Thread Number: 37064  /  Tag: Pre-1950 Vacuum Cleaners
Kirby 505
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Post# 395985   8/2/2018 at 01:41 (2,066 days old) by Bee-Vac (Pomona, Calif)        

bee-vac's profile picture
Picked this up today for mother. I haven't had a Kirby in a long time. I know Kirby's aren't generally the quietest of cleaners, but I'm sure I'm going to need new bearings. I haven't worked on a Kirby and forever, are bearings for these 505s hard to find these days?

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Post# 395995 , Reply# 1   8/2/2018 at 08:59 (2,065 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        
Bee-Vac

kirbyclassiciii's profile picture
Most 500 series parts will be harder to find these days, but the bearings might still be available. They are part numbers 1155 (back) and 1160 (front).

This 505 was rebuilt around 1979-1981, when the Tradition was then the current Kirby model. The replacement cord I see is rosewood brown (Classic Omega).

~Ben




This post was last edited 08/02/2018 at 10:39
Post# 396016 , Reply# 2   8/2/2018 at 12:49 (2,065 days old) by Phaeton (Los Angeles )        

phaeton's profile picture
Hello Bee-vac,
I have purchase a number of Kirby parts fro Kent Oyler. He might have the parts you need for your 505.
He has an eBay store and if you Google Kirby Needs you will find it. He is great to deal with.
I have a 509 and D50 that I need finish one of these days.
Good luck with the 505,
Pete


Post# 396021 , Reply# 3   8/2/2018 at 14:12 (2,065 days old) by Bee-Vac (Pomona, Calif)        
Cool!

bee-vac's profile picture
Thanks for the info guys! Its funny, not too long ago I thought, "I haven't seen a Kirby with a flip switch around in a long time..." then this one pops up on Letgo.

Post# 396052 , Reply# 4   8/2/2018 at 20:01 (2,065 days old) by texaskirbyguy (Plano, TX)        
Nice score!

Yours has been rebuilt in blue - looks nice, despite not original black.
Bearings are available, a little hard to find. Kirby sells them but are about 25 apiece. Kirby needs on ebay has them for less than half of that. You can get other stuff too from there and he will combine ship. 25 for a set of bearings may sound like a lot, but it really increases the value of the machine and gives it decades of quiet service.
Come follow in my footsteps as I restored my 505 a couple years back.
www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-...
Mine had been rebuilt in red and it looked nice enough to keep it that way. If you have any questions, just let us know.
Enjoy your new machine and have fun with the resto!


Post# 396132 , Reply# 5   8/3/2018 at 14:00 (2,064 days old) by Bee-Vac (Pomona, Calif)        
Question

bee-vac's profile picture
I got to thinking... maybe the Kirby I have isn't a 505... Could it be a different early 500 series? The model plate is missing. Are there any clues to look out for that would give me a better Idea as to what model this is?

Post# 396133 , Reply# 6   8/3/2018 at 14:13 (2,064 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)        
Clue

lesinutah's profile picture
Hey
One clue to narrow it down. On the back of the emtor is there a sweet Aire plug. If there is it's earliest a 510. If no swert Aire 505 508 509.


Post# 396135 , Reply# 7   8/3/2018 at 15:43 (2,064 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        
Lesinutah

kirbyclassiciii's profile picture
The only true way of knowing for sure what the original model number for this was would be to check the armature and field for any stamping dates; but be aware they too get changed in rebuilds.

~Ben


Post# 396158 , Reply# 8   8/3/2018 at 22:15 (2,064 days old) by Bee-Vac (Pomona, Calif)        
Sani-emptor

bee-vac's profile picture
Nope, no sweet aire port. How about the "handle fork", the early 500's have an open fork, opposed to one with a "skirt", right?


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Post# 396162 , Reply# 9   8/3/2018 at 23:44 (2,064 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        
Bee-Vac

kirbyclassiciii's profile picture
So this could very well be a 505, or a 508 or 509.

The 514 was the first model with the revised handle fork detail.

~Ben


Post# 396223 , Reply# 10   8/4/2018 at 20:28 (2,063 days old) by texaskirbyguy (Plano, TX)        

Yes, the earlier models did have the open handle fork. This can be seen on my 505 in the thread link way above.
Yours has the closed style fork so you probably have a later model.


Post# 396241 , Reply# 11   8/4/2018 at 23:55 (2,063 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)        
Hey

lesinutah's profile picture
Hey
Pic of emtor bottom and if you are mechanically inclined look at motor. If you could take picture inside nozzle. I not sure texaskirbyguy the back emtor spacing by wheels looks right and a newer fork is possible it's blue. It could have 505 motor housing ,4 amp motor I'd bet it was 505 508 somebody got honky bojackec it good. Idk how they get blue or brown belt lifters on old vacuums. I can see paint like this but the red belt lifter I've seen and have
Ooks like it's brown plastic from a mold. Why can't we go back in time steel these cracker Jack's molds to make red or black belt lifters not brown or blue. I'd then slap them and say damn it Bobby your being stupid stop sniffing the propane.
Sorry for poor sentence structure.
Imagine a 1963 Corvette baby blue. Then imagine them tearing off fenders putting 1980 style on it fiberglass to flow better paint it canary yellow. They just messed up a classic to a car you would drive a gremlin over.
Rant over I'm blue with envy.
Les


Post# 396249 , Reply# 12   8/5/2018 at 01:26 (2,063 days old) by Bee-Vac (Pomona, Calif)        
Handel Fork

bee-vac's profile picture
I have a few parts laying around and polished up an open handle fork and swapped it out for now. If I find out that the closed end fork was original to this machine, I'll swap it out again.

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Post# 396276 , Reply# 13   8/5/2018 at 15:07 (2,062 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        
Lesinutah

kirbyclassiciii's profile picture
Les,

I agree totally about some of these bojacked vacuums... I would rather they be rebuilt, if so necessary, using all genuine Kirby replacement parts no matter what color those replacement parts are.

It's the missing serial number plates on some of them that turn me off about these bojacked jobs!

~Ben


Post# 396298 , Reply# 14   8/5/2018 at 22:26 (2,062 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)        
Hey

lesinutah's profile picture
It even looks like it's got f and g adapter looking at connector to emtor.
Les


Post# 396303 , Reply# 15   8/5/2018 at 23:41 (2,062 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        
Lesinutah

kirbyclassiciii's profile picture
Les,

That is the other thing that turns me off about these homegrown rebuilds.

~Ben


Post# 396308 , Reply# 16   8/6/2018 at 01:11 (2,062 days old) by Bee-Vac (Pomona, Calif)        
F & g

bee-vac's profile picture
F&G adaptor on this cleaner? No, it's got an emptor.

Post# 396354 , Reply# 17   8/6/2018 at 23:12 (2,061 days old) by Bee-Vac (Pomona, Calif)        
Good and bad news...

bee-vac's profile picture
First the good news: I had the front and rear bearings replaced,(THANK YOU KIRBY NEEDS!) and I am amazed how quiet it runs now! I hadn't had a Kirby in years. Come to think of it, Kirby was probably my first love in vacuum collecting. Now for the bad news... Sorry mom, you aint gettin' a Kirby no more... I'm uh-keepin' it. It has it's original Armature, I could tell by the small cooling fan.

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Post# 396356 , Reply# 18   8/7/2018 at 01:17 (2,061 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)        
Hey

lesinutah's profile picture
Take a pic of inside nozzle, bottom of vacuum were wires go-to speed switch. Noticed certain things 505 has nobody else does.
Les


Post# 396366 , Reply# 19   8/7/2018 at 03:37 (2,061 days old) by Bee-Vac (Pomona, Calif)        
Bottom where wires go to switch

bee-vac's profile picture
I see a "510", an "E", and a "2"...

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Post# 396378 , Reply# 20   8/7/2018 at 10:53 (2,060 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        
Bee-Vac

kirbyclassiciii's profile picture
If I am thinking what you're thinking, this may be a model 510 (1950-1951).

The 510 was the first model in which the Sani Emtor had the Sweet-Aire port.

~Ben


Post# 396413 , Reply# 21   8/8/2018 at 00:44 (2,060 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)        
Hey

lesinutah's profile picture
The VAcuum is not a 505. I can tell from that picture.
I'd say 509 maybe probably not. 510_512 maybe early 513 the version with 3 amp motor.
Les


Post# 396414 , Reply# 22   8/8/2018 at 00:47 (2,060 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)        
Hey

lesinutah's profile picture
The VAcuum is not a 505. I can tell from that picture.
I'd say 509 maybe probably not. 510_512 maybe early 513 the version with 3 amp motor.
Les
It has 510 motor housing. The motor might be 4 amp looks fatter than ,,3 amp.


Post# 396436 , Reply# 23   8/8/2018 at 15:54 (2,059 days old) by Bee-Vac (Pomona, Calif)        
:)

bee-vac's profile picture
I think it's SOO cool that you guys can tell just by a few photos. I appreciate any and all info guys, thank you :)

Post# 396441 , Reply# 24   8/8/2018 at 19:27 (2,059 days old) by texaskirbyguy (Plano, TX)        

Your motor looks like a 3A. The commie bars are the skinner ones and the windings look longer and smaller in diameter.

See reply #5 of my 505 resto thread to see the 3A and 4A armatures side by side for comparison:
www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-...
The bottom one is the 3A.



Post# 396479 , Reply# 25   8/9/2018 at 00:13 (2,059 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)        
Yup

lesinutah's profile picture
Texaskirbyguy is right its bars looked longer. The armature blades on 3 amp are triangle shaped. The 4 amp have almost rectangle with triangle corner cut out.
The body looks like 510 but you have,505 508 or 509 emtor.
It's basically mismatched parts.

510 motor housing but 505 508 emtor. You didn't show inside nozzle but guess is 510 to 512 replacement belt lifter that was red and grey.
The best you can do is keep it as is. Trying to part together vacuum back to original of any early version is almost impossible.
It's a nice blue it runs. I wouldn't bother much more than shiing up and use it or display it. I love blue but that is what I would do.
Les



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