Pinball Advice -- Updated evel knievel renovation pics...

[Quarterhorse]

I got this 1977 Bally Evel Knievel machine for $100.  Pretty good deal for a pinball in my opinion as a guy who isn't in any circles to run across things like this.  Basically, it's been sitting in an auction house where it wasn't sold for at least the last 3 years.  Before that, your guess is as good as mine.  It's really rough.  Cabinet looks like one side was in the sun as it is faded but the other side isn't as bad.  I've seen the stencil sets for it on www.pinballpal.com and they look pretty cool -- albeit $150 with delivery.  That's a do-able part of the project for me as well as repainting the legs and putting on new leg levelers and shining up the chrome pieces.  The playfield is ok...but definitely showing a lot of wear.  Noticeable is right in the middle where a 1 inch ball swirl in front of the girl on the left is down to the bare wood.  There are a few other bare wood places near there but the rest of it is all intact.  Just FILTHY!  I don't know where to begin to clean it.  Backglass looks great, with a small crack about 1 cm from the bottom of it in the corner.  Otherwise, looks like new.  There is a guy on Mr. Pinball selling a mylar playfield overlay for $150.  Definitely not cheap but cheaper than a NOS playfield.  And from the sounds of things not an easy install (for me).  Should I keep the playfield like it is and make it playable and restore it from this point?  Touch up the playfield?  Go for the overlay?  Anybody done an overlay in the past?

Powering on is the other excitement.  Basically, nothing happens.  It lights up.  No sounds.  Obviously doesn't play.  I push the self test button inside the door and nothing happened.  All the boards appeared to be there...but the MPU board does have a small amount of battery damage and a DIRT DOBBER in the left hand corner.  I haven't a clue how to get this machine back and running.  The good news is looking inside underneath the playfield there are no loose or torn wires and no evidence mice have called this "home". 

Basically, open to advice.  I feel like I could sell off the parts and more than get my money back (there's a backglass now on eBay for over $200).  Or, I could push to fix it.  My current thought was to try to give it a good cleaning and then get it to a local repair guy (I'm in Tulsa if you guys know of any) for all the mechanical / repair work.  Another idea would be to go ahead and by the overlay, put it in the shop, and have them go for the gold.  Any advice on the number of hours and $$ I'm looking at it to have this repaired locally?  I'm open to input.  Pics below and thanks for your advice!!

[Quarterhorse]

More pics...

[Kevin Mullins]

Hell yeah restore it.... it's Evel Knievel !!
(oh wait, I already told ya my opinion)

I always start with a good solid cleaning, everything, top to bottom.
This especially gets you very familiar with a machine of any kind.
Then work on getting it 100% functional.
Your problems will more than likely be in the MPU or power supply.
No biggy, the older systems are very well documented and easy to fix.
Get a new rubber ring kit cuz I'm certain it needs it.
Clean off any and all contact switches you can find on the playfield.

Then go from there on the cosemtic stuff.
Get it playable, then make it pretty.
The fact that you have a great backglass is a major plus.

$100 for a complete non hacked up pin is a good buy anytime in my opinion.

[Ken Layton]

Yes, I too vote to restore it.

The problems you have with it are generally due to bad power supply board connectors, battery acid damage on the MPU board, and bad IC sockets on the MPU board. There's an excellent repair guide on this series of Bally/Stern pinball on marvin3m.com

The early production run of EK had a backbox that swung open when unlocked. The later production run you had to unlock the lock and lift the backglass up and out to access the circuit boards.

[Quarterhorse]

Mine swings open.  Must be an early production run. 

Given I have NO knowledge of this, am I best off to just have a pro get it up and running after cleaning it?

[Ken Layton]

Yeh if you're not experienced then it would be better (and faster) to have an expert work on it.

All EK production run did NOT have a fuse in the playfield coil circuit. There was a service bulletin about adding it so it matches all Bally pinball machines.

[ChadTower]

Or you could consider replacing your boards with these.  Then you could put your original boards aside until such a time as you either know enough to put them back in to repair them or feel like sending them off to a pro to have them repaired for you.

Either way, that game is in decent shape, absolutely save it.  And I agree with Kevin, get it WORKING, then get it PRETTY.

[divemaster127]

hey, im in tulsa also im doing a restore on a t-2 right now, if you need any pinball parts that happ sells give me a email, I can meet you to save shipping, i just ordered new legs etc, for my t-2
thanks
dm

[grantspain]

that is one hell of a classic pin you have there,restore,restore,restore

[Quarterhorse]

Would you guys kill me if I traded it in for some working arcade classics?  I've got a deal brewing....

[USSEnterprise]

depends on what games you're talking about.

[CheffoJeffo]

Would you guys kill me if I traded it in for some working arcade classics?  I've got a deal brewing....

You got the pin for $100 ... if you can parlay that $100 into a couple (or more) classic vids, go for it.

Cheers.

[ChadTower]

So long as the recipient isn't going to part the pin out.

[Quarterhorse]

Thought I should bring everybody up to speed.  I'm really diving into this project and it's been a lot of fun.  Expensive fun, but still fun.  The motherboard was badly damaged with some battery acid and dirt dawber.  I shelled out and got a new ULTIMATE MPU from alltek.  Put that bad boy in and suddenly it came to life.  Even played briefly...but would peter in and out.  I know the rectifier boards and pins on it can get trashed easily.  So, I've sent in my rectifier board, solenoid board, and lamp board to Steve Kulpa (www.geocities.com/stevekulpa/pinball.htm) for repair on these.  We ended up buying a new rectifier board from www.greatplainselectronics.com so everything behind the backglass will be as good as new.  I'm replacing all the bulbs everywhere, ordered a new ball, and will be putting a new set of rubber rings on it (www.marcospecialties.com). 

Cabinet now is totally different.  I've stripped it down.  Bondo and I have become a good friend on the front of the cabinet and it is now as smooth as glass all over (notice how the wood paneling was peeling off on the front -- now looks great).  I am putting down multiple coats of Rustoleum flat white and will soon be splattering it with a brown/gold as it was originally.  Stencil set is en route from www.pinballpal.com.  Cleaning up the coin door and have repainted the legs.  Should look great when done.

That leaves me for advice.  Playfield is next.  As the pics show (top of thread), it really is intact.  There is as bad swirl down to the wood over the "E" by the left slingshot and a few deep scratches up top.  I haven't attempted to clean it yet with all the sanding I've been doing in my garage -- but next on the list.  I bought a new playfield overlay (it's reverse printed on mylar). That would bring it up to a full restore in my book and be indestructible if I put it on.  BUT...I'd have to first sand off the ORIGINAL work -- and not sure I can bring myself up to do that.  You guys think I should go for touching it up and clear-coating it, or just slap on the nice new overlay.  Know anybody around here (I'm in Tulsa, OK) that would touch it up well or clear coat it?  Open to advice.  I'll post some pics of the cabinet once I have it stenciled.....

[Quarterhorse]

Didn't want you guys to think I'd been loafing here.  Here are some updated pics....

First shows what I started with.  A bad memory. 

Pics 2 and 3 reflect a lot of bondo, sanding, sweat, coat of primer, 3 coats of flat white, brown/gold speckling (really adds a nice touch you can't see in the pic), and a blue and red stencil painting.  4th pic shows shiny refurbed coin door and some electronics in the back.  Last pic is of my galaga cocktail (scratch) I've never showed off on here before.   More pics to come when complete....enjoy!

[RayB]

What's with the cocktail's coin door? You gotta crawl on all fours to put in a quarter?

[Quarterhorse]

No need to kick my teeth.  Cleaning up the original playfield and keeping it as is.  I'll keep the overlay around as they don't make them anymore and if I wear off what's on there now years down the line then it can go on.  Magic Eraser working quite well to clean up the playfield. 

Coin door on the cocktail is lower than I would have liked it because of the depth of the 19" monitor, Mr. Vila.