Sana'a
Gatecrasher sells a bunch of hardware for restoring early Bally and Williams SS games.
Recently, I won his entire catalog of hardware in a contest, so here is a rundown of the goods:
(CLICK IMAGE FOR FULL SIZE )
(Topic ID: 94772)
The first item in the catalog is the backglass Lift Channel Trim.
It is some highly polished stainless steel lift channel and the surrounding plastic trim.
These will fit many Williams and Bally games.
They come in 2 sizes, 1/8" and 3/16".
Even if your old glass was 3/16", it seem that lately all the CPR reproduction backglasses are on 1/8" glass stock, so you may need new, thinner trim to go with your new backglass.
The 1/8" plastic trim, does seem to fit in the old 3/16" lift channel, so you could use the 1/8" plastic trim as a "shim" of sorts, but really, if you are doing a high end restore, you might as well get all new lift and trim.
It says on the sales flyer that if you buy the stainless lift channel, you get the plastic trim for free, so that is a great deal.
The plastic trim helps protect the edge of the glass from impact damage. If you have a backglass that is missing the plastic - get some before you break it.
The original L Bracket Ball Stop by Bally was thinner but better finished than it's Williams equivalent.
Because every ball loaded into the shooter lane smashes into it, it leads a hard life.
The original is always beaten up, and you are not going to be able to pound it out or buff it out and then put it back into a high end restoration, that's for sure.
The new Ball Stop from Gatecrasher is a perfect replica of the original, with a beautiful mirror finish.
A nice restorer's trick is as follows:
The side rails on classic Bally games take a beating in the outlanes.
The wood rails can be protected with the same L Brackets that protect the shooter lane.
Is it original? Nope.
Does it look like a stock part? Yes (it kinda is, if you think about it).
Does it look kick ass? Yes.
Does it fit a blinged out, high end restoration? Hell yes.
One item I believe is only available from Gatecrasher are his stainless steel Carriage Bolts for Williams and Bally coindoors.
I've looked at Boltdepot, McMasters and Fastenall and nobody has these things.
If they have anything close, they have too large of a head, and they have markings on the heads.
The original Bally and Williams had smooth heads.
Guys on RGP were asking if the heads of the Gatecrasher bolts were of the correct size, or if they were too large.
Here I measured them (classic Williams and classic Bally were both the same 23/64"):
Very close match, that no one without a micrometer would ever be able to tell the difference!
Summary:
Gatecrasher has a tight collection of restoration hardware that is faithful to the originals, and in many cases has a much better finish.
If you are doing a high end restoration of a early Bally or Williams SS game, you are going to like what you see.
Hit any of this beautiful stainless hardware with just a touch of Green Compound on a buffing wheel and it will be more than ready for the major leagues.
All made in the USA.
Really nice stuff.
St Joseph, MI
Quoted from RCA1:I love a review that involves a micrometer
Even better, an Inch Fractional Micrometer, for all us folks who still have to use both Metric and fractional English measurements.... (note to American Government: If we switch to Metric, we can get rid of fractions altogether).
Thanks vid. I have a question, I just got the Space Shuttle bg remake and I think it's 1/8in., do you know if it is? This is the first place I've seen that has the ss lift trim that came on the game. Is it gatecrashers.com?
Quoted from MustangPaul:I have a question, I just got the Space Shuttle bg remake and I think it's 1/8in., do you know if it is?
I can't see it from here, but as a new CPR, it probably is 1/8".
Quoted from MustangPaul:Is it gatecrashers.com?
I don't think he has a website.
Just click that first post picture of Gate's catalog and it will expand to full, readable size.
Thanks for posting that info! And where did you get that awesome Micrometer if I may ask? Way cool. I am terrible at measuring....that looks pretty foolproof for fractions!
Quoted from Pinball4life:And where did you get that awesome Micrometer if I may ask?
I stole mine from work, but HF has fractional micrometers now:
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-digital-caliper-with-metric-and-sae-fractional-readings-68304.html
Quoted from vid1900:I stole mine from work, but HF has fractional micrometers now:
The Chinese must be laughing right now; "Americans, they are converting fractions rather than moving decimal points. They will make excellent slaves....."
Hey thanks for the review there Vid. I thought you'd like the parts. To the best of my knowledge, I am currently the sole producer in the world of all of these parts.
I'm not getting rich off any of this and won't be quitting my day job any time soon but I like to think I am filling a void out there for parts that you just can't find anymore.
One thing to note about the coin door bolts is that they are supplied with a bright finish as seen in your pics. This resembles the zinc finish the originals had but if you want a chrome-like finish they can easily be buffed using metal polish and a rag by hand or on a wheel. Very easy to do and they will never rust.
If you notice most old backglass lift channels are rusted in the glass groove. This is because over their 40 year lifespan the backglasses have been repeatedly cleaned with spray cleaners and water and it all runs down the glass and lays in the groove of the lift channels. Over time this rusts the lift channel and tends to damage the backglass artwork too. That's why so many OEM backglasses are damaged in this area.
If you buy a new CPR backglass, it only makes sense to get a new lift channel & edge trim set for it too. Why put a scabby one onto a pristine backglass that set you back several hundred dollars? Also, after 40 years the PVC plastic edge trim is brittle and ready to crack. It seems like a no-brainer to me to invest a few dollars in a new plastic edge trim set to protect your investment. Not to mention they will fit nice and snug again and are exact copies of the originals.
Originally Bally and the rest of the pinball manufacturers used cold-rolled steel and nickel-plated most of the metal parts. The cheapest plating possible and not meant to last a lifetime. My parts are meant to last and the best part is if they ever do become scratched or anything, they can easily be re-polished and will look as good as new. Can't do that with the cheapo nickel-plated stuff.
Professionally, I am an engineer working in the plastic injection molding industry. I am also a Journeyman Toolmaker which helps in the design and construction of the tooling for parts like these.
My current specials to Pinsiders are:
> For every backglass lift channel you purchase I throw the matching 3-pc. plastic edge trim in for free.
> Also, for every five 3-pc. plastic edge trim sets you purchase I throw the sixth set in for free and you can mix 1/8" and 3/16" sizes if you want.
IMG_7829.JPGQuoted from Gatecrasher:Hey thanks for the review there Vid. I thought you'd like the parts. To the best of my knowledge, I am currently the sole producer in the world of all of these parts.
I'm not getting rich off any of this and won't be quitting my day job any time soon but I like to think I am filling a void out there for parts that you just can't find anymore.
One thing to note about the coin door bolts is that they are supplied with a bright finish as seen in your pics. This resembles the zinc finish the originals had but if you want a chrome-like finish they can easily be buffed using metal polish and a rag by hand or on a wheel. Very easy to do and they will never rust.
If you notice most old backglass lift channels are rusted in the glass groove. This is because over their 40 year lifespan the backglasses have been repeatedly cleaned with spray cleaners and water and it all runs down the glass and lays in the groove of the lift channels. Over time this rusts the lift channel and tends to damage the backglass artwork too. That's why so many OEM backglasses are damaged in this area.If you buy a new CPR backglass, it only makes sense to get a new lift channel & edge trim set for it too. Why put a scabby one onto a pristine backglass that set you back several hundred dollars? Also, after 40 years the PVC plastic edge trim is brittle and ready to crack. It seems like a no-brainer to me to invest a few dollars in a new plastic edge trim set to protect your investment. Not to mention they will fit nice and snug again and are exact copies of the originals.
Originally Bally and the rest of the pinball manufacturers used cold-rolled steel and nickel-plated most of the metal parts. The cheapest plating possible and not meant to last a lifetime. My parts are meant to last and the best part is if they ever do become scratched or anything, they can easily be re-polished and will look as good as new. Can't do that with the cheapo nickel-plated stuff.
Professionally, I am an engineer working in the plastic injection molding industry. I am also a Journeyman Toolmaker which helps in the design and construction of the tooling for parts like these.
My current specials to Pinsiders are:
> For every backglass lift channel you purchase I throw the matching 3-pc. plastic edge trim in for free.
> Also, for every five 3-pc. plastic edge trim sets you purchase I throw the sixth set in for free and you can mix 1/8" and 3/16" sizes if you want.IMG_7801.JPG 59 KB
IMG_7813.JPG 61 KB
IMG_7820.JPG 133 KB
IMG_7829.JPG 134 KB
Thank you...thank you...thank you. I've been looking for over a year for the lift channel for my Space Shuttle and when I got my new glass I was bummed because I thought I'd have to put a plastic one on it. You saved the day. 
I'll pm you.
Quoted from RCA1:Thanks for the info. Looks like good stuff.
I love a review that involves a micrometer
Not to split hairs, but I believe that is a caliper.
That's some nice lookin' hardware, that is for sure!
I have been using these parts for years now. Excellent stuff, well made, reasonable prices, and Gatecrasher is a pinball enthusiast, too. Can't go wrong with these parts. Really helps add to a nice restoration.
One more thing, tell Gatecrasher that Eight Ball Deluxe is a lousy pin, and see what happens 
Actually they are "calipers".
A plurale tantum (Latin for "plural only"; plural form: pluralia tantum) is a noun that appears only in the plural form and does not have a singular variant for referring to a single object. These are used in English for objects that function as pairs or sets (glasses, pants, scissors, clothes, electronics, bagpipes, genitals). Many languages have pluralia tantum, such as the Latin word Kalendae, the Russian word den'gi [деньги] ("money"), the Swedish word inälvor ("intestines"), or the Dutch word hersenen ("brains").
In English, some plurale tantum nouns in fact have a singular form, but one that is used only attributively. That is, phrases such as "trouser presses" and "scissor kick" contain the singular form, even though it is considered non-standard to say "a trouser" on its own. A word may have definitions which are pluralia tantum. The noun glasses (corrective lenses to improve eyesight) is plurale tantum. The word glass (a container for drinks) may be singular or plural.
In most forms of English, quantifying a plurale tantum noun requires a measure word, for example "one pair of scissors" instead of "one scissors".
Quoted from johnwartjr:Not to split hairs, but I believe that is a caliper.
Hey, I'm a Civil engineer, not a Mechanical engineer. We measure in feet and hundreths. We mostly use 100 foot tapes to measure stuff. But yeah, you're right..................
Gatecrasher- Your stuff looks great!
Villejuif
Quoted from Gatecrasher:If you buy a new CPR backglass, it only makes sense to get a new lift channel & edge trim set for it too. Why put a scabby one onto a pristine backglass that set you back several hundred dollars?
Would it make sense for CPR to sell these lift channel & edge trim set for you? It could come as a bundle and I am confident a fair fraction of customers would go for it!
Quoted from Gatecrasher:Actually they are "calipers".
A plurale tantum (Latin for "plural only"; plural form: pluralia tantum) is a noun that appears only in the plural form and does not have a singular variant for referring to a single object. These are used in English for objects that function as pairs or sets (glasses, pants, scissors, clothes, electronics, bagpipes, genitals).
So this dude I knew back in school who had a testicle removed (artery to it got twisted) ... did he have a genital? Or can he no longer use that word to describe his bits n pieces? 
5 months later
Newmarket, ON
Quoted from MustangPaul:I just got the Space Shuttle bg remake and I think it's 1/8in., do you know if it is? This is the first place I've seen that has the ss lift trim that came on the game. Is it gatecrashers.com?
Hey MustangPaul, did you end up getting this ? I have a CPR Space Shuttle backglass also and need a new lift channel and edge trim . Was it 1/8 inch ?
Gatecrasher, do you ship to Canada ?
Quoted from SUPERBEE:Gatecrasher, do you ship to Canada ?
He does ship up north. I got a set of carriage bolts for a Bally Mystic and a lift channel for my High Speed. Both were great.
Quoted from eh97ac:He does ship up north. I got a set of carriage bolts for a Bally Mystic and a lift channel for my High Speed. Both were great.
Thanks, was shipping expensive ?
Quoted from SUPERBEE:Thanks, was shipping expensive ?
Whatever the Post Office charges is all I charge. I don't make any additional money from shipping charges unless it's a large order and then I might charge a couple dollars more for the cost of a big PVC tube or some other special packaging. I ship worldwide but the majority of my stuff ends up going to the big three pinball countries:
1) USA
2) Canada
3) Australia
Thanks Gatecrasher. Would you know exactly which lift bar and edge trim i would need for a CPR Space Shuttle backglass ? The glass itself is 1/8 thick. How do i contact you to order ?
Quoted from SUPERBEE:Thanks Gatecrasher. Would you know exactly which lift bar and edge trim i would need for a CPR Space Shuttle backglass ? The glass itself is 1/8 thick. How do i contact you to order ?
I make trim for both backglass thicknesses (1/8" and 3/16"). You would obviously need the 1/8" kit.
My trim is Bally style but fits other brands of pins too. The bottom metal lift channel and top plastic edge trim pieces are 28.5" long and the two side pices are 24.5" long. You should measure your backglass to see if any pieces will need shortened. I think the two side pieces might need cut.
I can cut the metal lift channel and plastic trim to shorter lengths for free for you if you know what sizes you need. Or you can do it yourself (it isn't that difficult).
I purchased multiple lift channels from gatecrasher in the past. Top quality products at reasonable pricing. Very fast shipping. Highly recommended.
Great Pinball Limited has endorsed this lift channel & plastic trim product for years. I can speak to the kit included with glass sales. It's just to much of a added hassle (ship to Canada to go back to USA) & increases the risk in shipping glass. I would prefer you buy direct & maybe more of his product with the order. I have purchased a bunch of the plastic & stainless lift channel over the years. Great shipping & product!
5 months later
This thread came up recently and looked super useful, so bumping it up so everyone else can see it again too.
While I'm at it, what's the best source for Bally coin doors for 1980 era games? Mystic, Flash Gordon, etc.
Quoted from Aurich:This thread came up recently and looked super useful, so bumping it up so everyone else can see it again too.
While I'm at it, what's the best source for Bally coin doors for 1980 era games? Mystic, Flash Gordon, etc.
I saw that Marco had Bally coin door skin available.....
Quoted from dasvis:I saw that Marco had Bally coin door skin available.....
Huh, interesting idea for on the cheap facelifting I guess.
Quoted from MrBellMan:I have not see new or remanufactured doors available for the Classic Bally games. Ebay has NOS ones once in a great while, but they go for crazy money.
Huh, seems like they'd probably sell well if someone could do them.
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