Found a very good condition Surf Champ for a very nice price and picked it up yesterday. The machine has a lot going for it, but like any pin that's been in somebody's basement for the last 20 years, it needs some help. I am knee deep in a different restoration now but I am looking for a couple of quick pointers to get this one playable:
1. The playfield is in decent condition, but it's got some planking and some minor wear. My plan was to clean and wax it until a later date when i can touch it up and clear it. Is there anything special i should know about cleaning an older playfleld like this (any cleaners or methods common for solid state machines that i should avoid here)? Am i risking a lot more wear by playing it with only wax protecting the playflied?
2. A lot of things work on the machine, but there are some switches that don't seem to register, surely some other small things. I was thinking about hiring out the repair as so many have said that when buying a first EM you should buy one that works 100%. Anybody have a repair guy recommendation for Chicagoland?
Happy for any advice or links, and looking forward to hanging out in the EM forums for a change