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[supafraud]

Hello Everyone!

 

So I went ahead and bought my first 2 pins yesterday, Gottlieb "Far Out" (em 1974) and Bally Flicker (also em 1974) both are in pretty bad shape and I may just convert Flicker into a Vpin cab unless there is an uproar about it. Here are some details:

 

Far Out

1. Playfield is in pretty bad shape, most of the paint is there but cracked wood or ridges that go length-wise down about 6 inches or so in some places, pretty deep. Also some indiscernible gunk up at the top i've had trouble scrubbing off (what do people do to these things??)

2. Score Reels need to be rebuilt (and since it's a 4 player, that's a lot of reels) they pretty much all stick.

3. No bells ring? I know this thing should make some sound but I havent even figured out where the bell ringer is (would love some help tracking that down)

4. Very loud, maybe i'm just not used to how loud these things are in real life but it the knocking and banging isn't going to make me any friends in the building I live in.

5. Electrical buzzing rounds when certain things engage, like there is (i'm still learning the lingo so correct me please if i say something wrong) a door that opens on the left side of the playfield that diverts the ball into a ball knocker. When that engages there is an electrical buzz sound that makes me nervous. The buzz goes away once the ball has been knocked and the door closes again.

 

This is just what I know is wrong after screwing around with it for a few hours, I'm sure I'll find more stuff wrong with it as I go.

 

Flicker:

I'm afraid to even plug this in, because I think someone has taken bits out of it and left wires hanging on the inside. It came with the schematic but I think I might just finish what they started and gut it for a vpin table since the back glass is missing too. I just feel bad since the playfield is decent but I think it would ccost $$$$ to bring this one back from the dead. Either way I need a lockdown bar because that is missing.

 

Both cabs need to be repainted, looks like they may have spent time outside and when they were inside they were in smoke filled rooms.

 

My questons:

 

1. How do I fix the cracks/grooves in the Far Out playfield without sanding it all the way down and taking off all the paint? I can do some touch-up work I think but I can't repaint large sections if I take off the graphics and have it look good.

2. Should I just replace all of the solenoids or is there a way to clean them? Where do you guys buy yours?

3. Where is the bell ringer on this thing? Does anyone have a schematic for Far Out?

4. Should I let Flicker die and make it a vpin, or is that sacrilegious? 

 

Thanks for any help you can give me, if there is a better place to ask these questions I'd love to know! Thanks again!

 

 

[faralos]

try the owners file over at

http://www.ipdb.org/...htype=quick#823

there is a list of owners there who  may help you find a schematic or three

cracks and grooves can be filled in with wood putty then sanded down to the pf level

Solenoids can be bought from a multitude of companies depending on your geographical location

one of them for the northeast coast of the USA is Betson Enterprises 

http://www.betson.com/

buzzing is usually standard for older EM's since they use numerous contact and leaf switches

you also mention loudness don't Em's have a volume control like SS's do?

I know they don't have an actual driver board since the solenoids aren't run by chips but

it may still have a volume potentiometer. on it somewhere