Wall Mounted Pachinko Frames

[Jaelus]

So I think I've read just about every frame mounting thread on here, but I'm looking for some advice.

I'm getting ready to mount my 3 fever pachinkos for starters, and then I'll look at mounting my classic pachinkos. I've got a Star Wars and an Indiana Jones in a Sankyo Lumina frame, and a Robocop in a Monako/Okumura Nightware frame. All three of these games have DaveRob dongles and ball lifters, so I can keep them self contained on the wall without having to deal with ball management.

The pachinkos, ready for wall mounting:
20231225_200259.jpg

With the ball lifters, the clearance is a bit more than without, but based on my measurements, 1" x 10" lumber (really .75" x 9.25") will give me sufficient clearance.

As I do not need to worry about a lower tray or ball feeder up top, I can get by with a very simple frame. I have a 1" x 6" (really .75" x 5.5") board to cut for a French cleat.

My questions are as follows:

1. Is it stronger to have the top of the frame full width with vertical screws driven into the end wood of the sides, or is it stronger to have full height sides with horizontal screws driven into the end wood of the top and bottom.

Here's an illustration of what I'm talking about. The left example has a full width top and bottom with vertical screws into the sides. The right example has full height sides with horizonal screws into the top and bottom. With the cleat at the top screwed to the sides and top it will help distribute the weight and strengthen the frame, but a lot of weight is going to be supported by the top of the frame, so I want it to be as strong as possible.

(Shown to scale)
frames.png

2. Will a 1" x 6" (really .75" x 5.5") cut in half at a 45 degree angle be sufficiently strong for a French cleat? The cleat will be mounted on 2 studs with 2 screws per stud, and also screwed to both the top and sides of the frame.

3. What screws are best for the frame? I want them to be sufficiently strong but not too large as to weaken the wood. I was considering #10 2.5" flat head wood screws that could be countersunk and filled.

4. I am also considering a second piece of wood at the bottom of the frame to strengthen the frame, similar to the cleat at top, except it will just be there for strength. Is this necessary? It will reduce the clearance for the ball lifters by .75".

Thank you in advance for any comments. I'd like to avoid any unseen pitfalls in this project.