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00:00You gotta be me.
00:02Come on!
00:03Up next on American Restoration,
00:05you bought it!
00:06Rick Harrison's here with an old Pepsi Vendo machine
00:09that he bought.
00:09This machine is so cool,
00:11but I've never done one in red.
00:12I've never seen one in red.
00:14It's sort of baffling to me.
00:15Very baffling.
00:16This for you.
00:16Perfect.
00:17I can set it right on my new desk.
00:18Like your own official desk?
00:20Pretty awesome, huh?
00:20A lot bigger than yours.
00:22We'll see how much Ron likes his new office
00:23once I add a bathroom to it.
00:25This came off a bank building.
00:27We want to put it back as a museum piece.
00:30There is some damage on this thing
00:32that isn't fixable.
00:36Look at a man's workbench.
00:38You see his passions.
00:41His work's in progress.
00:45The things that drive him crazy.
00:49Projects that?
00:51You get the point.
00:52Anyway, every workbench tells a story.
00:55And this is ours.
00:58American Restoration.
01:03One really great thing about my location here in Vegas
01:06is that I have Gold and Silver Pond
01:08right around the corner.
01:09And Rick Harrison and the boys are constantly
01:11bringing me really interesting items to work on.
01:14Check out what he's got.
01:17Cool.
01:18That's good.
01:20You bought it.
01:21I bought it.
01:22Awesome.
01:23Awesome.
01:24A while back, Rick asked me to come by his place
01:26and check out a vintage Pepsi machine for sale.
01:29I guess he pulled the trigger on it
01:30because it's sitting there on the back of his truck.
01:32So, uh...
01:33Fix it up.
01:34All right.
01:35Cool. I was wondering.
01:36I recently bought a Ventilator Vend81 Pepsi machine,
01:39and I'm bringing it down to Rick's
01:41because I'm thinking about getting it restored.
01:42This machine is so cool.
01:44I mean, it's a collector's piece.
01:45So when I walked in and saw you looking at this,
01:48believe me, my mouth was watering.
01:50It's the one that everybody wants
01:51because it holds any bottle.
01:53It'll hold, you know, the little small bottles
01:55they used to have, like eight ounces.
01:57And at the same time, it'll hold the big 16-ounce bottles.
02:00A lot of people don't actually know that Pepsi Cola
02:03came before the other colas.
02:04Yeah.
02:05It was also not called Pepsi.
02:06It was called Brad's Drink.
02:08I didn't know.
02:10Brad's soda all of a sudden turned into Pepsi Cola,
02:13and then now it's just called Pepsi.
02:15Yeah, until the 1950s,
02:16Pepsi was like the bastard child, you know,
02:18between Pepsi and Coke.
02:19During World War II,
02:21they cut their sugar supplies and everything else,
02:24and basically Coke could get all the sugar it wanted.
02:26And these guys couldn't get anything.
02:28That's right.
02:28The other thing about it is on this machine,
02:31the most of them were all blue.
02:32I've never done one in red.
02:33I've never seen one in red.
02:35So it probably was all blue in the day,
02:37and then somebody repainted it.
02:38Okay.
02:39Is there any specific way
02:40that you want to see this thing totally restored?
02:43Yeah, just bone stock, make it look pretty.
02:45Okay.
02:45Just the way it came back in the day.
02:47Yeah.
02:47So what we'll do is we'll go ahead and strip it all down.
02:50Okay.
02:50Do the body work on it.
02:51On the inside, all of this will come out,
02:54re-insulate it, put the liner back in,
02:56probably do a new compressor here
02:57so there'll be no problems.
02:58The R12 is a big deal.
03:00You know what the R12 is?
03:01Yeah.
03:01Refrigeration.
03:02You can still get it.
03:03It's very expensive, but it works better.
03:06Okay.
03:06Whatever we got to do.
03:08So how much is it going to cost?
03:10Totally done.
03:11All beautiful, ready to go work and everything.
03:13It's going to be $4,800 for the whole thing.
03:16Okay.
03:16How much do you think I can get out of this thing once it's done?
03:19Um, the right collector, I'd say between $10,000 to $11,000.
03:24That much?
03:25Yeah.
03:25These are not everywhere.
03:26These are very rare.
03:29All right.
03:29Sounds like a plan.
03:30Okay.
03:30All right.
03:31Awesome.
03:31Awesome.
03:32Well, let's go in here.
03:33I want to show you around.
03:33Okay.
03:34I paid three grand for it, $4,800 to fix it,
03:37so I'll be in at $7,800.
03:38When you consider one a minute, it definitely works out.
03:47All right, Ron.
03:48Here's your desk.
03:50Hey, hey.
03:50Right on.
03:51Ron's job at the shop is to find customers and picking spots,
03:54and he's basically been doing it on the go from his cell phone.
03:58So I figure he's long overdue for a desk so he can really get things done.
04:01So you think he can get a lot done?
04:03Yeah.
04:04Here, this for you for the frog toss.
04:06Perfect.
04:06I can set it right on my new desk and start work.
04:10Do what I got.
04:10Like your own official desk?
04:12Pretty awesome, huh?
04:13Kush.
04:15So I get a desk that's made from some old plywood by Cowboy,
04:19and he gets, like, a nice bought one?
04:20You can be a little jealous because I've got the nice cushy chair.
04:23Woo!
04:25I'm a little annoyed that Ron is getting his brand new office desk.
04:28I mean, I guess he needs something, but does he have to be so obnoxious about it?
04:33Owner, foreman, me, which is way above you.
04:39It's a great desk, Ron.
04:42What a .
04:44He's jealous.
04:51Wow.
04:54Coming just a little bit further, right in here.
04:56Okay.
04:56All right.
04:56Hey.
04:57Hi, Rhonda.
04:58Rhonda, I'm Rick.
04:59I'm a member of the Historical Society in Edna, Kansas.
05:02And we've been raising funds to have this sign fixed for the last three years.
05:07This thing is awesome.
05:08Where'd you get this?
05:09This came off a bank building in Edna, Kansas.
05:12The Historical Society acquired the building.
05:15Our plan is to have this sign restored, put it back on the original bank building as a museum piece.
05:22Cool.
05:23So it's that on the side of the wall?
05:24Yes.
05:25I have some pictures.
05:26Oh, wow.
05:27This is the original newspaper from 1958 when they hung the sign when it was brand new.
05:32That's very cool.
05:33How many people live in this town?
05:35About 450.
05:36Oh, my God.
05:37That is a small town.
05:39That's a big deal.
05:40Back in the 50s, getting a big neon sign made small town folks feel like they're on the map.
05:46So this sign probably gave the community a huge sense of pride.
05:50And I'd be honored if I can help preserve this piece of the past.
05:53How do you want this thing to look when it goes up?
05:56I think what we're hoping for is we want it to work.
06:00Okay.
06:00And you want the clock working?
06:02Yes, sir.
06:02There is some damage on this thing that isn't fixable.
06:05This is red porcelain.
06:07And red is against the law.
06:10You can't have it.
06:11Really?
06:12The red had a pigment in it that was very unsafe.
06:15And they outlawed this red, okay?
06:18What we can do, though, is clean it up and you polish it out with a polisher.
06:22And it usually comes really, really clean.
06:23And then we'll redo all the neon.
06:25Neon is fragile.
06:27You know, the weather is just taking it off.
06:29This portion here, this we call the can.
06:31It's basically just a piece of sheet metal.
06:32Then they screw the sign to it.
06:34So I want to take and sandblast this whole can after we get it all apart.
06:38Paint it all.
06:38Right.
06:39To do all that and get that all done.
06:41And then make it to where it'll hang.
06:42I'm looking at about $7,000.
06:45Rick, I've got to tell you, our community is very excited about this project.
06:49So I feel okay with going ahead with that number.
06:51Okay. Awesome. Awesome.
06:53I will do my best job I possibly can.
06:55I want to make you guys proud.
06:56That'll be great.
06:57All right. Thank you.
06:57Let's go in the office and finish the paperwork.
06:59I do high-pressure jobs all the time.
07:01But honestly, this one's different.
07:04The people of Edna, Kansas have trusted me with this restoration.
07:07So this is a big deal.
07:18Pristine.
07:20My dad just gave Ron an awesome desk.
07:23But he couldn't resist bragging about it.
07:25So I've got an idea for a new accessory that's going to make him wish he never opened his mouth.
07:30Oh, that's perfect.
07:33Oh, that's so perfect.
07:34We'll see how much Ron likes his new corner office once I add a bathroom to it.
07:38We pull it apart and it's red.
07:40There's no blue.
07:40Nothing.
07:41Nowhere, huh?
07:42This should be blue.
07:43Hey, Rick.
07:44You remember that Pepsi cooler?
07:45There was no blue anywhere on it.
07:47You ready to see this thing?
07:48I'm ready.
07:48Let's see it.
07:49Here we go.
07:50Whoa.
07:51Tyler!
07:52Freaking disgusting.
07:53I know that was probably your idea, you old son of a...
08:05Don't you think it's weird that this thing is all red?
08:07Right.
08:08I'm kind of wondering that, too.
08:10It don't look like there's any blue on it.
08:11Kyle and I are tearing down this Pepsi machine that Rick Harrison wants us to restore.
08:15This model's supposed to be blue, inside and out.
08:18But if the original color's red, this could be a really strange one.
08:22Find out in a minute if this thing's all red.
08:25There you go, Tyler.
08:27The whole thing?
08:28The whole thing's red.
08:29I haven't seen anything like this before.
08:30So I definitely have to check with my dad before we push this thing down the line.
08:34All right, so here's the deal.
08:35We pull it apart and it's red.
08:38Nothing.
08:39Nowhere, huh?
08:40There's no blue.
08:40It's painted way too nice to just be like a re-spray.
08:43You got a knife?
08:47I told you.
08:48How come this isn't blue?
08:49You said all Pepsi machines were blue, right?
08:51Normally they're blue.
08:52Pepsi machines started out in the 20s, they were yellow and red.
08:55And then they went blue after that.
08:58And then they went red, white, and blue in the 60s when they went to square machines.
09:02This is about a 1954, a 1955 right in there.
09:06Okay.
09:06So this should be blue.
09:08But I've got a theory.
09:09You see this here?
09:10Yeah.
09:12What year is that?
09:13The 60s.
09:14That's right.
09:14The 60s.
09:15I'm sort of thinking that this was laying around in the manufacturing plant unpainted until
09:19the 60s when they had the red, white, and blue ones.
09:21And then they ended up painting it red and white.
09:23They gave it to somebody in the 60s.
09:25Brand new.
09:26Boom.
09:26It's just a theory.
09:27But either way, this machine is truly unique.
09:30Any time you've got a piece that's a one of a kind, it could really be a lot more valuable.
09:35So what are we going to do with this?
09:36Are we going to paint it red or?
09:37I think it's going to be more of a conversation between Rick and I because that's a wild tale
09:42to tell for this machine.
09:43I told Rick that we'd make it original, but that's when he thought original was blue.
09:48So I'm going to have to call him and see if he wants one of a kind red or classic
09:52blue.
09:56We had a customer drop off a sign that her whole town wanted to get restored.
10:01The neon on this thing was trashed.
10:03So I sent the mock-up over to my neon expert, Paul.
10:09Hey, Paul.
10:10Hey, Rick.
10:10Good. How you been?
10:11Good. Did you get that stuff that I sent you?
10:13Yeah, I made a new pattern.
10:14If you want to have it up here on the table, if you want to check it out.
10:17A while back, Paul did the neon for the coffee shop sign we restored,
10:20so I knew he was definitely the right guy for this.
10:23So here's the pattern I drew up.
10:24Yeah, that's it.
10:26Yeah, yeah.
10:26So we're going to start bending it up.
10:27We'll start here on this corner.
10:28The first thing that we do is we take a pattern of the old sign,
10:31and then we heat up the glass, and then once it gets soft enough,
10:34we bend it and lay it down on the pattern and let it cool down.
10:37All right, Rick, do you think you want to give it a try?
10:39Yeah.
10:39Yeah, sure.
10:42Wow.
10:44You're actually blowing through that?
10:45Just a bit.
10:46It feels like there's a lot of back pressure, yeah?
10:47Just a little bit.
10:48Yeah, it is, but it's a very little bit that you're going to blow into it.
10:50Just grab it like that.
10:51Like this.
10:52Okay.
10:54Keep going, right?
10:55Keep going a little bit.
10:56Just try to keep the tube straight and not pull apart.
10:58Okay, okay.
10:58Uh-oh.
11:00I've never done any work with neon before, but I've always wanted to learn.
11:04And now's the perfect opportunity, because Paul's there to clean up any of my mistakes.
11:09Looking like a beer jug.
11:11Being my first time, I got a little bubble.
11:15It's not as easy.
11:16You do what you do.
11:18I was trying to do 45.
11:19I wasn't trying to do a...
11:20This is actually one of the easiest bends to do.
11:22Yeah.
11:23Figures.
11:25After screwing up a super easy 45-degree bend, it was really impressive seeing Paul go
11:31to work on that neon.
11:32This is a nice reminder why I bring in my neon work.
11:35He's really good at it.
11:36That's amazing to weld that together.
11:38Now that he's got the glass shaped perfectly, it's time to fill it with the neon gas.
11:43I'm really excited to see it light up for the first time.
11:46So you're ready to see it light?
11:47Yeah.
11:49Wow.
11:50That's awesome.
11:51That's so cool.
11:52So now it just needs to burn in, and just so it gets a nice even color all the way
11:55around.
11:56What do you think?
11:57I love it.
11:57I mean, this is going to look awesome on the side.
11:59Thanks very much.
12:06Dude, if your dad comes in here, he's just going to
12:09Good thing we got a toilet.
12:12Ron's got a new desk, and he's been a little smug about it.
12:15Woo!
12:16So Matt and I are making good use of work time to build Ron a desk accessory that only he
12:21deserves.
12:22Dude, this is such an ingenious idea.
12:25There we go.
12:26That's just perfect!
12:34We've been cranking on Rick Harrison's vintage Pepsi machine, and we've got a lot done.
12:39We've stripped it down to the metal and completed a lot of body work.
12:43All the mechanicals have been replated and the compressor's been replaced.
12:46When we tore it down, we found out that this thing was originally red.
12:50But I've been restoring Pepsi machines for 30 years, and I really think this will sell better to a collector
12:55with the classic Pepsi Blue.
12:57But I know Rick said to go original, so I've got to make sure that's still what he wants.
13:02Hello?
13:02Hey, Rick.
13:03It's Rick Dale.
13:04Hey, what's up?
13:04You remember that Pepsi cooler?
13:06Well, it was red from the factory, because when we tore it apart, there was no blue anywhere on it.
13:15That's the way this machine came.
13:16I have no clue who did it or why they did it.
13:19But you want to be able to sell this thing, right?
13:26All right.
13:28Well, I think we need to go back with regular blue.
13:30Well, you're the expert.
13:31You're the one who knows everything about this machine.
13:33Do what you're thinking about.
13:34Okay, Rick.
13:35Awesome.
13:36Thanks, bud.
13:36I know Rick needs to make some money off this vendo.
13:39So I really think we're best going with a traditional Pepsi Blue.
13:42When it's all done, Rick should have no problem finding a buyer for this thing.
13:55What's up, boys?
13:56What's up?
13:57What's up?
14:00While my uncle was cleaning out the boneyard, Matt and I snuck into his office and switched
14:05out his comfy new chair with one that's more his style.
14:08And it's a real throne.
14:13You gotta be me.
14:15Tyler!
14:19All right.
14:20I heard you rang.
14:21You're a dick.
14:23You are a dick.
14:24Where's my chair?
14:26You got your own porcelain throne.
14:28And it's even got your name on it.
14:30Dude.
14:32All right.
14:33I gotta get back to work.
14:34It rolls really good.
14:35Yeah.
14:35You better watch yourself, punk.
14:37Watch yourself.
14:38All right.
14:39Tyler might have gotten me, but this isn't over.
14:41I swear, he's gonna be sorry you mess with me.
14:51Hey, Rick.
14:53Rick Harrison's here.
14:54Hey.
14:56Hey, Rick.
14:56How's it going, man?
14:57Good to see you, buddy.
14:58What's going on?
14:59Oh, just living the dream?
15:01All right.
15:01Heard about my Pepsi machine?
15:02Yeah.
15:03Yeah, yeah.
15:03I got it looking really, really sharp.
15:05So you ready to look at it?
15:05I'm ready to see it.
15:06All right.
15:06Let's go.
15:07It's over here.
15:07The cool thing about the Pepsi machine is it looked in pretty good shape when I dropped
15:11it off.
15:11But you know what?
15:12Pretty good shape doesn't sell.
15:13Perfect shape like Rick does, does sell.
15:16All right, Rick.
15:16So you remember what this thing used to look like.
15:18I mean, it was a little faded.
15:19It was red.
15:20Wrong color.
15:20So you ready to see this thing?
15:22I'm ready.
15:22Let's see it.
15:23Here we go.
15:23One, two, three.
15:25Whoa.
15:26Wow.
15:27Isn't that cool?
15:29It looks amazing.
15:30It should have been blue.
15:31And collectors, if you're trying to resell it, they want blue.
15:34They don't want red.
15:35There's no way they would pay that money for red ever.
15:38Look at this.
15:39Ted did all the hand lettering on here.
15:41If you notice that, that is absolutely perfect lettering.
15:44Really just bam.
15:45You know what I mean?
15:46I like it.
15:47We re-chromed everything.
15:48Did everything chrome here.
15:49All this is stainless so that all got polished.
15:51See the mix all been redone.
15:53We zinc plated all these pizzas in here.
15:55Absolutely amazing.
15:56So now you ready to see the guts?
15:58Yeah.
15:59Here we go.
16:00Check it out.
16:01It's all been totally restored.
16:03Looks like it just rolled out of the factory.
16:04Yeah.
16:05Inside, this is all rewired.
16:07We got a new compressor in there, a new fan motor.
16:09Everything's been redone.
16:10This is the decal that Ted did and the nameplate on the side.
16:13Okay.
16:14You got 15 cents on you?
16:16I think I got 30 cents, actually.
16:27Oh, it comes right out like butter.
16:29The thing works flawlessly.
16:31Rick Dale pays so much attention to detail, I literally think this thing works better than
16:35if you actually got it from the factory in 1957.
16:38Looks great.
16:38Cross.
16:39Cheers.
16:40Cheers.
16:40Overall, great project.
16:41It's going to be a quick sale and some quick money.
16:44Thanks, man.
16:44I appreciate it.
16:45Anytime.
16:45Let me give you some money.
16:46All right.
16:47I'm there.
16:49A common problem we have when restoring old wood is you're trying to be uniform with
16:54all your screws, but there's one hole that's worn out and won't hold a screw.
16:58What's the best material to use when fixing a stripped screw hole in wood?
17:04A, wood filler.
17:05B, toothpicks and wood glue.
17:07C, epoxy.
17:09D, sawdust.
17:11The answer and more coming up.
17:18What's the best material to use when fixing a stripped screw hole in wood?
17:24The answer is B, toothpicks and wood glue.
17:27Add a little wood glue.
17:29Insert your toothpicks.
17:31Break them off.
17:33Now you insert the screw.
17:37And there you have a nice, tight screw.
17:39It's a quick, easy, and common fix.
17:42Works great.
17:48Get all that done up.
17:50Rhonda's here from Kansas.
17:51All right.
17:52Okay.
17:52Hey.
17:53How you been?
17:54Hey, Rick.
17:55Good to see you.
17:55Good to see you.
17:56I'm here to see my sign.
17:57Awesome.
17:58I can't wait for you to see it.
17:59Are you excited?
18:00I'm not the only one that's excited about this.
18:02The whole community is excited to see this project finish.
18:06Awesome.
18:06All right.
18:06It's in here.
18:07Okay.
18:07All right.
18:08I'm here at Rick's today to see our 1958 First National Bank sign.
18:13All right.
18:15Here it is.
18:15All right.
18:17That is beautiful.
18:19Oh, really nice.
18:21Wow.
18:22It's so shiny and clean.
18:25When I first saw the sign, I couldn't believe how pretty and shiny it was.
18:29It looked new and just really nice.
18:32I can't believe this is the same sign.
18:34It's just really beautiful.
18:35It's shaped like the one I brought, but it looks really, really nice.
18:40Yeah.
18:41Well, what we ended up doing, this is a porcelain sign, basically.
18:44This is a piece of a porcelain sign, and this is a porcelain sign.
18:47Well, the deal is, is it has to be held together with what I call the can.
18:51Right.
18:51This is the can right here on this inside.
18:53Right.
18:54Well, that can was, because it sat up there so long and it rained on it through the years
18:58and years, at the bottom, it was rusted out.
19:00Gone.
19:01So what we did is we built a brand new can, and so now, you basically can mount it and
19:05hold it up in the air.
19:06Very nice.
19:07And this is all original.
19:08The whole sign and everything, the clock's all original.
19:11And what we ended up doing is going through on all this porcelain, and you polished it all out.
19:15Polished everything, took all the rust out.
19:17Wow.
19:17Some of it's been touched up.
19:19You know, like I told you when you dropped it off, you can't get red porcelain anymore.
19:22It's against the law.
19:23So it's all been cleaned up, and you really can't tell, because porcelain, it lasts through
19:27the years.
19:28I brought all the neon to my friend Paul, and what he did was he sort of showed me how
19:33to
19:34blow neon.
19:35At the same time, I wasn't that good at it, but it takes years to do, but I did learn
19:39how.
19:40And, but he was really good at it.
19:41And then they put it all together, and they actually charge it.
19:44What happens is, is you go inside there, and they can tell what color it was.
19:47So we found out all the color.
19:48Very nice.
19:49Are you excited to see it lit up?
19:51I, I can't wait.
19:52I've never seen it working, so yes.
19:55Okay.
19:56Here we go.
19:56One, two.
19:59Holy cow.
20:01That's beautiful.
20:02Is that cool?
20:03Wow.
20:04That is so pretty.
20:05I was really shocked by the colors, because I just expected it to be a light, but it was
20:11all this color.
20:12I, I was amazed.
20:14I had no idea that it was different colors of neon.
20:17Rick, this is perfect.
20:19I absolutely love it.
20:20It's, it's way more than I expected, because I didn't know what to expect.
20:24Right.
20:24And I think everybody in our community is going to be very pleased with what we've been working
20:29so hard to accomplish, so this is going to be absolutely perfect.
20:32Awesome.
20:33Thank you so much.
20:34You bet.
20:34Let's go in the office.
20:35We'll, uh, take care of the rest of the paperwork and, uh, I'll get it crated up.
20:45Earlier, Tyler pulled a prank on me and replaced my nice new office chair with a toilet seat.
20:51He thinks he's got the last laugh, but I know his biggest fear, spiders.
20:57Now he's finally sitting at his desk and I can spring my trap.
21:01And then, uh, BMW's going out.
21:05That's all taken care of.
21:07Yep.
21:07All right.
21:09I'll call on that one.
21:14Ugh!
21:15Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
21:16Holy .
21:18That scared the crowd out of me.
21:21Hear me now, bow down to the master.
21:23Whoa!
21:24Come on, Tyler, it wasn't even real.
21:26You're such a sissy.
21:28Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
21:29Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
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