History:
On Wednesday evening, the 20th of January, I was doing my usual search for project pins for the Post project pins for sale here - CL, eBay, Pinside and others. When finished, it was time to look at the Tucson Craiglist listings of pinballs. I saw a project 1970 Bally EM for sale for only $70. Without even looking it up on IPDB and sight unseen I called and told the owner that I would love to buy his Bally Double-Up pinball machine and I offered him $100. He told me that he would love to sell it to me. I was the first to call - lucky me! The seller was only four miles away from me!
The original ad:
I then looked up Double-Up on IPDB and discovered that only 55 of these games were ever produced. I'm not the kind of collector who searches out rare games, I can't afford them, but now that one had fallen into my lap I knew that I had to treat it differently than other typical production pins.
I picked up the cabinet and backbox Thursday afternoon and my friend Dave helped me get it into the house. It was a lot lighter than the Black Knight we had moved! I then made a separate trip to pick up the backglass.
Backstory - A short Tucson Tragedy: Actors, Seller 1, Seller 2 - the person who sold the game to me.
Seller 2 was over at Seller 1's house when he saw a pinball machine on the back porch. He told Seller 1 that it shouldn't be kept on the back porch and Seller 1 asked him if he wanted it. This part is unclear but the machine did end up in Seller 2's hands. He got a trailer to bring the Double-Up home. He tied the machine down tightly with one rope going from the back to front of the machine and several others across the cabinet. He was only a few blocks from home when the backbox broke loose, fell forward and broke the backglass. He was sick about it. He was even sicker when he tried to find a replacement. It was a freakish accident. Seller 2 could have taken the backbox off, but he didn't even know that could be done. I put blame on no one.
Seller 2 was rescuing the Double Up from a premature death. He is also a wonderful guy. He had bought the machine because he was a motorcycle guy and Double Up is a motorcycle theme. I felt really bad for him and what had happened. He still wants a pinball so I promised to help him find another from the early 70s and get it working and cleaned for him.
So the machine was moved from the trailer to Seller 2's garage where it sat until he decided to sell it. Apparently, he was so soured by the experience that he just wanted the machine gone.
And so, I found myself back at Seller's 2 house to pick up the cracked backglass. It was only cracked in three places, but one of the large broken pieces was beginning to come loose. I brought a piece of plywood with a blanket on top. Seller 2 was smart enough to put the plywood upright next to the backglass and then slowly drop the backglass down to the floor. I picked up the plywood, blanket and backglass an put in my my pickup bed. I made sure that the backglass was moved to the front of the bed of the truck and that the blanket was folded under the plywood so the wind wouldn't catch it during transport.
Now, the good stuff:
Here are some pics of the Double-Up being brought home in my pickup truck.
double_up_day1_backglass_front_(resized).jpg
double_up_day1_backglass_back_(resized).jpg
double_up_day1_cabinet_front_(resized).jpg
double_up_day1_cabinet_left_back_(resized).jpg
double_up_day1_cabinet_left_front_(resized).jpg
double_up_day1_backbox_front_(resized).jpg
double_up_day1_playfield_full_(resized).jpg
double_up_day1_playfield_bottom_close_up_(resized).jpg
double_up_day1_playfield_top_(resized).jpg
Being such a low production pinball, I know that collectors would want this to remain in original condition as possible.
Plan of attack for the restoration:
1. Remove enough of the playfield parts to be able to clean the full playfield. Remove non-original posts.
2. Put the backbox, less the backglass of course, on temporarily to test for mechanical issues. Note problems.
3. Clean the playfield.
4. Consider very carefully if Magic Eraser should be used if needed to remove pinball dust in the playfield crazing.
5. Add several coats of wax.
6. Replace all lamps, add new rubber rings.
7. Remove mech board and mechs.
8. Remove playfield.
9. Sand mech board. Clean and adjust mechs and clean solenoids. Replace coil sleeves.
10. Put mech board back in.
11. Clean coin door, inside and out, install new leg levelers and clean legs.
12. Do cabinet work on backbox and reinstall.
13. Clean and fix mechs in the backbox and adjust switches.
14. Fix backglass and reinstall.
15. Put playfield back in, put playfield parts back on and finish restoration. Add a new pinball.
16. Finish anything missed, test and final fixes.
At some point in the future I will buy a new back door.
This is not set in stone so I might do some steps out of order. And there are probably some obvious steps that I've missed that will need to be added.
I decided to share my Double-Up restoration with you. Any and all advice appreciated how to restore a collectible pinball.