Philco V dual hinged door refrigerator in LA

I've heard that the doors sometimes fell off if the hinge didn't catch and hold correctly when the door was closed. The next time it was opened the hinges wouldn't hold and the door would just fall off. I believe this happened after years of use and wear. I have a 56 that I got for free a few years ago. It cools great but the freezer door and some of the surround was missing. You can see how the handles were made thicker with less angle and have a square bezel on the second design compared to one above. "Automatic" emblem was also moved to top of door.

The door works great one way but when using in the opposite direction it won't always catch and close properly. That must have been the direction the door was most opened. I'm sure it's because of wear to the latch components inside the door that must lock in place when the door is opened to line up correctly and latch with the hinge when the door is then closed. Sometimes the latch does and sometimes doesn't lock in place. When it doesn't I can reach in with a finger and push it back and lock it. Then the door closes correctly.

The same exact refrigerator but with a conventional door was made in additional to the V handle. Id like to find one with the regular door as a donor for the missing/broken parts on mine. Or even to transfer the V door over to.

Here's some pictures of mine. Received a brown repaint probably in the 70s. I do have all the parts not shown. ie crispers and glass above them, door shelves.

In the last pic you can see the nylon roller at the bottom of the upper hinge. That's the receiver of a flat V shaped steel piece in the door latch inside the door. The door rests on those and the lower part of the hinges (the chromed part) swivels so the door can swing.

Photos... < > Photo 1 of 6 View Full Size


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Post# 866428 2/10/2016 at 01:00 (2,992 days old) by funktionalart (Rison, AR)
Checkrate/Likes 1 Gorgeous…and a door hinge design which ought to make a return! losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/app... CLICK HERE TO GO TO funktionalart's LINK on Los Angeles Craigslist Photos... < > Photo 1 of 11 View Full Size

Post# 866444 , Reply# 1 2/10/2016 at 08:13 (2,991 days old) by ken (NYS)
Checkrate/Likes That's the first design from 53-54.

Post# 866490 , Reply# 2 2/10/2016 at 13:15 (2,991 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )
Checkrate/Likes *Philco* Was one of the fridges you could barely hear run.

Post# 866505 , Reply# 3 2/10/2016 at 15:33 (2,991 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)
Checkrate/Likes 1 I hate to say it, but considering the sums a lot of people ask for less unique, less complete vintage refrigerators in questionable condition, $1,500 isn't all that bad for a nice V-handle. There's a decent chance that a moneyed L.A. hipster will snap this one up. I think I'd be spoiled by a V-handle arrangement if I had one for any length of time. Does anyone know how well this system held up? I wonder why this didn't catch on and become something of a standard. There are plenty of kitchens out there that were designed without the fridge stuck in a corner, and a V-handle would be perfect in such situations.

Post# 866510 , Reply# 4 2/10/2016 at 15:52 (2,991 days old) by funktionalart (Rison, AR)
Checkrate/Likes *Ralph~you're right...* Pricing is NOT at all out of line for this if it operates as well as it looks. I recently saw one change hands here in town ($2600 cash--I watched him PAY!!). I know of another one which has an asking price of circa $4500. For the $1500 on the one in LA, it's almost a no-brainer. People are asking that much for second hand Samsungs… As far as longevity of the hinges…I have no idea anymore. My dad had one of these V handles himself--I remember him basically giving it away to a friend in around 1980--and it was still working fine then. I'm sure there are some specialists out on the AW forum who'd know the intricacies and troubles (or lack thereof?).

Post# 866523 , Reply# 5 2/10/2016 at 17:07 (2,991 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)
Checkrate/Likes No where does it say that it works.

Post# 866531 , Reply# 6 2/10/2016 at 17:51 (2,991 days old) by ken (NYS)
Checkrate/Likes I've heard that the doors sometimes fell off if the hinge didn't catch and hold correctly when the door was closed. The next time it was opened the hinges wouldn't hold and the door would just fall off. I believe this happened after years of use and wear. I have a 56 that I got for free a few years ago. It cools great but the freezer door and some of the surround was missing. You can see how the handles were made thicker with less angle and have a square bezel on the second design compared to one above. "Automatic" emblem was also moved to top of door. The door works great one way but when using in the opposite direction it won't always catch and close properly. That must have been the direction the door was most opened. I'm sure it's because of wear to the latch components inside the door that must lock in place when the door is opened to line up correctly and latch with the hinge when the door is then closed. Sometimes the latch does and sometimes doesn't lock in place. When it doesn't I can reach in with a finger and push it back and lock it. Then the door closes correctly. The same exact refrigerator but with a conventional door was made in additional to the V handle. Id like to find one with the regular door as a donor for the missing/broken parts on mine. Or even to transfer the V door over to. Here's some pictures of mine. Received a brown repaint probably in the 70s. I do have all the parts not shown. ie crispers and glass above them, door shelves. In the last pic you can see the nylon roller at the bottom of the upper hinge. That's the receiver of a flat V shaped steel piece in the door latch inside the door. The door rests on those and the lower part of the hinges (the chromed part) swivels so the door can swing. Photos... < > Photo 1 of 6 View Full Size This post was last edited 02/10/2016 at 18:07

Post# 866612 , Reply# 7 2/11/2016 at 08:55 (2,990 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)
Checkrate/Likes These are one of the more truly innovative and beautiful refrigerators of the 1950's. I have a wonderfully illustrated brochure/sales book from Philco for these "V-Handle" models that is folded such that when you turn the pages, you can open the doors both ways with the same picture. This would have been great for a kitchen where it was located along an open span of cabinetry with access to the unit from both directions, hardly useful in corner. Never having seen one in person, I'd guess they would be enchanting enough to command a fairly high price, working or not. I know how I am :-)