You may remember the GE upright I picked up on the northwest side of Chicago after given a lead by our Webmaster.  Here is the thread.  I cleaned it up and plugged it in and  - - - nothing.  Well she sat in the basement until I decided I needed to clean the basement up getting ready for another gathering at Tarantula Arms.  Not being particularly motivated to clean the basement, I was easily distracted to try and get this old girl working again, since she was such a beauty.  I pulled off the handle and tested the wire to the motor.  There was the problem, no juice.  I opened up the switch and found broken and disintegrating wires.  Good thing I didn't get shocked.

I tried to cut the original cord down to get a clean splice and the insulation on the wires just kept on disintegrating.  Well, I wasn't going to be able to use the original cord.  Rats!  Other than that, the machine is completely original.  I have always found that Kirby cords work well for restorations since they come in a rainbow of colors.  I used a blue one on my Hoover 82.  Only close scrutiny would disclose it to the discerning eye.  I got a new brown Kirby cord and spliced it in.  Voila! She fired right up.  There was a loose original belt on it and it turns out that a Kirby belt works just fine.  Put in a new headlight, sprayed a bit of Armor-All and she is good to go.  Need to have the brushroll rebristled, but other than that she is almost like new.  It is amazing to me how easy these machines are to work on.  Because of the flash, you can't see the belt cover, but it is in great shape.  I may try to take a picture without the flash. Enjoy.

With the hose on.  Great suction and no leaks.  Amazing.

To go to work.

Check out the link in the first post above.  I have also added it here.  O'Connors does the rebristling.  I called and he said send the brushroll with your address and he'll call you with an estimate.   From all accounts a very reputable business.