Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Arcade Collecting => Pinball => Topic started by: Wade on December 30, 2004, 03:31:16 pm

Title: My first pinball "shop job" / restoration
Post by: Wade on December 30, 2004, 03:31:16 pm
A few weeks ago I bought my first "unshopped" pinball machine that needed a variety of work.  I put up some info and pics of it on my webpage below:

http://usergallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/album183

This was a fun and gratifying experience.  I will probably buy more "project" pins in the future.  I have completed a few vid restorations in the past but had been afraid to try a pin.

Wade
Title: Re: My first pinball "shop job" / restoration
Post by: ChadTower on December 30, 2004, 03:35:54 pm
Cool!  I have two pins that need restoration that I'm dying to get to... good job.
Title: Re: My first pinball "shop job" / restoration
Post by: clanggedin on December 30, 2004, 03:39:27 pm
WCS 94' is one of my favorite pins. Seeing your progress on this one, gets me excited to get my first pin soon.

How much did you have to put into in to get it lokking like it does now?


Great Job!
Title: Re: My first pinball "shop job" / restoration
Post by: missioncontrol on December 30, 2004, 08:56:54 pm
great job....looks good

I see you got a Space Shuttle too.
Title: Re: My first pinball "shop job" / restoration
Post by: Wade on January 03, 2005, 09:27:19 am
Thanks guys.

I think I spent about $150-200 in parts.  I would have to look through my receipts to be sure, as I made about 4 separate orders.

This includes a lot of parts that I didn't "have" to replace, like some plastics that were yellowed or faded that I just thought looked bad, some parts of the shooter assembly (that worked, but could look better), the buttons, etc.  Likewise, I already had cleaners, polishes, bulbs, and a supply of rags, and I made the cards, coin door stickers, under-playfield warning stickers, etc.  So I suppose you could spend more if you wanted it to be nicer, or less if you just wanted to shop it but didn't want to replace as many parts.

For me, this was an exercise in balancing the cost versus the completeness of the restoration.  I could have easily spend hundreds more to make it nicer.  I have done this in the past with other games and I really didn't want to do that this time.  The only thing I really care to improve on it now is the spinning ball, I will try repainting it and eventually I may buy a repro if they are ever finished.

I've had the Space Shuttle for a while now, along with a 6 Million Dollar Man.  They both belong to a friend of mine who doesn't have enough room in his gameroom to set up all of his games. :)

Wade
Title: Re: My first pinball "shop job" / restoration
Post by: Pungo76 on January 03, 2005, 11:55:40 am
Nice job, I just picked up my first pinball over the weekend, Swords of Fury.  Hope to eventually do my first shop job too pretty soon.  There sure is a lot too these things when you look inside  :).

Matt
Title: Re: My first pinball "shop job" / restoration
Post by: Wade on May 31, 2008, 09:55:00 pm
Attaching "Before" pictures.

Wade
Title: Re: My first pinball "shop job" / restoration
Post by: Wade on May 31, 2008, 09:57:02 pm
Some after pictures.

Wade
Title: Re: My first pinball "shop job" / restoration
Post by: Wade on May 31, 2008, 09:58:29 pm
Some playfield "in progress" and "after" pics.

Wade
Title: Re: My first pinball "shop job" / restoration
Post by: Wade on June 01, 2008, 04:56:32 pm
No, the repro balls weren't available until long after I sold this game, unfortunately.  That was the one thing this game needed most.  Same with the Classic Playfield plastics, but the earlier ones (Winter's, probably) had all been exhausted.  I did get many replacements from Marco, but there were 2 or 3 more that I would like to have found (Lock plastic, the one across from the Ball, and the right inlane white one).

It's a really fun game.  Sometimes I really regret selling it.  A lot of the kids in our family are just getting to soccer age, too, where they might appreciate it even more.

Wade
Title: Re: My first pinball "shop job" / restoration
Post by: JeepMonkey on June 02, 2008, 01:09:09 pm
Nice work.  I just finished my first shop job and I thought it was great fun.