Bodie Stroud
null RC Cola Machine
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RC Cola Machine

RC Cola Machine

The Build

A vintage Royal Crown Cola cooler, restored and converted into a rolling chrome double-tap draft dispenser in the Bodie Stroud shop.

Vehicle History

RC Cola, short for Royal Crown Cola, is one of America's classic soft-drink brands, and its glass-front coolers, dispensers, and vending machines were a fixture of diners, filling stations, and soda counters for most of the 20th century. This cooler was made by the Ideal Dispenser Co. of Bloomington, Illinois, and its coin plate still reads Insert Coin 10 cents. It was brought back to glossy condition in the Bodie Stroud shop and fitted with a chrome double-tap draft tower, with tap handles shaped like engine connecting rods.

Known for: the red-and-white Royal Crown name that marked soda counters and filling stations across the country.

Gallery

Finished Royal Crown Cola cooler fitted with a chrome double-tap draft tower
Finished Royal Crown Cola cooler fitted with a chrome double-tap draft tower
Straight-on view of the finished cooler, chrome top rail, and bottle opener
Straight-on view of the finished cooler, chrome top rail, and bottle opener
Door detail: Royal Crown Cola lettering with the attached bottle opener
Door detail: Royal Crown Cola lettering with the attached bottle opener
Restored cooler with the red coin box, polished top, and draft tower
Restored cooler with the red coin box, polished top, and draft tower
Coin mechanism with Insert Coin 10-cent and Bent Coin Return plates
Coin mechanism with Insert Coin 10-cent and Bent Coin Return plates
Custom tap handles made from engine connecting rods, pinstriped red and yellow
Custom tap handles made from engine connecting rods, pinstriped red and yellow
Second view of the connecting-rod tap handles on the chrome tower
Second view of the connecting-rod tap handles on the chrome tower
California GT 700S specialty plate resting on the cooler's polished chrome top
California GT 700S specialty plate resting on the cooler's polished chrome top

Build Process

Original coin mechanism before restoration: Insert Coin 10 cents, Ideal Dispenser Co., Bloomington, Illinois
Original coin mechanism before restoration: Insert Coin 10 cents, Ideal Dispenser Co., Bloomington, Illinois
Original embossed “Drink Royal Crown Cola — best by taste-test” lettering on the unrestored body
Original embossed “Drink Royal Crown Cola — best by taste-test” lettering on the unrestored body
Bodywork in progress, grinder marks across the yellow front panel
Bodywork in progress, grinder marks across the yellow front panel
Metal prep on the front face in the shop
Metal prep on the front face in the shop
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