(Topic ID: 295279)

Avg cost of repairing an EM pinball

By borna

2 years ago


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  • 74 posts
  • 35 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 2 years ago by bonzo71
  • Topic is favorited by 3 Pinsiders

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#15 2 years ago

Surf Champ / Surfer is probably the best multi-player Gottlieb EM made in the 1970s. If this specific machine is in decent cosmetic shape (backglass art and PF are still pretty good), then it is well worth fixing up.

As others have noted, for a project machine like this, a full mechanical rebuild is the best way to get the machine back to factory-spec playing condition, and to keep it working trouble-free. That is a good choice for someone who wants a great-playing vintage machine, but who has no interest in working on pinball machines. As others have noted, you should expect to be charged $800 or more for a full rebuild by a competent professional EM tech. You have every right to expect an excellent result for that kind of money, and you should get back a machine that looks good and plays great for years to come.

If you want to learn how to fix the machine yourself, then you are highly encouraged to do that, and yes the EM Pinside folks will totally support you as you learn. You should not expect your game to play great or to be free from frequent breakdowns if you go this route, at least not for a while. That may not sound so great, but if you have any interest in working on vintage mechanical machines, it's actually a pretty fantastic hobby to get into. There is a lot of satisfaction in bringing a vintage machine back to life.

- TimMe

#16 2 years ago
Quoted from borna:

So this is te link to the machine I am interested. What do you think is a good price to pay?

That backglass looks pretty rough to me. I don't get involved in game pricing between other people, but I can say that if I were looking for this game, I would be hoping to find one with a better backglass.

On the other hand, Surfer doesn't come up for sale too often, and it is a desirable title to collectors.

Ultimately, "good price to pay" is between you and the seller. Some people have money to spare on their hobby, so they don't care if they spend an extra few hundred dollars to acquire a game that they really want right now. Other people are more price sensitive, for a variety of reasons. Only you know if this game is reasonably priced for you.

- TimMe

#18 2 years ago

One other comment. Machines that are kept in garages and storage units are usually not in as good condition as machines kept in houses. That's because houses are heated in the winter and (maybe) cooled in the summer, and garages and storage units usually aren't. EM pinball mechanisms and cosmetics tend to degrade faster when they are subjected to significant seasonal weather changes year after year.

If the garage in question is heated, or is located where the weather is pleasant and consistent all year around, that would generally be better.

Please note that none of this information is intended to discourage you from getting this machine if you really want it. It's just so you can have realistic expectations about the condtion of the machine when you get it.

Most vintage EM machines are well worth saving and fixing up, and most vintage Gottlieb EMs are excellent candidates to be brought back to life so that they play great. They are extremely well-built, commercial grade machines.

- TimMe

#45 2 years ago
Quoted from borna:

But would you please point out the issues you see with the backglass.

Sure. The white mask around both of the player scores looks like it has a lot of cracking. And as you already said, the SURFER name is flaking off, too.

When I see things like that, then I am concerned. It could be that the rest of the glass is in great shape, but I would want to take a closer look to see if there is more damage.

There is only one picture of the backglass, and it is not a very good one, but we can still see problems. For $1300, I don't expect to see problems like this.

- TimMe

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