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ishikabibble posted:Early Ford Store? Like, the place in San Dimas? That's the one... cool little town, I never had reason to go there until I got this car, it was always just a foot note in the raging waters commercial "where the 10 and 210 meet in san dimas" everdave posted:Lobster I envy your seemingly happy life, not that I am not happy, but you seem to live what you love. Hope that makes sense. Thanks, that is quite the compliment. like everybody the grass is not always green on the other side, but I really do try to make my grass green. not with material possessions, but with my love of history, design, los angeles and my upbringing with my mom and at the foot of my grandparents who were of the greatest generation. When I was a kid, my mom was a hard working designer and I would stay with my grandparents a lot of the time, there was constantly records playing, they still had an old TV from the 60s because "it works just fine, why get a new one" and with my grandpa in the garage building toys instead of buying them...this kind of stuck. I still had a Sega genesis, a bmx bike and skateboard, watched saturday morning cartoons and nickelodeon... but I always wondered why nickelodeon was named after a musical machine from the 20s. It sounds super cliche', but... I've been through a lot - loss, change, financial uncertainty,- you know the usual, but it's made me see that life is really really short, and if you spend your life unhappily you are cutting out some of the best things life has to offer. If you like to wear your pants on your head, feel free.. I just happen to like old stuff.  The Royal Nonesuch posted:... Sounds like me and your grandpa would have been buddies - Its pretty funny, there are about 5 people I grew up with in which I have better relationships with their parents/grandparents than they do - One girl in particular, who lived down the street.. I was hanging out with her dad in his garage - we were rebuilding the motor of a 53 buick - she came home and saw me there and got mad at her dad saying "how come you never invite my boyfriend over to work in the garage with you" - he handled the situation and came back to the garage and said "I don't invite him because he couldn't find his way out of a paper bag"
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May 8, 2017 05:29
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The owner of it even helped us out back when I was in high school for a solar boat competition build. Small world, innit...
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I have another addition to The Tome. This time it's a 1945 Detrola 568 Radio. The model 568 was originally designed and built to fill a government contract for a "Morale" Radio for US troops involved in the invasion of mainland Japan (Operation Downfall) in WWII. The war ended before the production contract could be completed, leaving Detrola with thousands of metal cased AM/Shortwave radios painted in olive drab. Detrola decided to make lemonade out of lemons, cut the welded-on carry handles off, paint them hammer-tone silver, and sell them to desperate US consumers who hadn't been able to buy new radios since 1942. This radio was purchased on ebay two weeks ago. on Monday evening I repainted the cabinet in original hammer-tone silver and recapped the chassis. I found a new Detrola decal to replace the one that had been lost to rust and abuse, it's in the mail and should be here soon.  Before Photo: 
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May 20, 2017 08:33
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I remembered this thread and have been beinge-watching Mr. Carlson's Lab videos on YoutTube to learn more about vacuum tube stuff, since I have an electronics background but knew nothing about tubes at all. In fact, I just picked up a Truetone D4630 radio from Goodwill for $1 to get some re-capping action and get some use from the old HeathKit tube tester I've had in a box for half my lifetime. Crazy thing about the radio is that it is remote mount head, with cables from the volume/tuning knobs. There's even a secondary drive from the tuning knob to operate the indicator across the range. I'll get some pictures, its downright ingenious. DJ Commie fucked around with this message at 06:48 on May 21, 2017 |
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May 21, 2017 06:43
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DJ Commie posted:I remembered this thread and have been beinge-watching Mr. Carlson's Lab videos on YoutTube to learn more about vacuum tube stuff, since I have an electronics background but knew nothing about tubes at all. In fact, I just picked up a Truetone D4630 radio from Goodwill for $1 to get some re-capping action and get some use from the old HeathKit tube tester I've had in a box for half my lifetime. That Truetone is an early post-war aftermarket Auto Radio sold by Western Auto. It'll run on 6 volts, positive ground. Also, the mechanical vibrator it uses to convert 6VDC to AC to be fed to a transformer and stepped up to 250-300V then rectified again and filtered for the tube b+ voltage is almost always frozen. Once you crack the vibrator open, it's basically like servicing a set of points in a mechanical ignition. Shango066 on youtube shows you how to do it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWyaqaWahEE MullardEL34 fucked around with this message at 08:12 on May 28, 2017 |
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May 28, 2017 08:07
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I've got my dad's old wood case valve radio at my house. I need to put new insulation on some of the wires as whatever they used back in (I'm guessing) the 1940s has flaked away. Going to put new heat shrink insulation on it, as the wiring itself looks good.
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May 28, 2017 10:37
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Holy poo poo, was that the original prop of the Rocketeer jetpack or a reproduction?
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May 29, 2017 02:00
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MC Hawking posted:Holy poo poo, was that the original prop of the Rocketeer jetpack or a reproduction? Either way it's beautifully done.
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May 29, 2017 21:38
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Wait, there's a LobsterboyX thread? He's still alive? What year is it? The last I left off, he had lost a car to a film production company, but apparently something like that isn't going to stop an enthusiast.
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May 30, 2017 19:50
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The reproduction Detrola decal went on pretty well for being a water slide. I used Microsol to blend the decal with the paint surface. 
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Jun 3, 2017 08:21
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MullardEL34 posted:The reproduction Detrola decal went on pretty well for being a water slide. Nice!!
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Jun 4, 2017 03:36
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MullardEL34 posted:That Truetone is an early post-war aftermarket Auto Radio sold by Western Auto. It'll run on 6 volts, positive ground. Also, the mechanical vibrator it uses to convert 6VDC to AC to be fed to a transformer and stepped up to 250-300V then rectified again and filtered for the tube b+ voltage is almost always frozen. Once you crack the vibrator open, it's basically like servicing a set of points in a mechanical ignition. Shango066 on youtube shows you how to do it here: Thanks for the info, I think I'll give the vibrator a servicing, replace the old paper caps in it and see if she chooches! Any specific recommendations for vendors for the caps? I've read a lot about restoring tube gear, and this thing looks to be in great condition despite missing the logo. Even the remote head cables turn smoothly and the tubes look pretty good.
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Jun 4, 2017 07:19
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Waffle House posted:Wait, there's a LobsterboyX thread? He's still alive? What year is it? The last I left off, he had lost a car to a film production company, but apparently something like that isn't going to stop an enthusiast. I'm alive - its 2017 and that car died in 2005 - I sold the car to them and they killed it, I now have a lot more cars and a house full of vintage things. I'm easily enthused. MC Hawking posted:Holy poo poo, was that the original prop of the Rocketeer jetpack or a reproduction? it was probably the finest reproduction ever made by a very talented propmaker. The real deal one probably isnt even this nice. It was rotocasted plastic that was vacuum plated - pulled from the original mold (of which I also have a copy) My helmet, not the fin was also pulled from an original.
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Jun 4, 2017 23:20
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MullardEL34 posted:I have another addition to The Tome. This time it's a 1945 Detrola 568 Radio. The model 568 was originally designed and built to fill a government contract for a "Morale" Radio for US troops involved in the invasion of mainland Japan (Operation Downfall) in WWII. The war ended before the production contract could be completed, leaving Detrola with thousands of metal cased AM/Shortwave radios painted in olive drab. Detrola decided to make lemonade out of lemons, cut the welded-on carry handles off, paint them hammer-tone silver, and sell them to desperate US consumers who hadn't been able to buy new radios since 1942. Thanks a lot, now I need one of those.
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Jun 4, 2017 23:22
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LobsterboyX posted:The real deal one probably isnt even this nice.
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Jun 4, 2017 23:23
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InitialDave posted:Isn't that a common thing with film props? They're meant for a passable seen-in-motion ten foot finish, not close examination? totally - I've had access to a lot of really amazing props, there are some that are better than others. Having worked in a shop that creates props, they usually spend big money on things that they have to pass by execs, everything else is very low budget, and it also depends on the shop used to create the props. For instance, the shop I worked at made the fake whips used in Django Unchained, which were made of felt so that the actors could be struck with them, a lot of work had to go in to them to make them look like real leather.
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Jun 5, 2017 04:00
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DJ Commie posted:Thanks for the info, I think I'll give the vibrator a servicing, replace the old paper caps in it and see if she chooches! Any specific recommendations for vendors for the caps? I've read a lot about restoring tube gear, and this thing looks to be in great condition despite missing the logo. Even the remote head cables turn smoothly and the tubes look pretty good. The best place for Caps is http://www.justradios.com/ Their "Bargain Bin" 630v Mylar caps are the best deal on the internet, but you might have to solder on extensions to the short leads. http://www.justradios.com/MYLARcapacitors.html Bob's Caps is also a good source for caps. http://www.radioantiques.com/capacitors.html MullardEL34 fucked around with this message at 08:05 on Jun 5, 2017 |
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Jun 5, 2017 07:53
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LobsterboyX posted:Thanks a lot, now I need one of those. If you want one, keep an eye out for the version in a chrome plated cabinet with the WJR logo and a lightning bolt silkscreened on the front. It was a promotional giveaway from WJR-AM in Detroit and is quite rare. Detrola was a local Detroit company, hence the name.
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Jun 5, 2017 18:54
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Somebody sent me this link with old car brochures. This thread seems appropriate to post it. http://www.lov2xlr8.no/broch1.html
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Jun 16, 2017 12:15
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I saw this lot with some awesome older cars in Glendale today and thought of you. Apparently these cars are all passively for sale and there's pressure from nearby businesses to get rid of them. Figured I would post these here. If anyone would want to save these cars (or knew someone who would) it'd be you.     
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Jul 14, 2017 22:22
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I thought that was a pair of Starliners and just about had a heart attack
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Jul 14, 2017 22:38
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Please find out what he wants for the Porsche... for reasons.
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Jul 15, 2017 00:02
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That loving Coupe DeVille.  Gimmegimmegimmegimmegimme
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Jul 15, 2017 00:23
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Lobster, you should pop into the interior design thread in DIY and show off your house. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3819901&perpage=40&pagenumber=26
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Jul 15, 2017 00:36
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BoostCreep posted:I saw this lot with some awesome older cars in Glendale today and thought of you. Apparently these cars are all passively for sale and there's pressure from nearby businesses to get rid of them. Figured I would post these here. If anyone would want to save these cars (or knew someone who would) it'd be you. I'm actually going to be not too far from that tomorrow, have to check it out! I have a few things in the works at the moment one is a 1947 chevy convertible! Waffle House posted:I thought that was a pair of Starliners and just about had a heart attack I thought it was a pair of 59 cadillacs!!! beep-beep car is go posted:Lobster, you should pop into the interior design thread in DIY and show off your house. Just in a quick perusal I see that my vintage antics may not fly so well with that crowd, they seem to like their open floor plans and modern cheesy stuff a bit too much! I might give it a try when I have a minute to compile some photos for a post.
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Jul 26, 2017 08:08
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LobsterboyX posted:I'm actually going to be not too far from that tomorrow, have to check it out! I have a few things in the works at the moment one is a 1947 chevy convertible! They are parked on a lot at 710 East Colorado St in Glendale, if you wanted to see them.
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Jul 28, 2017 18:09
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BoostCreep posted:They are parked on a lot at 710 East Colorado St in Glendale, if you wanted to see them. Do you know who's selling them? If Lobsterboy hasn't already gotten there first, I might need to make a visit down there... Those '59s 
ishikabibble fucked around with this message at 21:10 on Jul 28, 2017 |
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Jul 28, 2017 21:08
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ishikabibble posted:Do you know who's selling them? No, but the businesses next door should have his info. They are trying to get him to sell them or get rid of them. I couldn't find his contact info directly. I can try to swing by and see if they are still there since it's been a few weeks, and also look for contact info. BoostCreep fucked around with this message at 22:11 on Jul 28, 2017 |
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Jul 28, 2017 22:08
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Havent had a chance to get down there yet and my 47 chev and jukebox combo fell through. I realize I need another car like I need a hole in the head!
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Aug 17, 2017 01:03
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BoostCreep posted:No, but the businesses next door should have his info. They are trying to get him to sell them or get rid of them. I couldn't find his contact info directly. I'm definitely interested in the Porsche if you get any contact info.
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Aug 17, 2017 07:31
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If the area is indicative of the cost of those cars or the ease of obtaining them.. you're going to have a hard time getting those cars for a reasonable price. I need another car like I need a hole in the head. Here we go:  pinball anyone? I finally moved the Genie in with its younger cousin Creature from the black lagoon (Bally 1993)  I actually decided to put the caddy away, I'm really falling out of love with it and I hope that our time apart will make my heart grow fonder - I gave her some gas and a nice detail so she looks nice and pretty in storage. she will also be in good company   this is coming home, finally after a 3 year hiatus. The reason being is that after 10 years, me and my fiance are making it official - this will be our wedding car. it needs some brake work and I need to finish off the interior:  I just installed this door panel, and as you can see I did about half of the dynamat     Also, the buick finally gets to meet the roadster. Speaking of roadster:    This thing is so basic, but so fraught with peril. I took it out this past weekend with my buddy who owns the other roadster and broke down on the way home - as it turns out the fuel line was completely blocked so literally, un do the gas line, stick it in your mouth and blow the crap out of the line back up in to the tank - which is the dashboard of the car - yes, you're basically riding around with a bomb on your lap. Speaking of friends:  here's my friend Jon in his new to him 1927 Lincoln - This car is 100% original - the engine was recently rebuilt and has been in a private collection since 1950 - The car was originally purchased new by the LAPD as a Chief's car, but allegedly served as an undercover car in the 20s and early 30s for the gangbusters unit. This is a level of car collecting that I'm very interested in after understanding that cars like this aren't as expensive as I thought. also  This project has been going on for years!, this is my buddys '70 C10 with a 6L Vortec and the 6 speed auto trans - full restomod - all computer controlled. He's just getting to the final assembly state, Every time I go to help him, I realize that I don't think I'd ever undertake a full build like this. He's basically spent the same as a brand new truck.. another buddy recently picked up this beater - which I guess he's selling now...  New Truck? Well this was my rental car while my toyota was in the shop being fixed from a accident  This drat thing was realllllly cool, but it really reaffirmed the fact that I will never buy a modern pickup. It's so goddamn big, drank gas and the windshield had something up with it that gave me intense headaches and eye strain when driving at night. more fun stuff:  My buddy is a pretty awesome pinstriper, I did some trading with him for work - this is my 36 Hotpoint fridge in the garage.  A friend was in a bind and needed this beautiful 53 Caddy driven about 40 miles - this car is probably the nicest, highest optioned 53 4 door ever. This Factory air car was completely worked - the AC worked amazing. There was something pretty incredible about driving a car that old with working AC (which ive never experienced before)   Just some cool antiquity ive come across in my travels Hmmmm--- 
LobsterboyX fucked around with this message at 02:03 on Aug 25, 2017 |
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Aug 25, 2017 02:01
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LobsterboyX posted:another buddy recently picked up this beater - which I guess he's selling now... 1960 custom cab! Does it have the big rear glass? Kinda looks like it might...
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Aug 25, 2017 02:35
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Raluek posted:1960 custom cab! Does it have the big rear glass? Kinda looks like it might... It does. I just don't get what people see in these trucks. A lot of guys in my club have them and never seem to pay a lot for them but when they sell them magically they go for a lot. I was thinking about buying one just to flip!
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Aug 25, 2017 06:11
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LobsterboyX posted:It does. I just don't get what people see in these trucks. A lot of guys in my club have them and never seem to pay a lot for them but when they sell them magically they go for a lot. I was thinking about buying one just to flip! I like mine because it was my dad's truck when I was growing up, so I don't know that I can give a rational description for why I think they're cool. But I think they're much more handsome than the '61-'66 body style, at least, even if you (along with everyone) might prefer the '53-'56. I think the big rear glass is fairly uncommon; I've never seen another one up close, anyway.
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Aug 25, 2017 06:25
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LobsterboyX posted:
All the style of the 70 C10, with the reliability and power of a modern drivetrain? I'm okay with that, and it'll be a hell of a lot cooler than a modern truck. Probably a lot faster too, modern Silverados are heavy pigs. 
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Aug 25, 2017 06:27
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Yeah, what kind of idiot would put that much money into an old truck?  In all seriousness, if I could have afforded to do everything at once instead of over the course of nearly two decades now, it would be a hell of a lot nicer.
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Aug 25, 2017 06:45
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Raluek posted:I like mine because it was my dad's truck when I was growing up, so I don't know that I can give a rational description for why I think they're cool. But I think they're much more handsome than the '61-'66 body style, at least, even if you (along with everyone) might prefer the '53-'56. its not that I don't like them, what gets me is the prices that they are getting in the last few years - This particular truck was a long bed that someone chopped down (very cleanly) - the big back window is cool, ill grab a photo of it next week! I re-read what I wrote and I didn't mean to poo poo on it, it just came out wrong!. I actually prefer these to the 53-56. they are like the 57 chevy of ford trucks. - my favorite ford truck is the 51/52 big tooth and the 46/47 waterfall. Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:All the style of the 70 C10, with the reliability and power of a modern drivetrain? I'm okay with that, and it'll be a hell of a lot cooler than a modern truck. Probably a lot faster too, modern Silverados are heavy pigs. Exactly - that's his justification for doing this- he keeps saying after this one, he wants us to build one for me... but I'm way too in to the older more difficult trucks, 40s and early 50s with I beam axles and leaf springs. IOwnCalculus posted:Yeah, what kind of idiot would put that much money into an old truck? hah, I was hoping you'd chime in on that pic - he's had this truck for as long as I've had my caddy - well over 15 years now, weve all rebuilt them over and over, he just decided to go big this time - in addition to just knuckling down - he also built street rods like this for the first part of his career, he now works on trash trucks for the city and has the skill to accomplish it better and faster than anyone. when we were young we were all at the same level, he stayed with it and now diagnoses all of our problems that we would have been scratching our heads about. When I say help, I mean sit on a stool and smoke cigarettes and talk to him while he's doing his thing, occasionally getting up to hand him something.
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Aug 25, 2017 07:17
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Believe me, there's a part of me that wants to do that and just rip the thing apart and go nuts. I really should just put some goddamn miles on it first. Also congrats on the future and sure to be awesome wedding!
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Aug 25, 2017 07:37
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LobsterboyX posted:
Your friend does good work. That's a very attractive fridge. How much more does it cost to run a vintage fridge like that than a modern one?
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Aug 25, 2017 17:45
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LobsterboyX posted:Speaking of friends: Brass era and interwar cars are in a weird place; They can be INCREDIBLY expensive to restore, due to the complete lack of parts, yet aren't comparably valuable when restored, due to lack of demand. Also, I loving LOVE this thread.
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Aug 26, 2017 18:03
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Magnus Praeda posted:Your friend does good work. That's a very attractive fridge. How much more does it cost to run a vintage fridge like that than a modern one? The common perception is that it costs a lot of money to run a vintage fridge. This particular fridge was updated a few years before I bought it. Not for efficiency, but for safety. early refrigerators like this one ran on ammonia and some other "pre-code" chemicals that when exposed to air turn in to... lol... mustard gas.... around the late 40s, they stopped using the dangerous stuff and switched over to early versions of freon. the basic principal of refrigeration has remained the same since its inception, however efficiency HAS gotten better. This particular fridge was converted with a modern compressor, freon, lines, ect ect, but its pracitcal design remains true to originality. theres a exposed coil that acts as the freezer where you can put ice trays and there's coils underneath and on the sides that provide all around cooling, in addition to that they both have fully adjustable latches and hinges to get the best seal possible. The biggest problem that plagues old fridges are those pesky seals. In the late 50s, there was a national mandate set forth saying that refrigerators could no longer have a external locking latch system, but rather a pressure seal without any latch or locking mechanism. surprisingly there actually were plenty of childhood deaths coming from kids getting locked in the refrigerator- unable to open them because of their external latches in homes as well as junk yards, I must admit, when I was a kid, my grandparents had a fridge from the 50s and I thought the drat thing was a rocket ship, I was always trying to climb in and blast off. Because of this, refrigerators from about 1957 up in to the 80s were struggling to perfect their seals while being able to stand up to day to day use. Fridges from this era are notoriously bad with their efficiency, hence the bad rep of owning an older refrigerator. If a vintage refrigerator is sealed correctly, they are just about as efficient as modern ones due mostly to their solid, adjustable latch mechanisms - combine that with updated refrigerants and you're golden- it really boils down to a really nice working refrigerator with not as much room as their modern equivalents. More recently there have been companies producing modern refrigerators with the "look" of a vintage one the SMEG:  the Big Chill  and the NorthStar  All of these are super cool, and pretty pricey. In my quest for authenticity I've sacrificed quite a bit, I know I probably wont have my refrigerators forever, If I ever have kids I'd prefer to get something like the above modern refrigerators, but for now, just the two of us can get away with our smaller vintage stuff. TLDR: if old fridges are set up correctly, they dont cost any more than a modern one to run, but just have a lot less room
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Sep 7, 2017 20:17
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