GM Frigidaire 1-18 Washer!

Before putting the 1-18 aside for another washer, I thought it would be a great time to snap some more footage of a wonderful vintage appliance!

This machine started out life as a 1978 harvest gold WC-6, but has since been upgraded with white panels and a 1975 WIA control panel. Using this washer makes you feel like you are sitting at the helm of a 1975 Buick Electra - acres of wood grain!

The 1-18 Rollermatic washers were the last major washing design from General Motors before they sold Frigidaire off to WCI in 1980. They can handle a ton of clothes, are great rinsers, and had the fastest spin speed during the Disco Era.

If you enjoyed this clip, check out other vintage appliance fun at http://www.automaticwasher.org

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• GM
• frigidaire
• washer
• automaticwasher
• vintage
• retro
• jetaction

[DELFO2907]

nice job! when did they sell the last washer with this kind of agitator?

[swestoyz]

@DELFO2907 GM stopped producing appliances in 1980 when they sold the Frigidaire division to WCI. After the WCI acquisition, Frigidaire washers were built using the Franklin mechanism, forever leaving the GM pulsating agitation as a thing of the past.

[SpazChat]

Also, these washers were extremely noisy, further impeding their ability to compete with the cheaper to build, but effective and soothing sounding back and forth belt driven Kenmores.

[SpazChat]

@DELFO2907 . Well. GM was behind it...:) Enough said. Their business model is heavily dependent on things breaking down a lot, so people spend money on parts.

[DELFO2907]

@SpazChat why did it break so often? where there some defects or something like that?

[SpazChat]

@DELFO2907 In addition, as many people don't know, the mechanism and engineering that made Kenmore and other top loading washers work back in those days, was much cheaper to build and didn't break down as much, so the Franklin Mechanism was scrapped and not continued or adopted.

[SpazChat]

My parents never owned one;they always had Kenmores, but I heard these washers could clean your clothes like no other.

[Starchild1980]

CERRONE!!!!

[JSneaker]

@02chevyguy I know, we had a '58!

[02chevyguy]

@JSneaker The GE Filter Flo washer did the same thing.