Show us your Kegerator

[LTownGarageBrewery]

Here's my keezer! Just finished her up this weekend, and installed self-closing taps and the correct (i.e. long and narrow) service line today.

 

[CarsonCE]

Here is my keezer:

Here are some rough cell phone pictures (better ones to follow):







I am currently installing a third tap and the drip tray. I'll post much better pictures when it's all finished.

 

[UofMontanaAlum]

Here is the shell of what I am working with. I would like some ideas and interest into some possibilities of what I could turn this old school bad boy into. It is a 1950's "Kelvinator" chest freezer that can hold 2 cornys with out a collar and 4 with a collar. Ideas have been tossed around to make it into some sort of hot rod style theme based on the fact that I grew up in a racing/car show/hot rod family tradition. Other ideas were "Mator, as in Tomator" Disney Cars theme but its "Nator, Mator's cousin, Kelvi-Nator."

The final cost of the total build is limited to about $500. Any suggestions?

I have always thought a "Rat Rod" style keezer would be cool. Pretty cheap too. Take it to a Maaco paint shop and get it painted matte back with a matte clear. Then find a local pinstriper and have some old school red pinstipes laid down on it. Something like this:

 

[HOP-HEAD]

I have always thought a "Rat Rod" style keezer would be cool. Pretty cheap too. Take it to a Maaco paint shop and get it painted matte back with a matte clear. Then find a local pinstriper and have some old school red pinstipes laid down on it. Something like this:

I love it.... take his advise, then take lots of pictures and let us see 'em....:rockin:

 

[gplutt]

In its "functional" state. I've got the wood to build a case around it and I'm looking for something interesting to build the top out of. Pint was "pre-balance" and yes, its in the basement....for now.

 

[bendavanza]

gplutt:
Beautiful tower. Where did you find it?

 

[gplutt]

gplutt:
Beautiful tower. Where did you find it?

I found it on E-Bay. It was kinda expensive, I kept looking at it for days and finally hit the button on it. The pour on those faucets is amazing, I can't wait to finish the kegerator so it does them justice.

 

[89OctaneStang]

I love it.... take his advise, then take lots of pictures and let us see 'em....:rockin:

Well, it will be black... We have kicked around so many cool ideas and we are far from making a decision on what the final product will look like. For instance, if we do a hot rod of some sort (50's - 60's) where will the taps come out? Many ideas of trying to hide them in some way to fit in with the theme have been thought over a couple pints. I know we can come up with a cool theme for the shell with using old school head lights and grills with cool paint jobs and some fiberglass. but, where do I fit the taps in? All that said, we are still facing some technical differences on how to get the working elements where they should be. Can look cool, but if it doesn't operate at a good rate for a decent amount of time, It will always just look cool I guess...

We are having a house built when we leave here with a detached work shop. (drag car shop/wood shop) And anything we do with this monster will be a definate focal point in the shop decor. Whether its just a sleek vintage design with post prohibition written all over it or an old school hot rod keezer, it will draw much attention. And alcoholism... :rockin:

Follow my build here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/vintage-kelvinator-freezer-restoration-157113/

 

[Guntr]

Well now that mine is pouring carbonated beer I am ready to say it's completed and post it here. I think there will always be revisions and modifications I will want to make, but for now I am done.

To fully appreciate it, here is the "before" pic:

Here is the final:

You can check out all of my build pics and comments in my Picasa Web Album.

 

[Druss]

Hello, I took a lot of info from this site, thought I would give a little back. I have heard of many having problems placing the taps high enough to be comfortable, yet worried about the $%&* freezer door opening them by accident. I bought a bracket at Lowes, a 4 pack with screws for $1.50, and attached the bracket to the freezer door. Now I can open the fridge, without disturbing the freezer, BUT when I open the freezer it forces open the fridge as well. It works smoothly and does not hold the fridge open at all, it stands about a millimeter or so away closed. Here are some pics...hope it helps!
Ok...sorry, I can't figure out posting a pic...I'll leave this for the info though, the bracket is thick metal...5/8" wide, 4" long, with holes and screws in the packet, by Stanley, at lowes called a mending brace I think. Works great I WILL add pics when I can.
Thanks!!!!

 

[89OctaneStang]

Well now that mine is pouring carbonated beer I am ready to say it's completed and post it here. I think there will always be revisions and modifications I will want to make, but for now I am done.

To fully appreciate it, here is the "before" pic:

Here is the final:

You can check out all of my build pics and comments in my Picasa Web Album.

Where did you get your drip tray?

 

[Guntr]

Where did you get your drip tray?

Home Depot, they have a huge selection of styles. It's a furnace floor register.

 

[89OctaneStang]

Home Depot, they have a huge selection of styles. It's a furnace floor register.

Do they come with trays under them? Or what did you use for the tray?

 

[Guntr]

Do they come with trays under them? Or what did you use for the tray?

This one had a plastic insert underneath with a grid and sliding piece for closing off the vent. I cut out the grid and inserted a piece of wood cut to fit the hole then sealed and painted it. This makes the basin about an inch deep which should be plenty to hold a few drips. I still have the option of drilling a hole and running a line into the freezer to a bucket if need be.

Hopefully this pic will explain it better.

The pieces at the bottom are the grid I cut out. The part in the middle is the basin with fitted wood insert all sealed and painted up.

 

[89OctaneStang]

This one had a plastic insert underneath with a grid and sliding piece for closing off the vent. I cut out the grid and inserted a piece of wood cut to fit the hole then sealed and painted it. This makes the basin about an inch deep which should be plenty to hold a few drips. I still have the option of drilling a hole and running a line into the freezer to a bucket if need be.

Hopefully this pic will explain it better.

The pieces at the bottom are the grid I cut out. The part in the middle is the basin with fitted wood insert all sealed and painted up.

Is this the brushed nickel, if so, does it look ok with the chrome tower and chrome taps? Or did you use a chrome spray paint?

 

[Guntr]

Is this the brushed nickel, if so, does it look ok with the chrome tower and chrome taps? Or did you use a chrome spray paint?

Actually the tower is Stainless, and it is this exact brushed nickel one I bought. I didn't paint it, and IMO it looks pretty good next to the tower and taps. It almost looks more like brushed stainless than nickel if you ask me.

 

[89OctaneStang]

Yeah, I don't know why I said chrome.... I meant stainless.

Cool, thanks! You just might see that one again when my project is complete.

 

[Handle]

Home Depot, they have a huge selection of styles. It's a furnace floor register.

I thought that was what it was. I've had that same idea and was curious how it would turn out.

It looks ten-times better than the average, run-of-the-mill drip tray. Very well done.

 

[Guntr]

I thought that was what it was. I've had that same idea and was curious how it would turn out.

It looks ten-times better than the average, run-of-the-mill drip tray. Very well done.

Thanks! Yeah, I couldn't justify paying three or four times this price for something that looks like a kid made it in shop class.

There are really some interesting selections in floor registers, some I liked much more than this one, but were only available in painted colours I didn't like.

 

[jamesjensen1068]

Guntr,

That is one of the nicest Keezer conversions that I've ever seen. You have inspired me to do a Keezer when the time comes. Excellent Job!!! Bravo my friend!

Cheers

 

[CarsonCE]

Here are some newer (but still crappy quality) pictures of my keezer with the third tap and drip tray.

These are the custom handles I made to match the keezer that SWMBO informed me we can't use because they are dirty (What would company think!)...

 

[Guntr]

Guntr,

That is one of the nicest Keezer conversions that I've ever seen. You have inspired me to do a Keezer when the time comes. Excellent Job!!! Bravo my friend!

Cheers

Thanks! Feel free to ask any questions you have when you do.

 

[IrregularPulse]

These are the custom handles I made to match the keezer that SWMBO informed me we can't use because they are dirty (What would company think!)...

haha tell her company wouldn't think anything because their minds aren't all in the gutters

 

[masonsjax]

I finished my keezer a long time ago, and I'm just now getting some pics of it. It's not in it's final resting place yet, I need to run some new electric from the panel. I also haven't added a drip tray yet, so I'm just using a towel on the floor for now to catch drips.

 

[IrregularPulse]

Neat idea for handles.

 

[bionicbrew]

and CarsonCE was worried about his handles looking dirty. love 'em though. it is a cool idea.

I used the wooden ones above, but upside down from that. the threaded piece at the 'now top' was used to put a wooden block for my labels(as suggested in another thread). it's the middle one.

 

[ajwillys]

Nice idea with the handles! But where's the one filled with leaf hops?

 

[masonsjax]

I'd like to put leaf hops (whole cones, ideally) in one of them, but I don't have any, and I don't think my LHBS stocks any either. I've got about 15 lbs of pellets in my freezer right now, so I can't justify buying more just to fill a single vial. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out, but I can't take credit. Someone else mentioned the idea on another thread a while back and I immediately started saving vials.

 

[BSBrewer]

buying a 7.2 cu ft frigidaire tomorrow to get my keezer project underway...will probably be a few months in the making as I need to run about 15' to my bar (where the tower will be installed) and $$ is a bit tight.

anyone have any recomendation as to how long I should just have the freezer plugged in to ensure its not a lemon out of the box since I know as soon as I start to mod it the warranty goes down the tubes?

so stoked for this project to get underway!

 

[Jaysus]

Those tap handles are great!