(Topic ID: 103808)

Bally Playboy - Had been in a fire - Restore or part out?

By songofsixpence

9 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

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  • 34 posts
  • 20 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 9 years ago by beatmaster
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#1 9 years ago

I really hate to part out a pinball. but I really may have to do it for this one.

The story of this pinball is that it was actually purchased by the Playboy Club in McAfee NJ. It was either bought for, or donated to the Fire Department in McAfee (the Playboy Club did buy a new fire truck for them, so a pinball machine maybe was included!)

Anyway, this machine was at the firehouse when it had a fire sometime in the 1990s. The machine didn't get burned, but was heavily covered in soot - inside and out.
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The soot does not come off easily. To make this machine look respectable, the cabinet would have to be repainted, and every piece would need to be cleaned with whatever works best to dissolve soot...

I'm thinking it's not worth the effort. But I would like to hear you guys weigh in.

#2 9 years ago

Did you see the thread earlier last week of the guy that had the real fire damaged Stern Playboy? That one is being saved and was far more gone that this one appears to be. I would attempt it or sell it to someone that wants to save it.

To clarify. Did I understand correctly that the firehouse had a fire?

-6
#3 9 years ago

Part...or better yet, garbage.

#4 9 years ago

If the mpu board still boots, I'll take that! The solenoid board too. They would go into another Playboy that i am trying to save.

Let me know what you decide, because I am having the same debate about the free Playboy I have with no paint left on the playfield.

#5 9 years ago

no cabinet?

if you have the cab and if you can get a stencil, i say do it, you gonna have to sand it down ayway.

#6 9 years ago

I say save it for sure.

#7 9 years ago
Quoted from nate1981s:

To clarify. Did I understand correctly that the firehouse had a fire?

Yes, that's correct. I think the irony is lost on no one.

Quoted from fireball2:

If the mpu board still boots, I'll take that! The solenoid board too. They would go into another Playboy that i am trying to save.
Let me know what you decide, because I am having the same debate about the free Playboy I have with no paint left on the playfield.

The solenoid board I had actually borrowed in my Mr.&Mrs. Pacman. The MPU - I don't know. Looks pretty roached around the battery

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Quoted from beatmaster:

no cabinet?
if you have the cab and if you can get a stencil, i say do it, you gonna have to sand it down ayway.

The cabinet is in very similar condition, just a bit buried in the garage.

#8 9 years ago

I think you're over estimating how much burnt parts are actually worth parting out. Not much.

#9 9 years ago

Back in 2010 I restored a Gottlieb "Cleopatra" that had been in a fire where part of the backbox was charred. It was in a lot worse condition than your Playboy is. The details of the restoration are posted here:

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=153960
Cleo charred.JPGCleo charred.JPG

#10 9 years ago

Please save it. There is a particular historical reason why, related to that specific machine, that I won't post here, but if you DM I can give you some detail. Believe me: You'll be glad you did.

#11 9 years ago

The older and rarer a game is, the more I lean towards saving it. Especially given the game was actually bought by a Playboy club, I personally would try to restore no matter how long it took.

#12 9 years ago

Restore it OR sell it to someone who will. Once a machine is parted it is gone forever.

#13 9 years ago

I would restore that, if it took me my lifetime to do it. Especially with the provenance behind it that sets it apart.

#14 9 years ago

Okay - the cheering section prevails... I will fix it!

I found some pics from the day I picked it up
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I've also been reading up on the fire-damaged resto projects out there. I guess the first thing I will try is Mean Green. I'll keep you posted...

#15 9 years ago
Quoted from KenLayton:

I say save it for sure.

Quoted from JBK:

Restore it OR sell it to someone who will. Once a machine is parted it is gone forever.

Agreed. It may take a lot of effort(and money) but it would be worth it to me. If it was most other games from that period I could see possibly parting it out but with all of the aftermarket/reproduction parts available for Bally Playboy I advise you to save it. And if you don't want it ....Send it my way!!!

#16 9 years ago

That's the machine I learned Solid State pinball repair on at the week long Bally Service School held in Schiller Park in 1979.

#17 9 years ago

that machine is not bad at all. My meteor was fire damaged to about the same level. Your MPU damage is battery not fire and it can likely be fixed as well.

#18 9 years ago

Okay... So I have been at it all day.
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Undiluted Simple Green does wonders for all this soot. But first things first. One piece of the head had to be glued together.

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Glue should be dry by tomorrow.

As for the Simple Green
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Before and After on the display boards
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As for the backglass... it's hosed. Literally and Figuratively. The more I try to get the soot off, the more it dissolves
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I've been looking at this backglass, and after a lot of thought, I've come to the conclusion that the blonde is a few seconds away from disaster...
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So the backglass will just have to wait.

The shooter rod, and a bunch of other metal parts have gone into the parts cleaner
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And... the top of the playfield is mostly stripped.
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One thing I hadn't really noticed was the bottom of the playfield is in fairly decent shape. I took out the drop targets and soaked them in Simple Green. They came out really nice.

More later...

#19 9 years ago

Wow, the contrast between the spots where the posts covered the play field and didn't is amazing.

#20 9 years ago

If you've followed the Stern Playboy fire damaged machine thread, don't forget to soak the metal parts in Evapo-Rust to clean them up.

#21 9 years ago

playfield is not that bad, i've seen worst.

#22 9 years ago
Quoted from scp:

Please save it. There is a particular historical reason why, related to that specific machine, that I won't post here, but if you DM I can give you some detail. Believe me: You'll be glad you did.

So what was the story here?

#23 9 years ago

I'd like to hear the story, too

It's salvageable. I wouldn't part it!

#24 9 years ago
Quoted from zucot:

So what was the story here?

I sent my own PM asking about the backstory; I would assume there's a reason it's not for public eyes or it would have been posted by now.

#25 9 years ago

To clean the cab, BB, and PF, try Murphy's Oil soap diluted, in conjunction with
a Mr Clean Magic Eraser. It is amazing how it will clean.

#26 9 years ago
Quoted from songofsixpence:

As for the backglass... it's hosed. Literally and Figuratively. The more I try to get the soot off, the more it dissolves

I believe CPR has this backglass in the queue to be repro'ed.

#27 9 years ago
Quoted from action76:

I believe CPR has this backglass in the queue to be repro'ed.

CPR's lawyers will tell you they cannot confirm or deny such plans.

1 week later
#28 9 years ago

So... this has been going a bit more slowly than I had hoped. But there has been progress.

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Several magic erasers and quite a bit of Isopropyl alcohol later.

I'm not sure if I should try to touch up the playfield, or not. I'll make that decision tomorrow.

I also have most of the head back together. I had removed the wiring harness to wash the soot off it. The displays and wiring harness are all back together.

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Most of the boards are back in.

I have ordered new flippers and pop bumper skirts. As for touching up the playfield, I may try a few discreet places before committing to any extensive work

#29 9 years ago

For those of you still watching - The Playboy restore project is coming along. Funny, I seem to remember the pieces came apart a lot faster than they are coming together...

the boards are all back together and the wiring is all hooked back up. Plugged it in and... well, we have GI.

A little disappointed that it didn't boot up. I've checked the power output voltages, and the circuit that powers the MPU seems a bit low. It's supposed to read 12V, but I'm getting a reading of around 9V. I don't know if this is problem or not, but I figure rebuilding the PS board is where to start.

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#30 9 years ago
Quoted from songofsixpence:

A little disappointed that it didn't boot up. I've checked the power output voltages, and the circuit that powers the MPU seems a bit low. It's supposed to read 12V, but I'm getting a reading of around 9V. I don't know if this is problem or not, but I figure rebuilding the PS board is where to start.

Any Classic Bally or Stern needs ALL the connectors rebuilt if you want bulletproof operation.

Measure your 12v at the PS, then at your board - see how the voltage has dropped?

Male pins can be tarnished, or have cracked solder joints. Female connectors can be broken, corroded, or fatigued.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-quick-bally-driver-board-repair-bulletproofing

#31 9 years ago

I have seen the plating coming off of the .100" male header pins lots of times now. It is especially troublesome on the MPU board connectors. So definitely check/replace connectors.

#32 9 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

Any Classic Bally or Stern needs ALL the connectors rebuilt if you want bulletproof operation.
Measure your 12v at the PS, then at your board - see how the voltage has dropped?
Male pins can be tarnished, or have cracked solder joints. Female connectors can be broken, corroded, or fatigued.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-quick-bally-driver-board-repair-bulletproofing

Hi Vid - Thanks for the tip! I'll have to read the rest of your posts. It might take a while...

#33 9 years ago
Quoted from KenLayton:

I have seen the plating coming off of the .100" male header pins lots of times now. It is especially troublesome on the MPU board connectors. So definitely check/replace connectors.

I thought I did pretty well cleaning the pins with a fiberglass pen. Of course it's no help if the connectors are suspect....

I'll order parts this week. It will give me some time away from that game

#34 9 years ago
Quoted from songofsixpence:

For those of you still watching - The Playboy restore project is coming along. Funny, I seem to remember the pieces came apart a lot faster than they are coming together...
the boards are all back together and the wiring is all hooked back up. Plugged it in and... well, we have GI.
A little disappointed that it didn't boot up. I've checked the power output voltages, and the circuit that powers the MPU seems a bit low. It's supposed to read 12V, but I'm getting a reading of around 9V. I don't know if this is problem or not, but I figure rebuilding the PS board is where to start.

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for a playboy, i say your playfield came out good and look a lot better than most.

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