Ugly Betty - Bev-Air DD-22 Restoration

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Topher79

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So, I scored this off a CL ad for $315, delivered, and it also came with a micromatic regulator, aluminum Co2 tank, 2 ball lock kegs, and a keggle with weldless valve. Not the best deal, but a good enough one for me since I sold my old kegerator for $260, and made another $150 off of the tank and other parts that were now extras. So, I guess I actually made money on this deal, lol.

A member on here helped me determine that the compressor was made in 1969, so I am putting it at being made in 1969-1970. I have spent the last 5 weeks cleaning, scrubbing, polishing, grinding, bondoing, painting, and adding new hardware. I'm hoping to put her into service this weekend.

Here's what I started with:

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The top, inside, and tower stainless after sanding with 320 & 600 grit sandpaper; also removed the rust from the inside seams and sprayed with neutralizer. I drilled the holes in the stainless with a 1" hole bit, and installed the new shanks & trim rings

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All I need to do now is finish replacing all the galvanized screws with stainless and let the paint cure a few more days, then she'll be ready for beer. I am impressed with how it came out, and can't wait to put it back in service. I plugged it in this weekend (I was thinking Murphy's Law) and she got cold in no time! This is a huge upgrade for me from my Haier 2 tap that constantly had a foamy first pour, especially since this will be living its life in the garage.
 
Wow. I cannot believe the work you put into this, it looks great. I love the blue. I like that you added two more taps as well. It all fits nicely. You have a lot of skills that clearly extend far past steeling road signs. :D
 
Wow. I cannot believe the work you put into this, it looks great. I love the blue. I like that you added two more taps as well. It all fits nicely. You have a lot of skills that clearly extend far past steeling road signs. :D

I thought the blue went well with all the stainless (the wife suggested it). And thanks for the complimenting my skills!

I used to work in development/construction, so I got the signs from our shop and found the "Prison Work Detail" in the ditch when we opened up a site. It needed a good cleaning, too; there was no telling how long it had been there. The mile 69 was made by the guy that made our other signs. The last I need is to be on that same detail for snagging road signs! HAHAHAHA!
 
Nice! I hope the rust doesn't come through again. I've heard that if you don't cut out ALL the rust in an area, it can seep back through under the paint over time.
 
Thanks guys! It was nice to have a project to do after being cooped up indoors this winter!

Homercidal - I hear ya! I spent a couple hours with a grinder eating all the rust off and then adding a couple coats of rust neutralizer before I applied the bondo. After sanding the bondo, I re-applied rust neutralizer before I primed and painted; hopefully that did the trick!

I did have a face palm moment, though...she's been plugged in since Saturday and the temp was hovering around 45 on the coldest setting. It had me thinking the thermostat was shot, or in moving it around I messed something up. Turns out the condenser fan wasn't running and the cooling system wasn't performing at optimum (I was getting 42 degree air with the compressor running & measured with a temp gun). So, I got a screwdriver, moved the fins a little, and the fan started turning away! Now the fan is cycling with the compressor, and she's cooling as intended! Here's to cold beer tomorrow!!! :mug:
 
It was the Energizer bunny post.. It just kept going and going. I'd remove 2/3 of the pics. Nice job though.
 
It looks awesome and the old chub tap handle is the coolest tap handle I have ever seen. What paint did you use and what was the application method?
 
Thanks guys! It was nice to have a project to do after being cooped up indoors this winter!

Homercidal - I hear ya! I spent a couple hours with a grinder eating all the rust off and then adding a couple coats of rust neutralizer before I applied the bondo. After sanding the bondo, I re-applied rust neutralizer before I primed and painted; hopefully that did the trick!

I did have a face palm moment, though...she's been plugged in since Saturday and the temp was hovering around 45 on the coldest setting. It had me thinking the thermostat was shot, or in moving it around I messed something up. Turns out the condenser fan wasn't running and the cooling system wasn't performing at optimum (I was getting 42 degree air with the compressor running & measured with a temp gun). So, I got a screwdriver, moved the fins a little, and the fan started turning away! Now the fan is cycling with the compressor, and she's cooling as intended! Here's to cold beer tomorrow!!! :mug:

Glad to hear about the rust neutralizer. Hopefully that will make the difference, as will eliminating as much moisture from the inside as possible.
 
It was the Energizer bunny post.. It just kept going and going. I'd remove 2/3 of the pics. Nice job though.

It's a DYI thread; I gotta show the pics....I thought the people viewing this would appreciate the work involved. I like the threads with a ton of build pics, and thought I'd do the same!

It looks awesome and the old chub tap handle is the coolest tap handle I have ever seen. What paint did you use and what was the application method?

The Old Chub handle was given to me by a bar keep friend because it's one of my favorite beers. The paint method used was "rattle can & patience" thanks to the folks at Rustoleum. Thanks for liking "Ugly Betty"!
 
It's a DYI thread; I gotta show the pics....I thought the people viewing this would appreciate the work involved. I like the threads with a ton of build pics, and thought I'd do the same!

I've read a ton of build threads, I think your project turned out great. I was scrolling through it and offered my advice. It takes up a lot of room and many of the steps didn't require a picture. I'm not sure how it displays on the default HBT settings, but with my settings it was huge. It's all on one page for me.
 
Nah,

I'd leave all of the pics.

Good work, but lot's of time there.

I'll keep going with cheap CL freezers myself, but your rig is really looking great! Nice enough to bring inside for sure.


It was the Energizer bunny post.. It just kept going and going. I'd remove 2/3 of the pics. Nice job though.
 
that color really made it your own, a lot nicer than the plain ol' black.

looks great, and you'll enjoy every beer you have out of it, and telling everyone how you made it your own!
 
Nice job. Found this exact model on CL and wondered if you recommend it.
With it being so old is it expensive to run?
 
Thanks! It was a fun build, and like the fact that I was able to a late 60's model kegerator in service quenching thirst in 2014!
 
Nice job on the restoration! I think they are still made exactly the same. You'd think for how much they cost new they would use stainless on the inside as well instead of the cheap galvanized steel. I'd even prefer molded plastic to the galvanized.

Although the refrigerant may be more efficient, the way these units operate is not very efficient. The inside fan always runs, they are loud, and cost quite a bit to operate.

Can you not fit 4 ball locks in there?
 
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