1927 Maytag nearly finished..

[Stepney 2,314]

Well .. the purists may call it a 'restomod' as I went with a slightly different choice of color.. and the engine number doesn't match. But anything is better then the scrap that this would have become had I not saved it. This is a Maytag model 92 washing machine, built in October of 1927, (Though the engine was found in another location, more on that later. It was built in December of '28).

Some years ago I owned a little twin cylinder Maytag engine, just stationary, on a set of skids. It went to shows along with my other antique engines. I sold it .. wish I hadn't. Another topic I suppose.

Well for the last few years, I'd been wanting a single cylinder model .. but didn't want to pay the outrageous 'today' prices some people put on these things. 
Well.. nearly two years ago now, I was helping a friend from school take care of their horses (the four legged variety). I noticed the foot-starter pedal sticking up from the dirt inside a barn, the engine had been jammed under a hole in the barn wall where it met the dirt, apparently to cover up entrance for a critter at some unknown point in ancient history. At first I thought I was seeing things.. till I started to dig down and found the engine in the ground. It looked like a solid block of dirt, like you may find along a beach, just a clump of rusted iron. Missing the flywheel and magneto, exhaust, and other parts. Seized tight. Well .. the engine came home with me despite the odd looks and questions of why I'd want such a piece of trash. I later found the flywheel being used as a dog dish around the property, and the magneto was found on a shelf in the barn.

After a few months soaking in a barrel of diesel/kerosene mix, I pulled it out and removed the carb. After scraping the dirt out and a few light taps with a hammer.. it was free. Pulled the piston to find the bore still clean. 
After all those years (Family has been there since the 60's, and has no knowledge of a washer or the engine, so lets say it was buried since atleast 1962).
  ..After all those years all the little engine needed was a condenser, and a light hone on the cylinder. I reused the original rings. They were still in great shape. Had a spare exhaust I'd picked up for some reason in the past. The rest of the parts I made myself. The little ID plate, the kill 'switch', etc. All the original brass hardware was in great shape and polished out nicely. I found the exhaust ports in the cylinder plugged with carbon.. likely the reason the (generally unreliable even when new) engine wouldn't start for the umpteenth time, and it was shoved in that hole to make it go away. The carbon is the only thing that saved it, I think. Blocked off any water from getting in.

 

While I toiled away with the engine in spare time.. decided I wanted to find a washer to go with the machine. Some wanted ads and calls went without luck for a year. 
While at a engine show up in Boothbay, Maine, with one of my big engines (The little one didn't run yet), a lady saw my paper taped to my truck gate with 'Wanted: Antique Maytag Washer" printed on it, with a photo. She had one in her barn, and she wanted it out of the way since they were tearing it down.. A 10 mile run up the road sent me home with a complete though rough, 1927 Model 92 washer. It had been stripped of the engine decades earlier, and was running off an electric motor stuck to a board in the base. Last run sometime in the 70's as she told me. It had been in the family for decades. 

 

..Story aside. It's been a really long task, nearly 2 years in all. With the Boothbay show just 4 days away (And the granddaughter of the original owner coming to see it running), it's nearly done. 
The washer itself was far more used up then the somehow preserved little engine. A few bearings had seized and it just continued to run with no maintenance, which created grooves in the drive shafts. We mended and replaced what all we could. Original color was 'Ghost Grey" and personally I am not a fan.. I felt this almond fit it better. They also came in a nice Apple Green.. but I had a really bad time with some special mixed paint which wasted about 4 months worth of time. (Did I mention I stripped it down 3 separate times because of paint issues?)

 

..Anyway that tangent over. Here it is nearly finished. It is of course a wringer washer. I will hopefully get those parts working tomorrow, and the lid put back on too. Incredibly overbuilt machine with gearing that rivals a WH transaxle. ..in fact is probably stronger. 
 

 

 

[WHX?? 46,679]

Always stop to look at them at shows. Your allowed your tangent with that kind of effort.

Bang up job on that one there and everyone here appreciates your time & money in it!! !

[wallfish 15,905]

Nice set up with the washer machine! Looks great

I've always wanted to get into those Maytag engines but I need another hobby like a hole in the head.

[ebinmaine 62,943]

Awesome job on that. Incredible amount of patience and skill went into that. Well done sir.

[RandyLittrell 3,827]

That great!  You did a heck of job!

 

My Aunt's mother in law who died two years ago was still using a maytag tub washer. Electric of course. She was in her 90's. 

 

 

 

Randy

 

 

[dclarke 4,011]

That is awesome! It took a while but the end result was well worth it. Well Done!! 

[formariz 11,849]

Great to see someone restoring and caring about old stuff. Great job. Please post video of it working when completed.

[The Tuul Crib 7,332]

Wow that brings back a lot of memories 

of the day helping mom use the wringer 

washer to do laundry! Thanx for sharing 

the pics! If you have any more  to show that would be excellent!

[Stepney 2,314]

17 minutes ago, The Tool Crib said:

Wow that brings back a lot of memories 

of the day helping mom use the wringer 

washer to do laundry! Thanx for sharing 

the pics! If you have any more  to show that would be excellent!

Haha this seems to be the general consensus wherever I post this thing. There will be better photos when I get her going, tomorrow hopefully. 

[ebinmaine 62,943]

And video....... ?

[Stepney 2,314]

11 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

And video....... ?

Wellll you for one already saw the little teaser.. haha. Naturally. Gotta think of something really wacky to throw in it at the show. Perhaps a prison suit. 

[ZXT 2,394]

Very nice! I also have a Maytag tub wringer-washer with a Model 92 on it, still in its work clothes. Runs great and is very cool to demonstrate at shows to kids. 

 

All in all, between my dad and myself, we probably have 40 Maytag engines, most of which are apart. 

 

When I was about 12, I was given a twin cylinder that a church member had found in a creek near his house, buried in the dirt with a piece of whatever it was bolted to pointing up where he could see it. It miraculously was not stuck, and after pulling the tank and cleaning out the solidified lead gasoline out of it, it started and ran beautifully, bare spark plug wires and all. I just positioned them so that they weren't shorting to anything and it was happy. It was cool to watch the spark jump at night. 

 

I took it with me to church the next Sunday, and when he walked out of the building after the service, I jumped in the back of the truck and started it. He was baffled that I was able to get it to run.  

[WHNJ701 4,164]

very cool, this one is still in my basement my grandparents bought it new in the early 50s, I never tried to use it but I think it still works or at least it did when they upgraded, it really just needs a good cleaning and detailing to make it presentable again.

[Cvans 1,009]

Used to like running the clothes through the wringer. Hate to think of how many loads of clothes have gone through those machines. 

[Stepney 2,314]

It took some time but .. here she is! Just need to polish the wringer guides and find someone to paint the graphics back onto the front. 

 

Here's a video for good measure..

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I14mQqO2MpI

Edited July 4, 2019 by Stepney