Diplomat Restoration Project - History and Background

In 1990, my mother won an Electrolux Diplomat at a church raffle. It came with all the standard accoutrements...PN, braided hose, Sidekick, combo tool, long crevice tool, floor brush, and steel accessory wands. It even had the original box.

Naturally, this became the family vacuum. I was in university at the time, and never paid a great deal of attention to it...it was 'merely' the household go-to vacuum. It was used regularly throughout the 90's and early 00's, until, at some point, my father sucked up some water with it while vacuuming the car. Actually, this didn't seem to have much effect on the motor...it still kept chugging away.

As I pointed out here, I inherited my aunt's Epic 6500 in 2002, and I gave it to my folks to use as their regular vacuum, so the Diplomat went into semi-retirement. The braided hose was giving out by that time anyway, although everything else worked fine.

The next step in its life was in my sister's house. She married in 2007, and the Diplomat went with her, along with a used but good condition vinyl hose I bought for it. She used it until 2011 or early 2012, or something like that, and finally, I, wanting it back, traded her my Ambassador (which is the Diplomat's companion model).

So, the Diplomat came back with me. At that time, it still worked, and all the original attachments were intact. I took the machine apart about a year ago, and found pretty much what you'd expect from a vacuum that sucked up water...rusty motor parts, corroded electrical contacts, etc. As I say, it still ran, albeit a bit tiredly, and, while I was taking it apart, the contacts on the thermal sensor snapped off. 

So, what to do? The Diplomat was the first Electrolux in my family, and, as such, while perhaps not significant in terms of Electrolux history, was and is significant to me. I could:

1. Buy a brand new motor for it, or

2. Rebuild it with bits and bobs from other vacuums

I'm going to try option #2. Why?

It so happens I have a System 90, the body of which, when I got it, was practically bright yellow with age (or, more probably, nicotine). The motor and all the parts are intact and have been cleaned and disinfected by me, so it's all good to go. I can transfer the cord, motor and fans, and wiring to the Diplomat body and have a 'new' vacuum. 

At any rate, I have nothing to lose by trying this. I want my vacuums to be useful and used, not sitting there in pieces, and refurbishing the Diplomat will be 'bringing the past to life'. I'd like to document this process as best I can, mostly for my own edification. It's a pity that I don't have any pictures of the Diplomat from its early days, nor do I have the original box, but everything else will be original.

A picture of the Diplomat on or near the day my sister took it away: