If I didn't earn my "EM Restoration" Cub Scout badge for the completely destroyed Sure Shot that I resurrected last fall, I'll sure as heck accept it for this one.
A year-and-a-half ago, a member of our local community told me to get $100 cash and get to an address about twenty minutes drive from my house to pick up an EM project, and to do it as fast as I could. His plate was full of projects so he passed the deal along to me (I still owe him a beer or two for that). The 2001 was sitting in a garage with no playfield glass, no keys and owners who just wanted the thing gone. It wasn't as rough as the barn-find Sure Shot (https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/save-or-scrap-the-free-sure-shot-thread), but it would prove to have some unique challenges of its own.
As you can see from the coin entry plate and the sticker on the apron, this game was a RE-IMPORT! The game arrived back onto North American soil from London, England sometime during it's 48 year life. I kept the decal on the lower apron for prosperity sake, and I Googled the English operator, but alas, they no longer exist.
I posted pictures last fall of the cabinet refinishing I did for this 2001. I was extremely pleased how it turned out. Before Christmas, I tore down the top and bottom of the playfield for a good clean and tasteful touchups, and Drano offered to do some clear-coating work. The results of the clear-coat are stunning. I'm not a fan of a high gloss on these older playfields (sometimes it looks great, other times it looks out of place)--but you don't look a gift horse in the mouth when a professional quality clear is applied to one of your games pro-bono.
When I fired it up for the first time, there were obvious issues...no surprise as the game had been sitting in a garage for many years un-played. A good majority of the switches needed to be tightened, cleaned and re-gapped. I can count on one hand the number of relays that didn't need attention. Almost every switch in the game, relay and playfield, was gummed up so much that it wasn't making contact, even though there was good wiping motion. Three creative wiring hacks needed to be removed, and their underlying issues addressed. It was a slow process, but with the direction of a couple EM gurus here, and Clay's EM repair guide by my side, I finally got the thing back to working order.
The backglass remains one of the few things I have not addressed. I'm not sure I'm going to spring for a new one from Ron Webb ($275USD)...I may just touch up the one area around the credit window that has paint loss...or I may just leave it alone. I'm undecided. I did spring for a new set of plastics from Pinball Rescue Australia and they are professionally printed and look great. I'm impressed with Lee's quality of work.
I'll play the game for a bit and see where it falls in my EM lineup. I'll see how it stacks up against C37, Sure Shot, North Star, Abra and World Fair. Frankly I'm out of space. This 2001 may make the trip to Allentown this year if it doesn't bump something else out of the lineup. I look forward to the next big project: a King of Diamonds that someone had (literally) used as an ashtray!
Beaumont, TX
Fenelon Falls, ON
