Thread Number: 25226
Another dream kirby 516 thrift shop find!!!
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Post# 283478   6/6/2014 at 16:10 (3,583 days old) by vintagevaclover (Athens, GA)        

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I found this at a thrift shop for $50!!! It's all here, this thing was bought fully loaded and hardly ever used from the looks of it. It even has the instruction booklet and came in all the original boxes. At first when I was looking around, all I saw was cheap plastic dirt cup vacs, then when I was checking out, I mentioned I was into old vacuums and asked the lady to let me know if they got any in and she was like " oh Hun, I have an old kirby with all the attachments that just came in back" ans asked if I wanted to see it and I said " hell yea!" Lol.

Post# 283479 , Reply# 1   6/6/2014 at 16:12 (3,583 days old) by vintagevaclover (Athens, GA)        

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Post# 283480 , Reply# 2   6/6/2014 at 16:15 (3,583 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine)        

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Wow. Nice Find!!!

 


Post# 283481 , Reply# 3   6/6/2014 at 16:29 (3,583 days old) by BikerRay (Middle Earth)        

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Congrats on the find.

Post# 283494 , Reply# 4   6/6/2014 at 17:46 (3,583 days old) by marks_here (_._)        
That was a steal!!! Good show!!

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Those are great machines which a lot of people around my block when I was a kid had them & I could tell by how they sounded. I have the one before that the 515 that was my grans. & I managed to get a 561 & 562. I think I also have a 519 somewhere boxed up. Best of luck with that. Cheers!! Mark D.

Post# 283497 , Reply# 5   6/6/2014 at 18:17 (3,583 days old) by kevin (Livonia)        

Yeah, Austin, great machine & attachments at a great price! Good thing you asked or someone else may have snatched it before you!

All - Are the older Kirby serial #s coded for the year like the DS50 and later models? I know they had a letter code, but the one shown written in the manual in the pic above doesn't.


Post# 283500 , Reply# 6   6/6/2014 at 18:54 (3,583 days old) by electrolux137 (Los Angeles)        

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.
.

Kirby 500 series model numbers correspond to the year of manufacture:

505 - 1945-47
508 - 1948
509 - 1949
510 - 1950
511 - 1951
etc...
519 - 1959
560 - 1960
561 - 1961
562 - 1962


P.S.: Nice find on the 516!! :)


Post# 283505 , Reply# 7   6/6/2014 at 19:18 (3,583 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        

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When you attempt to break down serial numbers by the month made, that will be very tough to research on all Kirbys made prior to the Heritage I.

~Ben


Post# 283510 , Reply# 8   6/6/2014 at 19:44 (3,583 days old) by Gr8DaneDad ()        

Super jealous. The only vacs I ever find in thrift stores are Wal-Mart disposable plastic crap ones. Great find and a great price. Congratulations!

Post# 283523 , Reply# 9   6/6/2014 at 22:27 (3,583 days old) by vintagevaclover (Athens, GA)        

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The only kind on display was the cheap disposable ones. I just asked if they every got any old ones in and she said she had this one in the back. I also picked up a green hoover convertible from the '80s at another thrift shop for $5!

Post# 283527 , Reply# 10   6/6/2014 at 22:39 (3,583 days old) by MikePdx ()        
Sweet!

What a great find! June 6th must be Kirby Day. I found a nice Heritage II for only $35. Congratulations. That is a beautiful machine.

Post# 283538 , Reply# 11   6/6/2014 at 23:26 (3,583 days old) by vintagevaclover (Athens, GA)        

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I really think I would have been stupid not to get it. I mean, it runs like its new, it has all the attachments and paper work going back to when it was first purchased. It was apparently rebuilt in 1972 according to the paperwork.

Post# 283542 , Reply# 12   6/6/2014 at 23:31 (3,583 days old) by vintagevaclover (Athens, GA)        
Here's the #

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Post# 283550 , Reply# 13   6/7/2014 at 00:42 (3,583 days old) by kevin (Livonia)        

Thanks for the information, Charles. I like how Kirby composed the model #s in part to match the year of manufacture and wish other companies would have done something similar or at least made the serial ids easily decodable.

Here is a list of serial codes that someone posted on Vacuumland not too long ago which inspired my asking about the previous machines:



KIRBY CLEANER SERIAL LETTER CODES (1965-1981)

Dual Sanitronic '50' (April 1965 - August 1967)
A= April 1965 - May 1966
B= June - December 1966
D= January - August 1967

Dual Sanitronic '80' (September 1967 - Late 1969)
A= September 1967 - May 1968
No letter used in serial number after May 1968

Classic 1-CR (December 1969 - June 1973)
R= December 1969 - June 1970
S= July - December 1970
T= January - December 1971
A= January - August 1972
B= September 1972 - June 1973

Classic Omega 1-CB (July 1973 - June 1976)
M= July - December 1973 (Gold Bag)
N= January - September 1974 (Pinstriped Bag)
P= October 1974 - September 1975 (Diamondback Bag)
R= September 1975 - June 1976 (Diamondback Bag)

Classic III 2-CB (July 1976 - June 1979)
A= July - December 1976
B= January - July 1977
C= July - December 1977
D= January 1978 - August 1978
E= September 1978 - June 1979

Tradition 3-CB (July 1979 - August 1981)
F= July 1979 - February 1980
G= March 1980 - February 1981
H= March - August 1981


Post# 283569 , Reply# 14   6/7/2014 at 08:07 (3,583 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)        

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Very nice find!!!


Post# 283572 , Reply# 15   6/7/2014 at 09:45 (3,583 days old) by vintagevaclover (Athens, GA)        
I did some cleaning

vintagevaclover's profile picture
I love this vacuum!!! I've already cleaned my living room and bedroom with it and it's awesome!!! I originally got this one to sell bit I think I'm gonna keep it because it cleans better than my tradition and my classic III.

Post# 283573 , Reply# 16   6/7/2014 at 09:55 (3,582 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center)        
that bag,

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Is a replacement!surprised

 


Post# 283591 , Reply# 17   6/7/2014 at 11:37 (3,582 days old) by vintagevaclover (Athens, GA)        

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What would the original bag have looked like?

Post# 283612 , Reply# 18   6/7/2014 at 14:34 (3,582 days old) by electrolux137 (Los Angeles)        

electrolux137's profile picture
.
.

The original bag looked like this (see photos). It was plain dark-gray with a single, large Kirby logo on the front.

btw, the bag on the Kirby that's the original subject of this thread isn't original either. It also would have been plain gray like the one below. The gray bag with the silver "speckles" didn't come out until the 518 and, as with so many other changes, was introduced gradually. I've seen 518s and 519s with either plain or speckled bags. But the FIRST time it appeared was on the 518.

The speckled bag was probably put on the machine, along with a new cord, when the machine was rebuilt in 1972.


  Photos...       <              >      Photo 1 of 3         View Full Size
Post# 283614 , Reply# 19   6/7/2014 at 14:50 (3,582 days old) by kirbylux77 (London, Ontario, Canada)        

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Austin, great score on the Kirby 516! Not too often you find an old Kirby like that so complete, right down to the original box. One thing I don't get, though.....you say this cleaner was rebuilt in 1972? Then why does it still have it's original model plate on the bottom? Usually when you find a Kirby that's been factory rebuilt, they replace the model plate with one that says Factory Rebuild at the top, & gives the model & serial numbers.

Rob


Post# 283621 , Reply# 20   6/7/2014 at 16:18 (3,582 days old) by vintagevaclover (Athens, GA)        
Rebuild

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I think it was rebuilt by a vac shop, not the actual kirby factory. It had a receipt for the rebuild and some other papers in the box.

Post# 283642 , Reply# 21   6/7/2014 at 20:22 (3,582 days old) by vintagevaclover (Athens, GA)        
Cleaning

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I've taken this kirby completly apart and cleaned it completely, the bag is in the wash now (would love to find an original with a kirby logo), but this one is fine for now. This thing will be good to go when I'm done later tonight.

Post# 283670 , Reply# 22   6/8/2014 at 02:06 (3,582 days old) by vintagevaclover (Athens, GA)        
Finally done!!!

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It's all been cleaned out and put back together. It shines like a new penny. The is all clean and smelling nice and I even put some lemongrass/eucalyptus oil in the air refresher too. It smells really nice and there's no more dust. I will post pics later


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