DR2 tear down

Just checked I have no amp draw with motor off BUT I inserted my electric probe in the heater hole and I defiantly have 110 volts there, I assume my heater element is open and must replace

Heater update I removed the heater thinking it didn't work. My problem was I used my big clip on digital amp meter thinking it would show 0.1 amp. It did not! So I checked it with my multi meter and it read 0.12 amp. At 120 volts that's 14.4 watts . Then I clipped on a type K thermocouple it showed 241 degrees. I'm going to try a photo

Started my restoration! I brought DR@ home and it works now I want it pretty. Overall it seems in great shape. I weighed top unit and 196 lb cabinet G55 weighted 268 lb. On the inside of the door was the remains of the original label it says don't use a ice pick plus more. Both door hinges had a paper shim from a 2 cent postage post card . I wonder if thats from the factory. I removed control box getting it ready for media blasting. Had to make a tool that held bellows unit from rotating. It gripped the brass solder connector the stuck out a little more then 1/8" It worked and i got the big nut off. I made a clip to hold the bellows compressed when removed BUT it expanded more then I would have liked. I hope it has one more big flex in its life when I reinstall it. I got lots of photos if anybody wants to see my progress

Yes the heater works. I posted some photos in the General Board but should have put them in " DR Machines "

This DR2 is taking over my shop! I got the door and cabinet ready for cleaning. The fiber panels in the door were tied together with baler twine which I thought was cute. The amount of fiber panels in the cabinet was unbelievable. I will probably use modern insulation when reassemble. Things I learned; ALL interior metal surfaces were coated with beeswax for I think rust control. And all the screws about 100 that hold the black plastic strips on the door and cabinet use an obsolete thread size, they are 10/30 tpi not 10/32. You must have a very old tap chart to see 10/30 listed.

Awesome! There are a lot of parts to one of these and they do take up a lot more space in pieces than as one assembly.

As for the wax, that is a form of autobody cavity wax. If I remember, GE's brand of that was "No-Oxide" and it was used as liquid and as impregnated cloth. Not sure what formulation GE had back in the day, but if you want to replace it with its modern equivalent, it's still available from body shop supply places.

Those screws are unobtainable, however there is a "hack" to get around them. The difference between root-to-root spacing between 10-30 and 10-32 threads is very small. The metal strips behind the Textolite are thin and only contain about 3 threads. You can run a 10-32 tap through the 10-30 holes, to provide more clearance between the threads. After that, you can install 10-32 screws. Some will argue that is a wrong repair process, because it creates a weaker thread than original. However, the Textolite will break long before the modified threads strip out.

Some of the old screws GE used were aluminum and were extremely poor. If I were you, I would buy a new set of stainless 10-32 screws; re-tap the holes, and replace all of them with new. Will be a much better job in the end!

The screws I used were from Grainger:https://www.grainger.com/product/GRAINGER-APPROVED-10-32-Machine-Screw-2CY25

Thanks for sharing your progress!
Sincerely,
David