{"id":548,"date":"2024-01-06T14:59:34","date_gmt":"2024-01-06T14:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/desiredcreations.com\/blog\/?page_id=548"},"modified":"2026-03-16T18:22:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T18:22:52","slug":"stuff-an-okm-stove-into-my-subaru","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/desiredcreations.com\/blog\/my-okeefe-merritt-stove-restoration-intro\/stuff-an-okm-stove-into-my-subaru\/","title":{"rendered":"Stuff an OKM stove into my Subaru"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sanity Lost!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Here it is, a short while before; cleared and ready to be stuffed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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My Subaru, stuffed with a full sized O’Keefe & Merritt. Just enough room left over for one driver! \ud83d\ude42<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Something took control of my weak sanity. After getting my first O\u2019Keefe & Merritt (OKM) vintage gas stove delivered to my home, I wanted another\u2026 for a few parts. It was a great excuse to get another one. For me to restore my first OKM, Lucy, I needed to gather replacement parts; knobs, door handles, grates, clock knobs, Grillevator trays, brass valve parts, etc. I could have bought those parts separately from parts suppliers. But that would have cost a ridiculous amount more money. I lived in the San Francisco bay area, an area where people would give away OKM stoves or abandon them to the curb. I could bring a stove back home, remove the parts I needed, sell the rest on eBay. I should only need one or two parts stoves. Good plan! Yup. That\u2019s what I\u2019ll do. Yeah, sure. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were a couple\/few practicalities. How to transport major appliance. Rent a van? Buy a hitch and rent a trailer? I did have a 2005 Subaru Legacy wagon. It had a nice sized cargo area. Would it fit? I had to thank one guy who gave me his father\u2019s OKM. He had partially disassembled it. Not sure the entire stove\u2019s bulk would fit, I decided to make two round trips. During my first pickup trip, we loaded up my car with all the loose bits. I returned the next day. He looked at car. He looked at the stove and said, \u201cI think it\u2019ll fit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was right! A little adjusting, a little shimmying, removing a couple of layers of car floor padding , laying the stove on it\u2019s back, and sliding it in, side first, it fit! The stove fit literally like a glove. Thus, began an extremely bizarre and unexpected turn in my life \u2013 rescuing mostly free vintage O\u2019Keefe & Merritt gas cookstoves from throughout the bay area and bringing them home to San Jose, CA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On average, about once a month someone would post a free or extremely low cost OKM stove on craigslist that was within a 60 mile radius. I\u2019d focus on the ones that looked to be in fair to excellent shape. I could not stand to see those fine appliances scrapped. I\u2019d also focus on the ones where the seller would repost their stove at an decreasing price, like from $300 to $200 to $100 to $50). That was the time to pounce! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From my perspective, people were actually throwing away high quality American made stoves that could last another 50 \u2013 70 years. During my first few rescues, I verified that was the owners’ true wishes. I asked if they realized how wonderful their appliance was. It became clear they had made up their minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had to save those stoves! But with no money to buy, I had to let sellers know I\u2019d prevent their stoves from being scrapped. That seemed to work very well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because those wonderful vintage 40\u2033 wide babies needed some disassembly to fit into my little 2005 subie station wagon, I needed to learn a bit about those stoves, screw by screw, burner by burner, knob by knob. \ud83d\ude42 There was nothing online. I had to do this on my own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most important thing I learned is, not counting the chassis, nearly everything that goes into the gas stove is attached with screws, bolts and hinges. Simply attached \u2013 simply detached. There were exceptions, like the burner control knobs, which are friction fitted. Another exception were the gas assembly tubes. They link the Alltrol gas valves to the cooktop burners. They are heavy cast iron and simply lay in place. (And I won\u2019t go into detail about how long it took me to realize that!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Breakdown Tool List<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Disassembly required some tools and supplies. Oh, and a smartphone camera to take some breakdown photos\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

bags, boxes for small parts<\/td>mini pry bars<\/td><\/tr>
black marker (Sharpie)<\/td>paper towels<\/td><\/tr>
drivers, blade and Phillips<\/td>propane torch<\/td><\/tr>
electric drill (w reverse)<\/td>3\u2032 x 6\u2032 ramp (handle at least 600lbs)<\/td><\/tr>
flat furniture dolly<\/td>tie-down straps, heavy duty<\/td><\/tr>
furniture moving blankets<\/td>trash bag<\/td><\/tr>
hand broom<\/td>Tri-flow penetrating lube<\/td><\/tr>
hand cleaner<\/td>vise grips<\/td><\/tr>
large cardboard boxes<\/td>wire cutters<\/td><\/tr>
work gloves<\/td>wrench set (American)<\/td><\/tr>
masking\/duct tape<\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Breakdown<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The best part, at the beginning of each extraction, was seeing the expression on the faces of the folks who thought something was screwy. They insisted burly men and a truck were needed to move the stove. Instead, a strange middle aged, very excited woman shows up alone with a little subie wagon and assures them she\u2019ll handle everything by herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How you prepare an OKM for transportation depends on what you’re transporting it in. I had to do the extreme version, get the stove as light and as small as possible to fit into my Subie on its back. You may not have to go as far. Don’t rely on memory unless you have a photographic one. Take lots of photos as you go. You’ll need them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage 1: Take away the easy stuff.<\/strong> If you can keep the stove upright, you don’t have to do too much. But make sure nothing can rattle and bang against other parts of the stove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n