ArchaicArcane

The spool pin will be easy to replace. I'm guessing it's a screw in - most of the Japanese machines I've worked on have had screw in, not tap ins. I think there are a couple of different sizes of thread - I had one machine I ordered the wrong pin for 3 times! Now I write that stuff down! If the machine wasn't latched to the bed, it could bump up and down pivoting at the hinges - especially during its time in the warehouse on the conveyors - and possibly make the spool pin into what looks like your only true casualty. If it was broken in shipping, the other piece should be in the box. There's a good chance there's a corresponding divot in the underside of the top too.

The motor likely just needs its adjustment screw tightened. All in all, the fact that it survived that sort of packing is extremely lucky.

MFord

Aha! Tammi, the latches holding the machine to it's base are both broken - it could very well have bumped up and down any number of times! However, the spool pin is broken off almost flush with the top of the SM, so I think we may need to drill it out. I'll have to get my DH to do that, as I doubt I have the strength.

The wiring from the motor to the plug is aluminum and all the insulation is cracking off, so it definitely needs some work! I am reading Rain's blog on rewiring a motor and Cari sent me a link to a tute on cleaning the motor, which I will read next. I hope to get started on it tomorrow, but I feel I need at least a couple of hours in a row open, which may not happen. Maybe Friday. This is fun!

ArchaicArcane

Motor wiring is really easy - I typically can do one like what you're doing in about 30 - 45 minutes now depending on how involved I have to get. Some of the Singers have motors that have the leads marretted to the wires that you plug in. Those are about a 20 minute job and most of that is getting organized and getting in. The ones where I have to wire right to the coils take a little longer, usually with that underwriter's knot and having it sit just so, so that nothing's rubbing on it. So, yeah, maybe put aside about 2 hours to be able to go slow and take breaks for your first time. I pretty much consider that to be routine maintenance with any machine I get nowadays. The potted motors are more work because of the worm gear and the extra cleaning involved there, so an external belted motor is a great one to start on. My first motor was a potted motor and it was right about the time Rain put his tutorial up, so at least I wasn't going in blind.

You're lucky with the spool pin in that it's on a cover and you can take it and brace it and drill it. The bolts that suck are the ones that are attached directly to the main part of the machine then you're wrestling the weight and bulk of the machine.

It's not about strength, it's about steady. I drilled a really stubborn bolt out of my dirtbike from the back but I can't recall if it was with an easy out from the back or a regular bit from the back. Maybe someone here who's not so directionally challenged can chime in? I think it was something like I was drilling a pilot hole from the back to use the easy out and it spun out the front with the drill bit? The hardest part here is going to be having a drill bit small enough to not ruin the threads or you'll have to chase them with a tap and hope there's enough material left.

Rodney

Shipping is a killer these days. Overall I think you did ok. Pink machines generally go higher than other colors except maybe turquoise/white on a real good example of a dashboard machine. Rewiring these old machines is a really common repair. Just take your time and take pictures so you can put it back together when you're done. You'll do fine.

I buy old appliance and computer power cords at thrift stores. The last time I checked, black 2 conductor lamp cord was $.59 a foot and the plug ends were about $3.00 at the hardware store and extension cords were about the same money. It's usually under $1.00 to buy a used power cord at the thrift store. The thrift store cord comes with the bonus of a nice molded plug end too.

For a truly old machine that originally had cloth covered wire I'd spend extra to keep it looking original.

When I get the chance I'm going to experiment with dying power cables. I've seen a few sites on the internet where people have had success. It might be a way to match some of the different colored power cords found on some machines like the blue or green ones used on some Singers.
Rodney

greywuuf

put it in a treadle table and never worry about them pesky cords again