Kegerator help

[Student brewer]

Hello all, my roomate tracked down a pretty old fridge. Any tips on how to clean this up and turn it into a kegerator?
Everything from how to transport it to how to remove rust & where I should drill holes for the taps, etc.

Thanks guys!

[S-04]

It's old... 1950's or maybe even 40's. Very cool.

Does it work? Can you afford the electric bill?

[Student brewer]

Fully functional . Electricity is included in our rent. Haha

[mr x]

Taps usually go in the front door.

[S-04]

I would clean it with CLR to get as much of the rust stains off as I could, then sand it a bit to smooth it out and scuff up the old finish. Then I would prime it with an oil based rust primer, and then topcoat with 2 coats of waterborne alkyd paint sanding lightly with 220 grit after the first coat. I'd probably do the same to the inside.

[Student brewer]

Thank you S-04.

This is a machine that needs to be transported in an upright position, correct?

[bluenose]

if it still works, then you're good to go, but if the compressor goes, you're frakked unless you know someone who can macgyver up a new one for you

those old fridges always look awesome when redone

[S-04]

I don't know particularly about old fridges, but with fridges in general, you want to transport them upright if possible. If you have to lay them down, you should let them stand upright for 24 hours to allow the coolant to drain back to the bottom before plugging them in. I moved a newish fridge on its side last year, gave it the 24 hours and it was fine.

I bet that thing weighs about 300lbs...