction (Minneapolis)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
1    
|
Post# 551686 , Reply# 32   10/24/2011 at 21:56 (4,538 days old) by washerlover (The Big Island, Hawai’i)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551688 , Reply# 33   10/24/2011 at 22:21 (4,538 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551872 , Reply# 36   10/25/2011 at 17:46 (4,538 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Spinmon - as I mentioned before, I pulled the machine out of service for the time being. I want to repair the pump before putting it back in daily use. Someday I may get around to filming this machine again.
Allen - wow, another family with this set! I would have left the lights on all the time as well. Heck, I've gone down in the basement many times before the next day having forgotten to turn the lamp off. It looks so nice you don't want to turn it off! Ben |
Post# 551878 , Reply# 37   10/25/2011 at 18:23 (4,538 days old) by mayfan69 (Brisbane Queensland Australia)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 551901 , Reply# 38   10/25/2011 at 20:36 (4,537 days old) by maypool ()   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
That was one of the best vids, clear and beautiful keep them coming thanks for sharing man. |
Post# 551905 , Reply# 39   10/25/2011 at 21:21 (4,537 days old) by rickr (.)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Great video Ben, thank you! Beautiful machine too. The first washer I ever owned was a 1963 Custom Deluxe set. The Flowing Heat Dryer and the Sturdy Washer. Well, you what luck I have always had with the Multitragic.... I replaced the washer soon after getting the set, with a 1971 1-18 and used the 1963 dryer with the 1-18 until 2002. I always loved the dryer. The only thing I had to do to it was replace the blower fan once. It came loose from the shaft and destroyed itself.
|
Post# 552038 , Reply# 41   10/26/2011 at 14:33 (4,537 days old) by washerlover (The Big Island, Hawai’i)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 552076 , Reply# 42   10/26/2011 at 16:16 (4,537 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 552875 , Reply# 43   10/30/2011 at 21:15 (4,532 days old) by Autowasherfreak ()   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Nice video, and a beautiful washer!!! |
Post# 553270 , Reply# 44   11/1/2011 at 02:24 (4,531 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
I love how the slogan "The sturdy washer" was screened on top of thick clear plastic so that the letters float above the curly-kew background. The CD I had just screened them on top of the metal backsplash. All the neat little details of the TOL models GM was meticulous back then.
"Special" cycle, on my 1-18 the special cycle gave slow wash with high speed spin for pillows, does yours do that?
|
Post# 553584 , Reply# 45   11/2/2011 at 10:11 (4,530 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 553596 , Reply# 46   11/2/2011 at 11:16 (4,530 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 553604 , Reply# 47   11/2/2011 at 11:41 (4,530 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 553611 , Reply# 48   11/2/2011 at 12:39 (4,530 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 553621 , Reply# 49   11/2/2011 at 13:35 (4,530 days old) by whirlcool (Just North Of Houston, Texas)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
There aren't too many of these left, are there? I'm a pursist, I prefer mine with the original agitator. Maybe someday, some way..... |
Post# 553656 , Reply# 50   11/2/2011 at 15:45 (4,530 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 553699 , Reply# 51   11/2/2011 at 18:34 (4,530 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
|
Post# 553833 , Reply# 52   11/3/2011 at 11:27 (4,529 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Ben, now the scans are appearing in Reply 30, and above. Thanks, the variations in speed are amazing.
Pete, that's the first time I've seen the 62 custom Deluxe in print. It's the one I have, but I added a light, not as bright in person, just really nice. Excuse the flash. Next time, I'll make sure it's off so you can see everything. |