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Phone booth hood/stand question

Started by DARK FATHER, August 27, 2017, 05:33:48 PM

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DARK FATHER

I recently found one of those bath tub phone stand kiosks that is no longer in use.. This is the aluminum kind in which there are pictures of telephones on either side of it made with holes that are shaped like telephone receiver handsets. It is on one of those steel stands that is anchored to cement. The owners of the property where this is located have given me permission to remove it but I do not know how to get it loose from the cement and how to get the hood loose from the actual stand. There are two bolts at the hood top that are rusted but there seems to be some hidden bolts toward the bottom of the hood that make it impossible to get loose. I looked around for an hour and could not figure it out. Could someone please give me an idea how these things are removed?

Payphone installer

Been  here many times as a X payphone installer. The cheaper the unit the worst the rust. Good ones are aluminum. Two paths to go down first  do you have electric if the answer is yes then you need a grinder. First you grind off the security screws on the shroud or base plate cover.
Once this is done you can see the bolts holding the unit to the slab. You may be able to back them out with a wrench,very large socket but you will probably have to cut them off with the grinder.
Cut a slot in the bolt from the top down till you hit cement then do it again like a cross.
After that grind of the pieces rocking the unit while you do it from time to time. It will break loose.

  No electric, you start with a chisel first a small one,chisel off the shroud screws should only take a strike or two. Once it is off you can see the bolts you can try and unbolt them but they will probably be frozen.
  At this point you need a large chisel a inch or so across and 6 to 8 inches long,longer is ok. Drive the chisel under the pedestal base until it meets the bolt. It will be bound up between the concrete and the pedestal. You drive it with a stepping hammer in Bell terms or a 4 pound  hammer. If your chisel is sharp it will take about 30 or 40 blows per bolt. Last bolt is the worst. You cut the bolts off with the chisel.
Another method if you have a saws- all with lots of battery's, is cut of the ped in the middle or drive in the chisel to raise the base and cut the bolts. 
Separating the hood from the pedestal requires removing the front cover of the pedistal with a a chisel or grinder depends on the rust.
Bottom part of the hood is a nut believe it or not the the bouts screw into the hood bar from the inside you can feel the bolt heads one the pedestal cover is off. All this stuff is old almost nothing will come loose. You will probably have to cut or chisel everything.
If this does not help  you can call me and I will walk you threw it. Jim

DARK FATHER

#2
Thanks for the info!  I am MUCH better informed now.

I was able to remove the following:

"PHONE" aluminum plate that fits over the light (two rusted bolts behind it with no heads or nuts)
the light (tested it, still works)
plastic light cover
the remnants of the phone itself (base only)
the bottom shroud base covers (with security bit head)
one screw for the phone book cover (other stripped)
one screw for the pedestal access-cover (three still there)

Under the base plate shroud was SAND everywhere, and the bolts were RUSTED.  I was able to turn one of them, but it looks as if there are others with rusted-off nuts.  I will return to the site with a jug of water to wash off the sand (and with a grinder).  If I can un-anchor this thing and get it home it will be much easier to dismantle. Picture three below is the base that was full of sand and rust.

http://imageshack.com/a/img922/4910/42lmV8.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img922/9229/O9L9Lu.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img924/8830/KykQF2.png




Payphone installer

The bolts you see in the bottom that are sticking up are the leveling bolts. The bolts that are holding it to the slab I can see are almost completely gone. You will not have to do much grinding. The way you installed a pedestal was drilling the slab holes inserting the anchors then installing the anchor bolts. Then you placed a level on the hood and looked to see how far it was off level, the slab bolts were snug but not tight. The leveling bolts were then cranked in to raise the pedestal to level. Once level the anchor bolts were tightened. As for the studs in the top that the hood is sitting on,you threaded them in the pedestal then hung the hood on the studs. You were supposed to put nuts on the studs but many lazy installers did not. As you look at the tub from the front you will see a long piece of metal that runs along the bottom of the tub just below the phone. This piece of metal that is formed to the curve of the tub has threads on the back side. Bolts are threaded into this plate from the inside. So once you remove the cover plate on the pedestal you can reach up and feel the bolt heads. You just back out the bolts and the hood comes off the pedestal. Now that you have posted a picture of the unit I can tell you it came from Enclusures inc. in Ohio. These were used mostly by private payphone companies. The Bell telephone bathtubs were made by ADCO and Clark Specialties. These tubs were a much heavier gauge metal.the quick way to spot a old bell tub is the seam at the bottom of the tub is welded in a line on the one you are after it is spot welded underneath. Good luck on your project.

DARK FATHER

#4
Well I was able to use a battery operated Sawzall and saw this thing loose today. Into the back of my truck, and Homeward Bound! Here is a picture of it on my back patio. Many thanks to the Payphone installer who made this possible for me.

http://imageshack.com/a/img922/8884/1dmh75.jpg

Here is the access panel off. Had to drill one screw.

http://imageshack.com/a/img924/3172/lhZVSg.jpg

Here is the rust at the bottom. A welding shop is in its future.

http://imageshack.com/a/img923/5981/WuAAXh.jpg

Hard to believe that this hood shield could have so much dirt under it.

.img

Broke one bottom hood retention screw. PB Blaster, here I come

http://imageshack.com/a/img924/7898/cnw4dA.jpg

Had to drill out one screw to remove the phone book cover

http://imageshack.com/a/img924/1833/6GVl5l.jpg


< edit 02-16-22 : externally linked images added >


DARK FATHER

#5
Here is the booth cleaned, wired, and powered up. Super!

http://imageshack.com/a/img924/2681/a5i4gW.jpg

Pourme

Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service