Thread Number: 18428
Kirby Heritage II Restoration
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Post# 202558   10/2/2012 at 13:45 (4,194 days old) by s-earth ()        

Hi Everyone! I bought the Kirby Heritage II off of ebay a while ago and finally made some time to bring it back to its former glory. Below are the "Before" pictures:


Post# 202559 , Reply# 1   10/2/2012 at 13:46 (4,194 days old) by s-earth ()        


The Heritage II was not in real bad shape. It just needs a good polishing.


Post# 202560 , Reply# 2   10/2/2012 at 13:46 (4,194 days old) by s-earth ()        


Missing a hub cap...


Post# 202561 , Reply# 3   10/2/2012 at 13:55 (4,194 days old) by s-earth ()        
And now the "AFTER" pictures:

Shiny.....


Post# 202562 , Reply# 4   10/2/2012 at 13:57 (4,194 days old) by s-earth ()        


The original Mini-Emtor was cracked, so I replaced it with the Sani-Emtor and Reusable Bag Option for this restoration.


Post# 202563 , Reply# 5   10/2/2012 at 13:57 (4,194 days old) by s-earth ()        


More pics


Post# 202565 , Reply# 6   10/2/2012 at 14:00 (4,194 days old) by s-earth ()        


Showing the Sani-Pocket where one could unzip and scrape accumulated dirt from inside the bag and shove into the Sani-Emptor for proper disposal.


Post# 202567 , Reply# 7   10/2/2012 at 14:03 (4,194 days old) by s-earth ()        
The Glamour Shot

With many of the product offerings, including the Roo Bag (hung in a closet or from a doorknob that kept the hose attachments within convenient reach).


Post# 202568 , Reply# 8   10/2/2012 at 14:05 (4,194 days old) by s-earth ()        
With the 'Classic' styled nozzle

A family shot with an older Heritage II pictured on the left.


Post# 202573 , Reply# 9   10/2/2012 at 14:18 (4,194 days old) by kirbymodel2c (Nottingham, England)        
Hi Jacob...

kirbymodel2c's profile picture
Hi Jacob. You've done a great job there. I like it when people show a before and after.
It gives you something to compare:o)

James:o)


Post# 202576 , Reply# 10   10/2/2012 at 14:57 (4,194 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)        

eurekastar's profile picture

Wow!  That looks fantastic!  And a shakeout bag too!  I think by the time the Heritage II rolled around, most people were choosing the disposable bag option.  Are the wheels keeping the Em-Tor from going fully into place.  I think they are from a model with the Mini-Emtor.  It's been a while since I've worked on one of those, but I think you can get a shorter axle that will take care of that wheel issue.  Or maybe there's a spacer on the axle that forces the wheels further out?  I really can't remember!  Again, great job!


Post# 202579 , Reply# 11   10/2/2012 at 15:37 (4,194 days old) by IL-Kirby-Fan ()        
Sani-Emptor/Wheel issue

Hi, great looking Kirby. I wanted to let you know to make the sami-emptor fit on the machine correctly you can get a rear wheel exle for a Kirby Tradition which is shorter and will allow the emptor to rotate all the way into place, or you could take the hub cap off the rear wheel on the side of the emptor and remove the wheel and the spacer and put the wheel on the inside of the axle and the spacer on the outside of the wheel, that will also allow enough room for the emptor to rotate all the way into place.

Post# 202598 , Reply# 12   10/2/2012 at 22:02 (4,194 days old) by vacuumfreak (Ontario, Canada)        

That looks just like my old Heritage II before pictures :P It looked just like that before and then I made it look nice, but not nearly as nice as yours! I traded mine in though for a G3 with all attachments at the vac shop where I work at now. You did a fantastic job!

Daniel :-)


Post# 202604 , Reply# 13   10/3/2012 at 00:16 (4,194 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)        

bnsd60m9200's profile picture
you just HAPPENED to have a heritage II dump bag and sani emtor laying around?!

Will Hemb


Post# 202615 , Reply# 14   10/3/2012 at 09:03 (4,194 days old) by kirbyvacuum (Long Island New York)        
Beautiful job

Hi Jocob Looks like it just came from the factory. What did you use to get such a wonderful shine? Doug

Post# 202979 , Reply# 15   10/7/2012 at 21:05 (4,189 days old) by s-earth ()        
Thank you all for your kind words!

I love doing Kirby restorations, but most of all, I love it when they're DONE!!! Laughing

 

Getting the Sani-Emptor on the exhaust was actually a funny (if not stupid!) story. I kept trying to rotate it on, but thought I was just too weak to get it all way, or maybe the gasket was too firm (I like the latter idea). I couldn't figure out why, so I compared it to the Tradition model since it had a Sani-Emtor as well. That was when I discovered that, DUH, the wheels on the Tradition are closer together and do not extend past the frame! I really blushed at that moment....  So, I checked the location of the wheels on the Heritage II and, sure enough, the wheels were blocking the Sani-Emtor from attaching correctly. One of the members here is sending a replacement axle to correct the issue. THANK YOU BILL!!! 

 

For polishing the aluminum, I usually wet sand with 400 grit sandpaper, then 800 grit, and end with the bench-grinder-turned buffer (Brown compound, then White compound). I've had great success with this process getting the "age/liver spots" out of the aluminum that many Kirbys develop.

 

Jacob


Post# 226914 , Reply# 16   4/6/2013 at 01:55 (4,009 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        

kirbyclassiciii's profile picture
Jacob,

Have you compared your Heritage II with the pocket bag setup with the original 1981 Heritage, to see how far its rear wheels extend past the frame?

~Ben



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