Completed My First Restoration!

[ehisforadam]

I got my shark diver a few weeks ago from an estate sale and decided to make it my first restoration project. I have to say I really enjoyed it. I wanted to do another machine before I tackled my No More War 2 to understand everything that's needed and going on in these things. I definitely made a few mistakes, learned a lot and decided I'm definitely going to do a few things differently next time, but overall I'm pleased with how it came out. It's so cool to see a nice shiny machine with a bright cell and painted center feature!


Before:
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After:
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[Card Shark]

Very nicely done.

[whitedawg]

Very nice, looks great.

[cardwwi]

Great job, looking forward to see your No More War 2 restore.

[Moparformances]

nice looking

[p.opus]

Great Job. Oh that machine brings back memories. The Shark Diver was the first pachinko I ever owned. My dad bought it for me back in one Christmas either '79 or '80. It was the christmas before we got our Atari, I think. I played the heck out of that machine as a kid and have no idea what became of it. I either sold it as a college student, or left it with my parents when I went of to college and it got lost in storage, or whatever.

As I remember, the Shark Diver didn't have a lot of playfield variation. The hearts on each side would open up the both inner tulips for a total of 3 potential payouts. The inner tulips themselves were single throw, so they resulted in 2 potential payouts. The angel fish on the side resulted in the corresponding tulip opening, so it gave 2 potential payouts, and a ball shot all the way down the center through the divers legs opened up the double throw "hit tulip" to give 3 potential payouts.

That didn't stop me from playing the heck out of that machine.

When I got back into pachi's again as an adult, I picked up a 78 Sankyo Model "B", a 71 Nishijin Model A "bowling" and a '70 front overflow and an early 80's Hanemono early modern. Sold the Sankyo and the front overflow to finance my '05 Sankyo Star Wars. I kept the "bowling" because it was my first full playfield restoration and because it had the most playfield variation of the three vintages I had.

If I could find a shark diver on the cheap, I might pick it up and restore it for nostalgia sake, but to be honest, it wouldn't get the same play time that my bowling gets because I prefer the model "a" recycler over the Model "b" non-recycler, and the bowling has more playfield variation.

I doubt if I'll purchase another model 'b' or 'c' style pachinko because I really don't like having to frequently refill machines. It would have to be something special like a Nishijin Circuit Racer, or a Power Flash.

[Super Dave Osbourne]

would you elaborate on your mistakes, and what you would do differently? Pitfalls and stories help others avoid the restoration noid.

[ehisforadam]

What I'd do differently/Mistakes

- Take more pictures - Especially of what screws came out of what holes
- Being more careful with my bags and labeling.
- Use a different method or go slower with pulling nails - I messed up quite a few heads. I think I'm going to try a cork screw puller next time.
- Go slower with the protective film on the cell - I got the graphic down really easily and bubble free, my overconfidence hurt me on the clear protective sheet install.
- Use proper hardware - Definitely need countersunk screws on the cell to the frame. Bigger pilot holes, as I snapped a few heads off screws.
- Sanding and applying polyurethane in the garage next time.
- Use of a different type of silver pen or something else for the chrome/silver highlights on play field features.
- I need to find a better way of painting the spinners. Tried the drill spinning technique, it just didn't work at all for me. I'm thinking of using masking.

Some things that I think worked out really well:
- Aluminum foil and water for chrome cleaning - takes the rust of really well.
- Tamiya clear paints are great for the center feature. I am a big fan of their paints. Much better than anything Testers makes.
- The front tray plastic is Acetone soluble, made doing repairs easy. Basically you can use the acetone like glue and melt parts back together, like the cracked screw bosses.
- I used a water spray bottle to dissolve the paper and then just a simple scraper. This worked really well and saved me a lot of time sanding.
- Wood glue and clamps is a good way of fixing delaminated plywood.
- It's much cooler in my basement so pachinko restoration is a great summer activity.

[CarlW]

Beautiful work!

[Super Dave Osbourne]

Thank you for the detailed follow up. It may make sense for you to start a thread (or someone else, but you seem able and willing) about Restoration Pitfalls, or "El Noido Pachinko Restorato" Really great contribution to the Vintage and Restoration, thank you!

[CarlW]

...but to be honest, it wouldn't get the same play time that my bowling gets because I prefer the model "a" recycler over the Model "b" non-recycler, and the bowling has more playfield variation.

I doubt if I'll purchase another model 'b' or 'c' style pachinko because I really don't like having to frequently refill machines. It would have to be something special like a Nishijin Circuit Racer, or a Power Flash.

​And you're sure full cyclic or half cylic is of no interest for you? Model A's convert pretty well to full cyclic... aka Computerized Pachinko... alas, I'm hijacking this thread... apologies...

[Super Dave Osbourne]

Is there a thread on the conversion process of Mod A to near-full cyclic? (sorry for continuing the hijack)

[CarlW]

Is there a thread on the conversion process of Mod A to near-full cyclic? (sorry for continuing the hijack)

I don't remember that specific thread. At one time, I had 2 computerized pachinkos. Both were full cyclic conversion Model A's.

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[p.opus]

Since I have Gaku counters installed on all my machines, then cyclic's make perfect sense. However, I am also a bit of a purist. A full model 'A' rarely requires any user intervention, so for me there's not a lot of benifit in converting to cyclic.

My Hanemono, on the other hand is a based on a model 'c' and the idea of a cyclic is much more appealing. My Star Wars pachinko payout computer keeps track of balls won even after the jackpot hopper is empty, so I don't have the need to refill until after a fever is over.

However, as I said before, I like the sound of the balls paying out and I'm not much into permanently converting machines unless it's necessary (i.e. missing parts or if it's already modified).

my bad for continuing the hijack

[CarlW]

However, as I said before, I like the sound of the balls paying out and I'm not much into permanently converting machines unless it's necessary

Sounds like a fun project for me. The way the computerized pachinko Model A works, the stock jackpot lever is used and the balls are still dumped out over the bell. So, a jackpot sounds exactly the same. The upper tray is not used. The payout is adjustable but can still be 15 (stock). The overflow is blocked. The bottom tray is not used. At one time I experimented to determine the perfect amount of pachinko balls to use and have the machine never run out...

My part of the hijack is over now; if I get around to it; will start a new thread...