Very cool stuff. I like the light idea. The fact that you won’t be able to see it is nice. Those magnetic reed switches are very handy!
Yeah they are handy! I've used them several times on car projects and to install automatic pantry light for mom and dad's house! This one installed under the Textolite and you can't see it at all.
Ooh a reed switch and magnet is what I was hoping to do to our double-door DR, so I'm watching with particular interest.
(on that cabinet, the textolite is backed by a wood frame, so it's actually screwed in place with wood screws. So it'd involve mortising a little cavity for the reed switch, and a corresponding one for the magnet. Then hide everything by re-applying the textolite)
LOL that is exactly what I did! Pictures will follow. Unfortunately, the door is sagging down a little, which I will have to fix. That made it impossible to get the neodymium magnet in position today. After the door is fixed, that magnet will have plenty of room on the bottom surface of the door liner.
Well, it was very intricate. I felt really bad to remove it and replace it with modern insulation, however it was not usable in its current condition. The top, bottom, back, and sides had a multi-layer foil stack with large air gaps. This was built in a "panel" which was inserted into the cabinet void space and retained with tar. There was an outer paper membrane, followed by alternating metal foil and air gaps. I am sure it was very labor intensive and fiddly and expensive to make! The door was a material almost identical to the GE Thermocraft insulation.
All of this was replaced with Dow Styrofoam, sealed in with expanding polyurethane foam.
This was my "haul" coming home!
Stripped off the metal outer cladding and found the Cold Control chain was still in place.
Naked fridge! It is just a wood box with some extra bells and whistles.
Door insulation coming out.
Side insulation out, and the new cabinet light cable (white) is in place now.
The old insulation panel. It was just crumbling away. You can see the layers of metal foil in there.
New insulation in place. Notice I used the original, genuine, Dow Styrofoam insulation. It is softer and more easily worked with than the cheap white stuff. The foam really seals and holds it in.
After the metal covering of the insulation is in place, I replaced the rot-o-matic fiberboard piece with more foamboard. This was really intended for under-floor insulation, but two layers of it was just right here.
Ready for the side cover!
The bottom insulation was basically nonexistent.
New 3-layer Styrofoam, with foam sealant injected in all around it. Nice and sealed!
Now the left side insulation in in.
And the metal cover is on!
Then, I cut a new 1/4" plywood insert for the lower area to take the place of the deteriorated ones.
And the final insulation layer..
Now for the top. Wouldn't think that one would deteriorate? Think again....
New insulation in place.
It was very satisfying to "squeeze" the cover on the foam as it was oozing out. Very satisfying indeed.
Now for the cabinet light reed switch. Just drilled a blind hole about 1" deep, and routed a channel from the side of the hole over to an existing pathway to the under-cabinet space.
I don't see a switch?
Now for the new door insulation..
So, the "fancy" Cold Control with throttle cables needed new cables. The old and the new. The new ones came from Tractor Supply, in the form of a mower throttle cable. One package had enough cable to do both of the ones for the Cold Control. I just used a metal clamp for conduit, re-bent and soldered onto the new cables with Stay-Brite 6 and Stay-Clean flux.
Installed. I moved the mounting point up a few inches, since the wood had too many nail holes at the original location.
And it' all connected! I replaced the stiff wire from the mower cable kit with some thinner stainless steel wire, the same gauge as the copper wire Frigidaire originally used.
The cabinet light on, after some cleanup!
And a (very) short video!