I have been busy figuring out what I needed to replace either because it is damaged or missing. I have searched and purchased a few items locally and the rest I have had to purchase online.
Plunger tip - the original was missing and the end of the plunger was pretty dinged up. I believe that when it went missing, the game was still used and damaged the end. I was able to grind down the end to fix the mushrooming that occurred and purchased tips meant for a new plunger. It did not fit perfectly and was loose. I wrapped a small piece of electrical tape around the end of the rod before slipping on the tip and it seems to have done the trick. It is a little different material than it would have originally been used but it will do the trick. Source: ebay.com
Various screws and bolts - the machine was missing several screws and bolts. I could not find what I needed locally as all that is left really are the two big boys in the hardware game and they both have limited sizing. So I looked online and found a few options. Source: boltdepot.com
Magic Button rod - the game has a feature dubbed "the Magic Button" which is a rod that when pushed in lets you insert a coin that returns only the balls in the lowest scoring hole and keep your game going. The rod was missing on my game. My two options I found were aluminum rod and steel. I went with aluminum first thinking, no rust. The moment I got in the car and headed home I realized I made a mistake. Although it won't rust, it won't look right being a brushed aluminum rod. I returned and purchased a 1/4" diameter steel rod. I will polish and cut to size. I need to figure a way to keep it from being pulled completely out of the machine. Source: Lowes
Knobs - the knob for the ball loader is missing and I needed a new nob for the Magic Button rod as well. I looked for plastic knobs online but could not find what I needed. Also most knobs have a smaller diameter hole. I wound up going with wood knobs that look very much like the one on the shooter and will paint them black to match. I will try satin first and if not shiny enough will move up to semi-gloss. I do not think I can get it to match perfect but pretty close. Source: Lowes
Leg bolts - luckily the legs were with the machine when I purchased it but the leg bolts were missing. There was 1 rusty beat up one inside the game but it is no good. I am doing the same thing I did with the Signal. I purchased steel allthread rod and nickel plated acorn nuts and will cut the rod to length and glue the acorn nuts to one end to make my own bolts. I was going to cut them yesterday but unfortunately I cannot get into my shed due to ice that is built up and completely blocked the door. Rather than kill myself hacking the ice out or waiting for it to thaw, I will go and buy a new cheap hacksaw on the way home today. Source: Lowes (allthread rod), Acorn nuts and washers (amazon.com).
Playfield springs - there are 2 playfield springs that need to be replaced on the machine. One was damaged and one along with it's nail were missing. I started looking into replacements and was striking out. Michael Schiess from the Pacific Pinball Museum reached out to me after seeing my posts looking for replacements and believes he has something that will work in a box of springs that he had purchased and is sending them to me. The Pacific Pinball Museum is a non profit organization that is working hard to preserve and promote the game of pinball. You can read more about them here Source: Pacific Pinball Museum
Playfield glass - the glass was missing when I got the game and that is why the machine was a dirty as it was. I still need to measure and order, hopefully will do that tomorrow. Source: TBD
Power - the machine was originally built to run on batteries but at some point was powered by AC as there were two old transformers inside the machine. One very old one from a doorbell and one train transformer from the 1970s. Both have cracked wires and are not trustworthy. I need to find a new transformer. Source: TBD
More to come....
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