Author Topic: Twilight Zone! (Read 31568 times)

ChadTower · « **Reply #120 on:** July 05, 2005, 06:46:26 pm »

Just played a quick game... WOW. The coils POP now, the ball flies around 3x faster and cripser than it did two weeks ago. What a DIFFERENCE!

ChadTower · « **Reply #121 on:** July 06, 2005, 02:19:44 pm »

Just ordered up some #44 and #555 bulbs. Next process is to clean all of the bulbs, replacing any that are either dead or burned in the process. I will also clean the plastics through which all the bulbs are shining, which should really jack up the lights.

I ordered replacement balls, too, except the powerball, which was generously donated to me.

AmericanDemon · « **Reply #122 on:** July 06, 2005, 09:50:17 pm »

Sounds like you are really moving forward on this! Good work!

Chris · « **Reply #123 on:** July 06, 2005, 11:07:46 pm »

So when are you going to have us all over for a game?

ChadTower · « **Reply #124 on:** July 07, 2005, 09:43:06 am »

Pics can be coming, I just haven't had much time to take pics AND work. Thanks for the good comments, they are appreciated. I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel here, finally. I'm about a third done with cleaning the lower playfield bulbs and lenses now, I haven't seen any permanently burned yet but they are pretty dirty.

Chris, what type of drive to MA are you looking at?

Chris · « **Reply #125 on:** July 07, 2005, 09:50:03 am »

Quote from: ChadTower on July 07, 2005, 09:43:06 am

Chris, what type of drive to MA are you looking at?

15 hours. Could be worse...

ChadTower · « **Reply #126 on:** July 07, 2005, 09:55:53 am »

I bet you could find another Twilight Zone a lot closer than 15 hours, though...

Chris · « **Reply #127 on:** July 07, 2005, 10:01:05 am »

Yeah, there's one in a bar less than a mile from here. But I'll bet it's not in nearly as nice a condition as yours will be when you're done with it...

Actually, a lot of pinballs have been popping up here (Augusta, GA), but most of them are in just horrid condition, like they've never ever been cleaned. I'm tempted to buy some ninja gear and gallons of Novus and break in at night to clean those suckers....

ChadTower · « **Reply #128 on:** July 07, 2005, 11:38:17 am »

Oh yeah, pins on location are usually terrible now. Ops don't maintain them at all it seems. There is a Waterworld on my way home from work that looks like it's never been waxed, it has dead switches all over it. I went to Salem Willows this past weekend (a major arcade/small amusement park) where they have a lineup of probably 15-20 high end pins. They all were working like crap, very poor coil action and half of them had 'faulty' coin mechs that took quarters but didn't give credit.

Hell, now that I think about it, I probably lost $5 that day to coin mechs that didn't give credit on various machines. It was too many to be coincedental.

I'm really enjoying working on this one. It's made me damn glad I have three more pins next to it, all of which I can bring up to the same standard to which I'm bringing the TZ. They should keep me busy through the fall.

ChadTower · « **Reply #129 on:** July 08, 2005, 09:03:55 am »

Cleaned a bunch more bulbs/lenses last night. Tonight I should finish off the under playfield lights. Then I can move on to the translite and the playfield itself. The playfield is going to take a while, there are so many toys on this machine.

ChadTower · « **Reply #130 on:** July 09, 2005, 06:01:44 pm »

New balls and bulbs are here... almost done with underplayfield bulbs, I should be done with those today.

ChadTower · « **Reply #131 on:** July 11, 2005, 08:37:39 am »

Finished up the lights. Two or three are still either out or dim, I'll look into those later. The rest are much improved, much brighter. I started dismantling the lower half of the playfield, taking each piece apart and placing the parts into a ziploc bag with a label in it. I'm taking tons of pictures, too, so I can reference them if I can't remember exactly how things were. Sometime this week, the lower half should be ready for cleaning and waxing.

ChadTower · « **Reply #132 on:** July 18, 2005, 11:59:10 am »

I ordered one of these for some polishing work, and have a random orbit sander that I can slap a buffing pad on for the main areas. That should be enough to get this sucker done.

I don't know how much time I'm going to spend on it for the next month, though. A friend has convinced me to get back on the football field and given that I'm nowhere near proper game shape, I'm going to spend the next month of evenings doing cardio and a good bit of lifting.

ChadTower · « **Reply #133 on:** August 14, 2005, 07:46:32 pm »

Okay, back to it. I have the bottom half of the playfield disassembled and have a first run of cleaning with novus 2 in on it. Looks better. I may do another run with novus 2, then probably put 3-5 coats of Turtle Wax on it.

When that's done, I'll put the bottom half back together and start on the top half, which is where all the big toys are.

ChadTower · « **Reply #134 on:** August 14, 2005, 09:06:04 pm »

Okay, did two cleanings of lower half with Novus 2, and one coating of Turtle Wax so far.

ChadTower · « **Reply #135 on:** August 15, 2005, 09:31:28 pm »

A second coat of wax on the lower half of the playfield. I think I'll do 5, then completely clean all of the elements that are currently off, and then put them back. That's when I probably attack the mini playfield.

ChadTower · « **Reply #136 on:** August 18, 2005, 10:42:26 am »

Coats three and four. One more coat, then I start cleaning those lower playfield items and reinstalling them.

ChadTower · « **Reply #137 on:** August 19, 2005, 11:53:19 am »

I was planning on doing coat 5 last night, but instead I got drunk and watched the Patriots game.

ChadTower · « **Reply #138 on:** August 21, 2005, 10:18:21 am »

5th coat of wax. Gave the lower outlane assembly a disassembly, thorough cleaning, some Novus 2 for scratches, and some Novus 3 for shine and dust repellant. It's back on the playfield now.

I will keep doing this with all of the lower playfield parts except the flippers, which I'm going to do later.

ChadTower · « **Reply #139 on:** August 21, 2005, 07:54:25 pm »

Same for right outlane assembly and right slingshot assembly.

Buddabing · « **Reply #140 on:** August 21, 2005, 09:19:08 pm »

So, have you decided what to do with the Shadow pin?

And where are the pictures of your work-in-progress?

ChadTower · « **Reply #141 on:** August 22, 2005, 09:56:16 am »

No pictures, I barely have time to do the work itself. I'll post some soon but I just don't have enough time to do the work and document it too.

The Shadow I'm going to shop and repair as well. The DMD is out on that one, I haven't investigated but it's probably the controller board. I hear that is a fairly common fix and there is a kit available. A few resistors, a couple transistors, and you're good to go. Certainly easier than diagnosing a video PCB and fixing it. I'll probably keep the Shadow until I'm tired of playing it and then sell it off and buy one I want long term like Freddy, Royal Rumble, or Phantom of the Opera.

Of course, unless I lose my job or something, in which case when it is shopped it is worth roughly one mortgage payment.

Pik4chu · « **Reply #142 on:** August 22, 2005, 02:42:05 pm »

Small noobie question... where are you ordering all these parts from? and this 'book' you are refering to?

forgive my noobish curiosity

ChadTower · « **Reply #143 on:** August 22, 2005, 02:44:07 pm »

Various online vendors, though most of them I have gotten from PinballLife.com. Good service and prices.

The book, I assume, is the manual that came with the game.

ChadTower · « **Reply #144 on:** August 22, 2005, 03:41:54 pm »

Just ordered a rubber kit... may as well put that in while I'm dismantling all of the playfield parts.

ChadTower · « **Reply #145 on:** August 25, 2005, 09:10:02 am »

Left slingshot assembly and removed the rails that go from above the rocket to the left outlane. Now I can clean/wax the area under the rails and clean the rails as well as the plastics in the rocket's immediate area and slightly above.

Stingray · « **Reply #146 on:** August 26, 2005, 04:04:16 pm »

I guess I lost track of this thread when it got moved in here from Arcade Misc. You've really made a lot of progress since I last looked in here. It's going to be like new when you're finished.

-S

ChadTower · « **Reply #147 on:** August 26, 2005, 07:05:44 pm »

Yep, I'm going through this thing with a toothbrush.

Stingray · « **Reply #148 on:** August 29, 2005, 12:32:21 pm »

I have a hard time turning loose of stuff that I've put the kind of time into that you've put into this pin. Adding in the fact that this is IMO, one of the all time greats, I'm sure I'd own it a good long time if it were mine. In any case, good luck with whatever you decide you want to do with it.

-S

ChadTower · « **Reply #149 on:** August 29, 2005, 12:51:04 pm »

The main issue is that I have played 3 or 4 TZs since I got this one and... well... wasn't all that impressed, at least on the surface.

ChadTower · « **Reply #150 on:** August 30, 2005, 11:00:01 am »

New rubbers came in. I replaced a few, but the flipper bats have enough residue from the old black ones that now I have to take the bats out and give them a thorough cleaning. Dammit.

Stingray · « **Reply #151 on:** August 30, 2005, 02:51:23 pm »

If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right and all that other inspirational nonsense. This thing's really going to sparkle when you finish it!

-S

ChadTower · « **Reply #152 on:** August 30, 2005, 03:01:02 pm »

It will, though I may not do 100% of the aesthetic work now. Everything in the playfield will be done but things like coin door, cabinet touchups, leg refinishing can wait.

I helped a friend shop out an Andromeda this past weekend. It was so rewarding, being able to fully shop a pin in one day. I have two other early 80s SS pins that can be done in a week or so that I really want to get done now.

ChadTower · « **Reply #153 on:** August 31, 2005, 09:42:58 am »

Cleaned off a couple small playfield items and them removed the miniplayfield.

Then my 4 year old asked me to play with him so we went upstairs and played with the box of WWF figures.

Alas, he seems to think Billy Gunn is the best guy.

AmericanDemon · « **Reply #154 on:** August 31, 2005, 08:14:12 pm »

Quote from: ChadTower on August 31, 2005, 09:42:58 am

Alas, he seems to think Billy Gunn is the best guy.

You mean Kip James?

ChadTower · « **Reply #155 on:** September 03, 2005, 05:27:01 pm »

Quote from: AmericanDemon on August 31, 2005, 08:14:12 pm

You mean Kip James?

Yep... that's the one. It's amazing, his look hasn't changed a bit in the last ten years. Does he age? I was watching him the other day. When you see him in the ring with TNA guys he looks like he's 8 feet tall.

ChadTower · « **Reply #156 on:** September 04, 2005, 03:51:49 pm »

Lower half of the mini playfield completely disassembled. Every part given a toothbrush cleaning, then polished with Novus 2 and 3. Lower half of the mini playfield itself given two runs with Novus 2 and then 5 coats of wax.

ChadTower · « **Reply #157 on:** September 05, 2005, 10:55:35 am »

Finished the miniplayfield. Now to clean/polish/wax the area under it, and the other items that are easier to access with the miniplayfield off.

ChadTower · « **Reply #158 on:** September 05, 2005, 12:59:27 pm »

Area under the miniplayfield is done... next up, that weird isolated slingshot on the left under the miniplayfield, and the things in the top left corner that are easier to get at while the miniplayfield is off. Stuff like the gumball machine.

ChadTower · « **Reply #159 on:** September 05, 2005, 06:15:25 pm »

Did that weird slingshot, which is apparently not a slingshot, just some rubbers. I cleaned a couple flasher tops, etc, but I'm really getting tired of this. I think I'm going to just clean the ramps and the top half of the playfield itself, finish replacing the rubbers, and put the game into place. I'll do the rest of the stuff next time I wax the thing. I want to move on to other projects.


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