Toggle sidebar

Crosley Shelvador

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
Remove the Ads for LIFE - 50% Off!
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
tkish5685

tkish5685

Fire Starter
Original poster
Feb 4, 2013
30
10
Spring Hill, TN
I purchased this fridge for $50 on Craigslist. I'm hoping that its worth turning into a smoker. It has some rust under the door. I'm curious if anyone has tips to either repair or replace the rotted metal. It's not soft enough to push a finger through but it's not far from it. I also want to get the nasty green paint off of this thing! I've been poking through other people's builds on here when my wife isn't harassing me. I have no welding skills, but I can work a drill with the best of them. Where can I buy sheet metal that's not online? I'm not sure that I've seen it a Lowes or Home Depot. Can I use diamond plate? I'm rambling now, I'm excited and ready to tear into it.

image.jpg

image.jpg


image.jpg

image.jpg

 
Looks good for the intended purpose, as far as rust goes just get a angle grinder with metal grinding wheel and take of as much as rust as possible.  If it's rusted all the way through then u'll need to patch it.  Once rust is removed use good rust preventing primer and paint it.

Your local hardware store will have limited sizes of metal at a high price.  Your best bet is a local metal shop or distributor.  I am sure if you google it you'll find something or even place a listing on craigs list.  Any style of metal in the family of mild steel, aluminum, stainless steel can be used so diamond plate is ok as long as it's part of the family.  It's all about how much you want to spend, higher price in this order:  stainless steel, aluminum, mild steel.  Diamond plate is even more expensive and quite thick.  I used 16 gauge mild steel for mine and I payed $45 for 4'x8' sheet where if I went with aluminum it would be $120 and I didn't even want to know price of stainless steel.

You can do a whole build without a single weld, use metal screws, solid rivets, nuts and bolts.  Stock up on metal cutting wheels, you'll go through quite few of them.

have fun with your build, we're here to help!
 
 
I hope y'all don't mind pictures.... 
icon_lol.gif


This will honestly probably be a long drawn out build seeing as my wife says I can't just disappear from the family for a week to do it... lol.
  • As it sits
IMG_1959.JPG

IMG_1959.JPG

  • Inside as of now
IMG_1960.JPG

IMG_1960.JPG

  • Screws exposed for upper door hinge
IMG_1969.JPG

IMG_1969.JPG

  • Popping cover off of lower door hinge
IMG_1970.JPG

IMG_1970.JPG

  • Lower door hinge screws
IMG_1971.JPG

IMG_1971.JPG

  • Hinges unscrewed from side of fridge
IMG_1972.JPG

IMG_1972.JPG

  • Unlatched door and moved it... lighter than I had anticipated
IMG_1973.JPG

IMG_1973.JPG

  • The door on my portable work bench... trash can!
IMG_1974.JPG

IMG_1974.JPG

  • I started taking the screws out of the door plastics
IMG_1975.JPG

IMG_1975.JPG


IMG_1976.JPG

IMG_1976.JPG

  • The edges pry up after I get most of the screws out. Some were rusted and wouldn't take a screw driver well...
IMG_1977.JPG

IMG_1977.JPG

  • The plastic liner removed
IMG_1978.JPG

IMG_1978.JPG

  • More pictures of the crappy rust!
IMG_1979.JPG

IMG_1979.JPG

  • I threw the musty old insulation away. It concerned me because of the age.
IMG_1981.JPG

IMG_1981.JPG

  • Rusted bottom of the door
IMG_1982.JPG

IMG_1982.JPG

  • The emblems on the front had little clips that grabbed on to their metal prongs, I carefully bent the tabs back so I could remove and reuse the clips. I want to get the nasty green off the emblems and reinstall them...
IMG_1983.JPG

IMG_1983.JPG

  • Emblems from the front of the fridge
IMG_1984.JPG

IMG_1984.JPG

  • Removing the hinges from the door completely
IMG_1985.JPG

IMG_1985.JPG

  • They screw into a small piece of metal on the backside
IMG_1986.JPG

IMG_1986.JPG

  • You can tell where the stubborn screws were... I plan on reusing the bracket for the handle. The pieces on the side are made of aluminum, maybe I can rivet them to the inside of the door and use them to hold veggies or something? What do you think?
IMG_1987.JPG

IMG_1987.JPG

  • I like the clean spot, this fridge had a sad life
IMG_1988.JPG

IMG_1988.JPG

  • Interior box
IMG_1989.JPG

IMG_1989.JPG

  • Removed the slider on both sides
IMG_1990.JPG

IMG_1990.JPG

  • Removing the catch for the door
IMG_1991.JPG

IMG_1991.JPG

  • A lot of the pictures are so I can remember how to put it back together!
IMG_1992.JPG

IMG_1992.JPG

  • Prying at the edges of the plastic trim piece
IMG_1993.JPG

IMG_1993.JPG

  • Here's the little "hootis" that turns the light on/off
IMG_1994.JPG

IMG_1994.JPG

  • It had a bezel around it
IMG_1995.JPG

IMG_1995.JPG

  • And a nut to get off of there
IMG_1997.JPG

IMG_1997.JPG

  • And now I broke all the clips that held the plastic on, good thing its trash
IMG_1998.JPG

IMG_1998.JPG


IMG_1999.JPG

IMG_1999.JPG


IMG_2001.JPG

IMG_2001.JPG

  • Still being patient instead of just cutting wires, I disassembled it, maybe I'll find a use for the parts...
IMG_2002.JPG

IMG_2002.JPG

  • Removing the bolts that hold the inner box inside. Mine were 7/16"
IMG_2004.JPG

IMG_2004.JPG


IMG_2005.JPG

IMG_2005.JPG


IMG_2006.JPG

IMG_2006.JPG

  • You can see the pesky refridrant hose here on the left
IMG_2007.JPG

IMG_2007.JPG

  • The box is also held in by the screws that were hiding
IMG_2008.JPG

IMG_2008.JPG


IMG_2009.JPG

IMG_2009.JPG


IMG_2010.JPG

IMG_2010.JPG

  • As well as on the other side where the catch came off
IMG_2011.JPG

IMG_2011.JPG


IMG_2012.JPG

IMG_2012.JPG

  • I took this opportunity to mash down on the copper piping. I wanted to flatten it out as much as I could for when I cut it.
IMG_2013.JPG

IMG_2013.JPG

  • Its a crappy shot but you can see I flattened out a portion of the pipe
IMG_2014.JPG

IMG_2014.JPG

  • I cut it in the middle of the spot I flatted out
IMG_2016.JPG

IMG_2016.JPG


IMG_2017.JPG

IMG_2017.JPG

  • I barely even leaked
IMG_2018.JPG

IMG_2018.JPG

  • I folded it over a few times to seal it up so I didn't have to worry about it
IMG_2019.JPG

IMG_2019.JPG

  • Horrible picture
IMG_2020.JPG

IMG_2020.JPG

  • This piece was about the freezer and wouldn't let the box free so I ripped it off, the screws were rusty
IMG_2022.JPG

IMG_2022.JPG


IMG_2023.JPG

IMG_2023.JPG

  • I got the darn thing out, much heavier than anticipated
IMG_2024.JPG

IMG_2024.JPG

  • More musty insulation
IMG_2025.JPG

IMG_2025.JPG


IMG_2026.JPG

IMG_2026.JPG

  • I tossed that crap too
IMG_2027.JPG

IMG_2027.JPG


IMG_2028.JPG

IMG_2028.JPG


IMG_2029.JPG

IMG_2029.JPG

  • This part was a treat...
IMG_2030.JPG

IMG_2030.JPG


IMG_2031.JPG

IMG_2031.JPG


IMG_2032.JPG

IMG_2032.JPG

  • It has the bolts through a rubbing footy thinger ma-jig
IMG_2033.JPG

IMG_2033.JPG

  • The bottom ones I just twisted and pushed through their respective holes, not as easy as you think, lol
IMG_2034.JPG

IMG_2034.JPG


IMG_2035.JPG

IMG_2035.JPG


IMG_2036.JPG

IMG_2036.JPG


IMG_2037.JPG

IMG_2037.JPG


IMG_2038.JPG

IMG_2038.JPG


IMG_2039.JPG

IMG_2039.JPG


IMG_2040.JPG

IMG_2040.JPG

As you can see there is a good deal of rust, should I continue on or scrap this thing? Is there a product I can apply to the rust to make it usable again? The inner box is metal, can I leave the paint alone on the inside or do I need to coat it with something else? As ideas for a stripper for the outside paint? I can't leave it the way it is because it horrible!! What type of insulation should I stick back in it? I see y'all saying the fiberglass stuff? Any part #'s at the hardware store? Thanks!
 
That bottom looks pretty rusty. Maybe you could put a sheet of metal over the top of it -- use an oversize piece, and fasten it up along the sides of the body?

But before I sunk a lot of time, effort and money into it, I'd keep looking on Craigslist. It'd probably save you some headaches. Take it to the scrap buyer and put the proceeds toward another one.
 
I'm not sure what you can do about the rust, other than replace the parts. Boy, once you start taking these things apart, you sure do get an idea of how well they were built back then, don't you?

You could probably strip a new fridge within minutes, as opposed to several man-hours with these old ones.
 
Meh, I pushed forward. I putzed around with the door a little tonight. I couldn't figure out how to get the handle off the front without just tearing it off :/ I put down some stripper, this is my first time using it and it was bad to the bone. Through the garbage green, through the original white, through the primer, down to bare metal. Nice. I cut a piece of sheet metal, thin 22 gauge to rivet to the inside bottom of the door to cover up some of the rust. I put some rust primer on the outside of the door, I'll do the inside tomorrow if I can get away with it. I decided the rust doesn't bother me, I'll just clean it up real nice like and be done.

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

 
Today I got to play with the body. I still need to find somewhere local where I can buy some metal so I can get moving.

I ordered the c-burner today as I intend to make this a gasser... I need to find some insulation for it. The fiberglass stuff seems like its a little more available to just go and pick up. I guess I'll just figure out how much I'll need as I go... any slick looking ideas y'all have seen for vents on the side and smoke stack for the top? I've been poking through everyone elses build but nothing has caught my eye.

photo 1.JPG

photo 1.JPG


photo 2.JPG

photo 2.JPG


The rust on the bottom wasn't that bad, its got a few small holes in it but I'm not concerned.

photo 3.JPG

photo 3.JPG


photo 4.JPG

photo 4.JPG


photo 5.JPG

photo 5.JPG


Some a-hole along the way in the past sixty years decided a nice piece of wallpaper would be a good addition to the top of the fridge. This crap was harder to get off than the paint.

photo 6.JPG

photo 6.JPG


A good forty-five minutes later I can see just regular white paint before the ugly green

photo 7.JPG

photo 7.JPG


I coated the outside with the same rust primer. 

photo 9.JPG

photo 9.JPG


I'm going to paint the inside with the same stuff just to cover up the rust to stop it from coming back any further.

photo 10.JPG

photo 10.JPG


photo 11.JPG

photo 11.JPG


I still have to strip the the small piece that covers the bottom and clean it up.  
 
ScooterMagoo said:
He must have meant the inside of the outer shell, I am assuming.  The interior is enameled.
Click to expand...
I was only talking about the inner shell. The interior shell is just fine. I just don't want the rust to spread and further than what it has already.

I ordered some steel from metalsdepot.com Seems legit, I guess we will see. I ordered more than I'll probably need seeing as I've never done anything with metal before. The price wasn't terrible seeing as everyone around here wanted $125 for a 4x8 16ga piece of steel. I got it for less than that with shipping but cut into sheets 2ft by 4ft which is plenty fine for me, and less cutting I'll have to do. Anyone know of a good prefab smoke stack, I found the 4" diameter one on sausagemaker.com and the same on alliedkenco.com Curious if anyone has anything else or a good idea for me to build one. I have no welder but I can rivet stuff I guess. 
 
I tried to cut a hole for my exhaust this evening. I got through the outer shell but that inner shell is a tough booger. It ate the teeth right off my hole saw. Things are not cooperating with me as much as I'd like. I purchased some R30 fiberglass insulation today too. Once my sheet metal arrives I think I'll be able to get rolling. I'm watching other people projects in envy right now. I'm ready to smoke!
 
I'm just going to use the can with wood in it like the burner suggested. If that doesn't work the way I'd like I'm going to do one of those smoke generator thingers on the outside. I doubt that'll be the case though. I'm not familiar with anything beside the stuff I'm already using in my store bought master forge cheapie.
 
tkish, you're probably going to find that the hole-cutting and plumbing is a bigger P.I.T.A. than imagined. I've got the broken drill bits and jigsaw blades to prove it. But I've now got all of the holes and plumbing done, except for the exhaust. When I was at the fabricator the other day, I saw that he had a 4-inch hole saw. When he's done welding the pipe, I'm gonna ask him to cut the hole, too, and just throw him some extra cash. I figure that makes more sense than buying a 4-inch saw that I'll probably never use again anyway.

Your project's looking good. You'll be smokin' before ya know it!
 
Well the old saying go's a little paint covers up alot of sin or in this case alot of paint.
icon_lol.gif
 Sorry for that but I just had to.I've also gotta say you are one tough dude I dont think I'd have the grit to push on like you have and a great job your'e doing too.
 
image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

Here's some picture of my hole after I half-assed it. I have to buy another $20 dang holesaw. My wife is being a project Nazi!! I have to hide my purchases, lol. Anyone else have to put up with this nonsense? I may not let her have any of my meat... The kind that comes out of the smoker of course...
 
Sir, you have a nice-looking hole. (Sorry, couldn't resist) Actually that is a fine cut. What size are you cutting, how many, and what will be your method for making an airtight passage from inner hole to outer hole?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Similar threads

DukeSilver22
Is this normal?
Replies
9
Views
493
General Discussion
DukeSilver22
DukeSilver22
B
How to keep original paint on propane tank smoker
Replies
3
Views
667
Side Fire Box
beerbeer95648
B
Hijack73
Life without kitchen for a month
Replies
28
Views
1K
Blowing Smoke Around the Smoker.
Flatrate
Flatrate
S
Anyone know about this New Braunfels smoker?
Replies
1
Views
481
Wood Smokers
Bworx
Bworx
lovethemeats
Spring time Pork Butt Smoke 7.7lb
Replies
10
Views
438
Pork
JLinza
JLinza
C
Another shortfat, with CAD
Replies
7
Views
512
Reverse Flow
JckDanls 07
JckDanls 07
kevinwi
Side gigs
Replies
4
Views
589
Wisconsin Members
kevinwi
kevinwi
M
Gravity Fed Smoker Build
Replies
5
Views
692
Other Builds
02ebz06
02ebz06

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Top Bottom
Back
Clicky