Where are the pictures?

It looks like the prop rod is there in the picture?

The playfield looks like its from the Midway third edition though. I didn't think the LE had the lamp twist-socket printed circuit boards?

Maybe some did?

The prop rod is a very crude play field support. The end just sets in one of the two circular indentations on the right side. It's all original and in place, tipping slightly to one side is how it works. I've never seen those lamp boards on a EBD LE, interesting.

The very first LE I ever looked at closely had the lamp boards and I immediately assumed it had them just like the 3rd edition did. Then over the years I looked at several more LE's and none of them had the lamp boards so then I assumed a previous owner must have swapped playfields in the one I saw.

But now that I see another LE with the lamp boards I'm wondering if maybe Bally switched to them at the end of the LE production run (which wasn't really that large).

Seems a little too coincidental that I see two LE machines with 3rd gen playfields.

The aprons were the same (black) between the two final versions and the score cards both said "Limited Edition".

LE's had both sockets and lamp boards from the factory from what I've read.

I have an LE cab if you need any of the brackets or hardware.

Yes, I have seen a fair amount of both types as well, lamp boards or lamp sockets. The last LE I sold had the lamp boards and I believe the serial number was toward the latter third of the production run. I have another LE here and it is 2017, 1017th off the line, which would make it about halfway through the run. It has the lamp sockets throughout, no lamp boards.

Pretty sure the playfield in the picture has to be a 2nd run playfield, due to the non-adjustable large drop target bank. Making the large drop target bank adjustable was sorely needed and was included in the 3rd run. (It helped keep balls from getting stuck on top of the targets for games on location.) At least all of the 3rd run playfields that I have seen. I think the 3rd run playfield with the 1st run cabinet would be the best of both worlds.

For the OP, regarding the prop post, you may want to use a piece of wood wedged against one of the assemblies if that prop rod scares you. That prop rod is pretty flimsy the way it balances the playfield on those metal rails. I don't like using it either. You aren't missing any hardware, this is just the way Bally did it.

Well that's what I thought too until a guy on RGP blasted me for saying so. Eight Ball Deluxe is my favorite machine and I have restored about 20 or so of them over the years. All but two were the 1981 original versions. The other two were the final Midway versions. I always liked the original the best and never restored an LE.

I currently have two nice 1981 EBDs.

Any links to the reference material you are talking about?

Yeah the adjustable drop target bank was a nice improvement for the third version. I had forgotten about that.

I have two sets of the lamp circuit boards and a couple of the adjustable drop target assemblies in my used parts stash that I plan to add to a 1981 playfield some day.