The year's best find: A working 1937 Frigidaire!

[Plumbata]

To sum up the story below, I found what is by far my favorite item of the year. Knowing the history, and investing my time into fixing it has fueled a kind of love I really have never felt for an object. It must be how people feel about a classic car that they have restored. Pictures are below the following wall of text.

So this past Monday evening my girlfriend and I were cruising around her neighborhood for no particular reason aside from the stimulation derived from the changing scenery. Normally garbage day is on Monday morning in this neighborhood, but due to Christmas the normal schedule was moved up a day here in Peoria.

Anyway, in the darkness I saw peripherally what appeared to be a nice bit of metal scrap. Being an avid opportunist I stopped the truck and got out to take a look.

When the nature of the "scrap" registered, I about soiled myself. []

The door hinges were broken, apparently made of cast aluminum, and the latch hook was removed but in a bag with the screws and paper gaskets taped to the detached door. On the tape "Works - Runs Cold" was written. I was getting excited. [] I looked at the back and saw "5-37" painted, which I took to mean it was made in May of 1937. The same numerals were stamped on a strip of metal and spot-welded to the back.

So as I was struggling to move the 220+ pound hunk of metal to the truck, a man popped his head out of the house and offered to help me load it. He was a kind fellow, about 60, and he told me that his parents had bought it back in the 1930s. He said that a gust of wind blew the door open (the latch hook having been removed) and snapped it off the hinges as he was setting it out, and that it broke his heart to let it go. He said that there are places that will pay good money for these things, but I assured him it wouldn't be sold and that I'd take good care of it. He seemed to appreciate the fact that I so obviously appreciated the piece, and then we shook hands and parted ways.

It laid on its back in the truck for a few days as I was thinking about what to do with it, and I decided to look for an epoxy to try to re-attach the door. I found a very excellent "weld" kit and it was precisely what I needed, so on the 29th, a beautiful sunny day with a high of 54, I set out to get it in running shape. I cut out the old rotted rubber seal, then mixed the "weld" resins together and slathered it on the breaks. The door was easily positioned and I sat on the door (it was laying on its back still) for 15 minutes to let the epoxy set, then put a spare tire on it when I grew weary of that idle sitting business.

I did yard work and some house repairs for the next 5 hours, letting the resin cure enough to withstand a trip to the hardware store. I needed a rubber seal of some sort, and a helpful employee suggested a foam-rubber weatherstrip with adhesive backing which he thought would work best.

I cleaned the surface with Isopropanol and laid a double course of the weatherstrip, but ran out and had to go buy another roll. It appeared that the double-course wasn't raised enough to ensure a good seal, so I laid a single course on top of the double course, and this approach worked excellently.

I re-attached the latch hook, and the door closed perfectly. I got it out of the truck when it was clear that the epoxy had set, and carted it to the garage to test and ensure that it does indeed run.

And it runs, alright! The light-bulb works, and it gets cold in no-time! The whirr of the compressor motor makes the refrigerator sound as if it's purring. My love for the beautiful antique machine increased even more, and I sat for probably 2 hours admiring the piece, walking around it, opening and slamming shut the oiled door probably 100 times and just generally being awestruck, mouth agape in semi-disbelief that I actually own such a beautiful, working 75 year old fridge. []

I had to show my friends pictures of the thing, and they all agreed that it was an incredible find, and that it would make the consummate beer fridge. []

The fridge is 4'6" tall, 2' deep and 2'4" wide. The internal capacity is approximately 5 cubic feet according to my measurements. It did not come with the shelves, but I have a nice metal rack which I will butcher and make shelves with.

All-around, the fridge is like a glorified mini-fridge by today's size standards, but it couldn't be more perfect to my eye. 4 and a half feet tall makes it perfect for resting one's elbow on, and the Art-Deco pressed design is totally incredible. Aside from running perfectly after 75 years, the design is what totally blows me away. It looks like a deco, early 30s sky-scraper, and has a simple, austere beauty to it which makes it the most absolutely stunning fridge I've ever laid eyes on. I looked online and could not find any with the extraordinary deco design. I also saw websites where restored fridges like this are being sold for 2,500 and up, so I figure the 20 bucks invested in fixing it up was a good decision. []

I could gush ad-infinitum about this find, and kinda want to, but in the interest of your sanity here are some pictures.

Here it is in the middle of my refurbishment process. Note the compressor in the base, and the incredible art deco design.

Making progress with replacing the seal:

At 4'6" it is about the same height as my trusty bottle diggin' shovel. The white and chrome decal is very nice, and you can see that the design continues up the door and across the whole top.

The interior is quite clean, cleaner than many fridges which are only a few years old. The black stuff in the back consists of chunks of "rotten" rubber seal I hadn't brushed out, not mildew or similar grossness.

Freezer-box with space for the old-school lever-operated aluminum ice cube trays. The fridge didn't come with any when I got it, but I've got about 6 of them floating around. Check the lightbulb, and the easy-to-use controls. It all works.

The rear. Note the stenciled "DRS-5-37". On a metal strip "DR-5-37" is stamped, and on another "1627038"

The top comes off! I didn't expect this when I found it, but it is a good thing because I need to peen out a few dents. Not a bad place to hide money or whatnot. []

So yeah, I'm in love.

I'll probably add pictures as I continue to refurbish the piece, but as you can see it doesn't need much because it was so well cared for. I still can't believe that I have it and that it runs perfectly; it's like dreaming that you found a chest full of gold, and waking up to see the chest sitting on your floor. Frigging awesome.[]

 

[Plumbata]

A few more things:

Apparently Frigidaire refrigerators cost around 189.00 in 1937, though I'm mot sure what model was associated with the price. Anyway, 189.00 in 1937 was equivalent in buying-power to 3,000.00 in today's dollars, so it was no small purchase for a family, especially while still in the middle of the great depression.

Also, another "feature" which I love is how it resembles an ice-box externally, but is essentially a modern refrigerator in function. The door latch and external hinges and door construction itself, plus the pressed metal feet are all old-school, but inside is a light-bulb and an efficient cooling system with straightforward switches and temperature-control knob. I love the rectangular profile, with gentle rounded corners. Later (40s-50s) fridges or freezers, with a rounded and rotund profile which is functionally unnecessary are far less aesthetically appealing to me, though they are quality appliances.

 

[mr.fred]

A very handsome piece[]---i like your taste---i like the old look of things----stoves etc!-Great find!--Fred.

 

[AntiqueMeds]

definately classic art deco. You might be able to find a little tube of matching laquer touch-up paint at a good auto parts place.

 

[Oldihtractor]

you could also take a chip of paint off the back and take it to an auto body / paint supply and they will match it perfectly and sell you a quart of it..

Btw Nice find.. I have had several fridges over the years one with the round coil top and a white porcelain one that was a commercial job..

 

[bottlekid76]

That looks great Stephen! Awesome find for sure... I really like that art deco look it has. Be sure and post some pics when you get it completed too!

~Tim

 

[bubbas dad]

plumbata, very nice. you could probablily find hinges and any other parts you might on line. do you recon it was always black or was white when new?

 

[surfaceone]

Hey Stephen,

New Year's Eve greetings, and thanks for the Frigidaire tale. T'is a great curbside find, congratulations on your night vision recovery. I did a little looking and couldn't find that same Deco Door style. I can clearly see why this is your find of the year. It's wonderful.

Does yours have the "Made only by General Motors" cartouche?

I'm pretty positive that it was originally white. I think you could buy any color, as long as it was white in those days.

Is this your model less the Deco Delightfulness?

From.

Did you see the Wishful Thinking Model?

So what's next? Kelvinator?

 

[cobaltbot]

cool, looks like a safe......

 

[Plumbata]

Thanks for the comments people.

Yes, it was originally white, but I much prefer the black and "chrome" color scheme so I think I'll have to look around for the proper lacquer/enamel paint to touch-it-up. They did a great job repainting it, whenever it occurred.

I butchered a wire rack and cut the segments down to size. The segments were too "deep" and had a hanging lip which needed to be removed but despite the trimming the racks are still relatively sturdy and won't slide around. The racks are dirty and in need of new paint, but they are a rather nice fit for now:

Surf, it does indeed have a cartouche. It's a little bent and missing some of the white enamel but overall it's solid:

I did find a very similar, professionally restored 1938 model in more-or-less the original color. I prefer black.

http://www.antiqueappliances.com/cgi-bin/view_ads.cgi?ad=10421&process=1&ad_template=ad_format.html&template=view_ads_brief.html


Thanks for looking!