My friend got me into vintage kirby's. i found this one for $20 at a thrift store. put about $60 of repairs/parts into it. runs like a champ! my first restoration project with the help of my friend jacob.
i should note it is in excellent mechanical shape. this is a 1985 model heritage II. i had to buy a brushroll head (turns out my friend jacob found the original to this kirby at the same thrift store a week later, so he's selling the one i bought one ebay), a new power cord (old one was spliced in 4 places) and a new headlight bulb (old one was arching and causing it to flicker). the new headlight is super bright too!
the brushroll head was pretty scratched up, and took some sanding and buffing to get the straches out. the rest of the polished aluminum just took some mothers aluminum polish and steel wool. tech wax really brought the shine out!
the only other things we did were wash the outer bag on a gentle cycle, and clean out the mini emtor. the previous owner obivously vacuumed something moist, and left a nasty goop in the mini emtor (black thing that connects the motor to the outer bag) that had to be washed out pretty vigorously. still a few small cosmetic things to replace, but thier minor, most people wont notice i change them. a new mini emtor is on the list though...
this was a first for me, to restore something, and give it some love to make it look new again. it was REALLY satisfying. this definitely wont be my last restoration for sure. i have at least 2 vacs in my personal collection from a huge haul to restore (classic III and tradition), plus one's of similar and older kirby vintage that will be for sale as well.
anyways, on to the pics!
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Comes to the Rescue!
