Vintage Pachinko: Restoring 101

[doodude]

Ive been working on the Vintage machine today & Im really happy with the results so far & very grateful for the help Ive gotten.

Its cleaned up far better than I had hoped on the first go around. The chrome, the playfield, the runners & the cabinet are all in pretty good shape.

I was afraid the payout mechanism was broken as it wouldnt payout the 1st time I played it. But a little shaking & some high pressured air seems to have cleared the shoots.
I dont think it was getting the play that the seller claimed since the more Ive played it the better it seems to respond. As if it was getting a little sticky from lack of use.

Thanks to Laz I was able to get the 1 light that flashes when you hit payout to operate. I was thinking of just restoring to original condition but after playing modern pachinkos with all the lights & sounds, I may eventually have to add a few more lights. And Im still working on getting the 2 bells that ding at payouts to operate at all.

Ahhh, baby steps. One at a time...

[dattia]

See I knew you could "DOO" it. You're gonna feel great about it!

Yesterday I had a problem with my Hound Dog and Logicprobe walked me through taking out the coin mechanism, tweeking it a little and putting it back. The mission was a success only because I had someone giving me the confidence (and explicit instructions ) to do it. Tomorrow, I think I'll conquer that Rom chip mod thingie that has been eluding everyone. (Uh Oh! I'm thinking a little empowerment can be a dangerous thing in the wrong hands!)

Anyway, you're gonna be so proud of your machine, it may even become your next avatar, like Johntofva's Penguin.

[Lazarus]

Doo. For the bells at payout, mine ring because the balls hit the bell as they pass going to the front payout try. Does yours have wires going to a bell instead of the low teck way mine is?

[doodude]

Doo. For the bells at payout, mine ring because the balls hit the bell as they pass going to the front payout try. Does yours have wires going to a bell instead of the low teck way mine is?

I dont see wires, just a rocker arm leading to them???

[slotter]

The older machines made the bell ring by having the metal balls hit that bell. All mechanical action. Kinda cool, actually!

[Kingsmen26]

Make sure there is no junk in behind the bell as this will deaden the ring. Also try cleaning the track that leads to the bell so that the balls can gain a little more speed. One more thing is that the bell may be out of position.

[Lazarus]

If there is a rocker arm. Then maybe something is wrong with that. They probably hit that witch in turn rings the bell.

[doodude]

I think all of the above.
If I listen closely, when I flip the ball release lever that leads to the bell, I can hear a small ding.
Im inclined to think it is more of an 'out of position' problem that one of descent speed.
But there could be another sunflower seed stuck in there too.
When I get back in a week or so I pull off the entire back cover(s) & check, clean & adjust everything as best I can,
Thanks for all the help...

[Lazarus]

A week! Doo! What is more important than pachinko! Now you just get back home and fix that machine! You have to have priority's.

[doodude]

Laz, Laz I gotta go to work, bro!
How can I spring for new springs if I dont slave over a hot steering wheel all day?
Im planning on being out for up to 10 or 12 days & Im already sick over it.
I wish I was rich & handsome ( or purddy in D's case ) like all you folks & could afford to stay home all day lounging in the bodago with my babies...

[dattia]

Thanks Doo, that was sweet of you.:flirt:

[Lazarus]

I have a bodago?!! Please tell me ware. I seam to have misplaced it!

[doodude]

This just breaks my heart.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...%3AUS%3A1&rd=1

I asked this guy to post some closeups of the playfield & the back of this machine for a better look. Its a really nice looking machine. Until the closeups. Then...

I did win this bid. It looks ok but you can never tell till your up close.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWN%3AIT&rd=1

Ive decided that these machines are mostly for when I quit driving a truck cuz I just dont have the time to refurbish & play & all the other things I gots to do.
No rest for the wicked!!!

[MrGneiss]

I hope it looks as good when you get it as it does in the pic.

Looks like I missed this one by $5.28.

[Tony Junior]

Doodude, I guess my eyes aren't as good as I thought. Or I don't know what to look for. But what is wrong with the first one?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...Q%3AUS%3A1&rd=1

[dattia]

I'm with TJ on that one...it looks good to me...but then again, I am not a vintage pachinko expert such as yourself.

[luckydog]

Look at the middle picture on the right,

there are water stains around a lot of the pins.

The other pictures don't show it as bad.

[slotter]

That's not untypical (the water marks). Happens often when someone gets too aggressive with the cleaning and sprays water and cleaner all over the playfield.

[doodude]

Ive been wondering alot about this water problem today as I was drivng down the road trying to loosen my load, I had 7 women on my mind...
Anyway, regardless of how it was done, when water shows up around the nails like in these pics, does that mean the laminate is seperating from the backboard?
If the answer is yes, will the laminate continue to pull away from the backboard until it pulls away completely?
Or will it just be stained & stay the way it is?
Im an inquiring mind & I want to know!?

[slotter]

I very much doubt if it will pull away. Think the stain is the damage and it is cosmetic.