Red 1956 WE 500 from Ebay

[WEBellSystemChristian]

I recently won a very nice red '56 500 on ebay for a whopping $21.05!! I wouldn't have taken a chance on it if I hadn't noticed the barely visible yellow ink stamp on the front inside edge, from the limited pictures in the listing. Yellow ink stamps were replaced by green in mid-1957, so that would mean that the housing is at least original. Right now, I'm assuming the handset is original too, even thought I can't prove it yet.

Can anyone tell if the handset cord is original or not? To me, it doesn't look thick enough, but the pictures are grainy, so I can't quite tell. When did WE officially stop using grey cords on red 500s? Would this have had grey cords in early 1956? If the cords aren't original, I might install painted grey cords.

In any case, I'm very excited to receive it!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/311247917521

[jsowers]

Christian, I was the runner-up bidder and I had the same thought about the handset cord, that it looked thin. From what I have observed over the years, red seems to be the first to change from gray cords and 1956 or very late 1955 seems to be when it happened. So red cords for 3-56 would be OK.

I'm glad it went to you for a bargain price and I didn't bid any higher. With some cleanup, this phone should look nice. Please let us know if the handset cord is a 56 and post pics of the finished phone.

[twocvbloke]

My red '56 500 is a little younger (8-56) and has the chunkier handset cable, so presumably that one on yours is a replacement...

As for larger pics, they're easy to get, so I got them:

[AE40FAN]

I was watching this auction   Hope it cleans up well!  Cords look original to me....

[WesternElectricBen]

Nice find, good luck on the restoration. If I were you (and not lazy,) I would sand down the base a repaint it. Although, I would mask off the dates.

Ben

[Kenton K]

I was watching that also, Hope it's all soft! Looks promising.

Ken

[Bartonpipes]

You get the set yet? We're all on the edge of our seats waiting to see how original it is! 

[WEBellSystemChristian]

You get the set yet? We're all on the edge of our seats waiting to see how original it is! 

I wish!

It's sitting at the local Post Office right now, but because it's Martin Luther King Jr. Day (also a vacation day for local USPS drivers) it couldn't be delivered today. It will most likely be here tomorrow, so stay tuned!!

Unfortunately, I don't think this HS cord is original. Look at the chassis cord restraint in the 2nd picture; it isn't completely round width-wise, like the earlier ones were. This one has flatter outer edges, like that of a '60s cord.

It was probably replaced because it had grey cords, and an installer (probably in the mid-sixties) replaced the cords with a couple that he had on his truck when he came out to do some repairs.

On the bright side, that means that I get to install some gray cords!!!!

[andre_janew]

According to what the seller says about the dial, it may need some cleaning and oiling.  You might want to get the dial working right before replacing the cords.

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Other than the cords, it looks all-original!!!

Good news:
The caps don't have center holes, which means that they are at least original.

The housing has a faint yellow ink stamp, probably original.

The plastics are in restorable shape, and don't have cracks or fading.


Bad news:
As my dad put it in an email to me: "Ugly, faded, moldy, rusted, scratched, scuffed, stuck and binding".

It is really moldy, and the housing has gouges in it. The base is pretty rusty, and the dial is stuck. I'm afraid to know what he meant by "binding"...

The HS cord isn't original. Looking at the pictures, it looks like it was from 196-something. Fortunately, I have vinyl paint that matches Neutral Gray exactly, and I can paint an off-brand coiled cord (I might use it because it's really thick and heavy duty) for this phone.
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The condition doesn't bother me, I love cleaning phones up. If they all came perfectly pristine, where would the fun in this hobby be?

I like bringing them back from the dead!

More info will come around in 2 hours or so, when I get home from school. The pictures were sent to me from my dad, who didn't open the phone up to see the dates.

[WEBellSystemChristian]

I've spent several days working on this, and believe me, it was more work than it seems like it was!

Here are all of the parts dates:

Housing: 3-15-56-3
Base:3-56
Ringer: 3-56
Network: 3-56
Dial: 7C-53, 2-56
Handle: 2-56
Receiver: 2-24-56
Transmitter: 2-23-56
Handset caps: 2-56

I first saturated the receiver cap in Clorox after I got the cap off the handset with a blow dryer. The Clorox removed the stained-in mold, and I then wet sanded and polished it. It doesn't look that great; it has a stress crack and is still a little rough, but it looks much better than it did!

I then wet sanded and polished the housing, dial bezel, fingerwheel, handle, lift, and transmitter cap. These turned out beautiful, and they look spectacular!

The handset cord is from an intercom-type phone from the 1990s, built by ITT. I used it because it's really well built, and looks like the old '50s cords. The line cord is from a destroyed '70s WE extra-long type. The cord it came from was ripped and torn at several spots, and I have used this cord for several 3-cond. HS cords.
Both cords were different colors; HS cord was beige and the line cord was red. They were both painted with Duplicolor Vinyl Paint. The stuff looks great on the cords; and looks just like Neutral Gray!

Finally, I added a repro card that was duplicated from a card on my '58 red 554.

The chassis is still really rough, and I might ask Dennis Hallworth if he can recover the feet. The suede is pretty much worn though on all feet, and the front two are cut up and ripped apart.

Sorry for so much talking, but I'm really proud of this phone, and surprised with how much it's turned around!

[persido]

Great job, it has a great shine.

Scot

[TelePlay]

Well worth inclusion in the Notable Refurbs topic, otherwise known as bringing a phone back from the dead.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=11814.msg141668#msg141668

[Doug Rose]

Christian....we are always our own toughest critic. Looks superb to me. Great handset cord, I never would have know....top notch job....Doug

[Dennis Markham]

Nice job, Christian.  The phone looks great!