Grand Slam
Gottlieb, 1972
Twin Win
Bally, 1974I'm working on getting a 1972 Gottlieb Grand Slam pinball machine running and it has no plunger but instead it kicks the ball into play with a solenoid. It looks to be a factory job or possibly a good aftermarket add on. Anyone ever deal with something like this? I'd like to put a plunger back on. Can I just unplug and put a replacement plunger back on? Anyone have a complete plunger assembly they'd like to sell? It works but I just don't like it this way.
grandslam-9.JPG
I'll go take some photo's but it looks quite factory original on the bracket and wire harness, plus the plate on front is the same style as one with a plunger. When the ball gets ejected into the shooter lane it just automatically kicks it into play, no action required by the player. On the World Series you have a skill shot on top - left or right, and it always goes down the right hand side.
Here are some pic's of the auto-plunger on Grand Slam. Too bad the cabinet is so faded and playfield is worn, but at least the backglass is very nice. So the question is it original? The coil doesn't have the regular Gottlieb paper wrap. Anyone have a photo of a plunger version to compare?
I've heard of this factory kit, but I don't recall seeing one on any of the several thousand games I've seen over the years.
I assume it was combat vandalism, especially since you can see it also had a heavy duty lockbar across the coin door, right?
It would be fun to know the history of the machine, because I played pinball in some pretty rough locations back when that machine was new, but I don't remember anyone ever attacking a plunger, and they would have had to do it more than once to make the operator spend the time and money to add that conversion kit. That poor machine must have been in a real war zone.
My guess is that it's related to gambling laws, and taking away an item of 'chance'. Just a guess though, have never seen one on a game before.
Quoted from DirtFlipper:My guess is that it's related to gambling laws, and taking away an item of 'chance'. Just a guess though, have never seen one on a game before.
In the days before they explicitly labeled plunger *skill* shots as such, no less.
It spent it's last few decrepid years in a small automotive repair shop in Wisconsin. It was in horrible shape - the pinball didn't have any chrome left on it! But it looks like it spent it's youth in Illinois according to the tax stamps on it so I doubt it was converted due to gambling laws. It really speeds up the game play time so it was probably was done for an arcade is my guess.
Is there any way to restore the paint job short of an entire repaint job? Or once it's faded that is it and nothing can bring the colors out again?
The purple on Grand Slam is notorious for fade to pink. If the rest of the colors are decent and not damaged, AND don't appear to be ready to flake off, you could just make stencils for the purple and re-spray that to brighten up the cabinet. If the cabinet paint seems to be ready to flake off in places, you won't be able to tape or secure a stencil with anything other than weight otherwise, your tape will pull up the good paint you hoped not to have to deal with.
Quoted from thumperbumper:I'll go take some photo's but it looks quite factory original on the bracket and wire harness, plus the plate on front is the same style as one with a plunger. When the ball gets ejected into the shooter lane it just automatically kicks it into play, no action required by the player. On the World Series you have a skill shot on top - left or right, and it always goes down the right hand side.
Sounds like the shooter has a high degree of shoot predictability rather like the the centre shooters on Pro Football etc. It, in my mind, certainly takes a bit of fun & gameplay from a machine. Thks for very interesting thread. 
I think I will replace the electronic ball shooter kit with a Bally ball shooter I have laying around. Right now the launched ball always goes down one of the two skill lanes on the right hand side. I'm not sure of the wiring yet as I don't have a schematic but I think the solenoid activates when the trough switch is made. And if the solenoid is missing it shouldn't make a difference?
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