Big Top
Gottlieb, 1964You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider Model237.
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I have a bunch of broken nylon score reel brackets in my 1964 Gottlieb Big Top. The reels slide around and bump the lamp sockets up front, leaving marks on the numbers. They also slide out the back when tilted, which is scary.
Pretty sure I've read that no replacements are available.
Has anyone found a solution to this issue?
Maybe a PCB guide like this could be cut to size:
http://www.digikey.com/catalog/en/partgroup/pcg/51019
Yeah, these old things are crumbly like parmesan. Do they always get that way?
A good donor would be ideal, but I prefer the idea of finding a good replacement. There's some stress on that little hole, and even an intact old one could fail any time.
Any one ever try a PC Board slide? I was thinking of ordering a four-foot length of the profile below (~$25) and cutting it to size. Not exactly original, but maybe functional. Use tiny nuts & bolts to attach where rivets were...
http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&itemSeq=189452109&uq=635905282221158747
bracket_MFG_21752_(resized).jpg
Quoted from EMsInKC:It's a two player. Wouldn't you need 16?
In any case, as a solution, all I can figure is to remove everything from the head. It might be possible, since it appears from the pictures that only the very ends are broken off, that you could drill some small holes through the guides just in a bit from the broken off ends, and through the plate of the reel assembly, and use cotter pins to hold the assembly in place. It would be kind of a last resort but it should work. Lots of effort getting all that out of the game, however.
Oops, right! I only need 16. I was looking at my Fast Draw as I typed this.
Yeah, it's a lot of work, but I'm already taking everything apart anyway - might as well do it right. Lots of corrosion on the mounting plates I want to clean up.
Quoted from CactusJack:What about something like this:
http://www.newark.com/bivar/dc-450/card-guide-nylon-6-pcb/dp/66F8947?ost=66F8947&ad=81515567421&selectedCategoryId=&CMP=KNC-GUSA-GEN-SHOPPING-NEW-BIVAR&gclid=CjwKEAiAluG1BRDrvsqCtYWk81gSJACZ2BCeB4rl3yArh-tRwBxF5RORqPfdnrWIvQtWTit-GWUNBRoCOInw_wcB
It might require drilling holes in the metal plates to match what appear to be two pegs where the guides would snap in.
These look really good, and a price I like - nice searching! I was hoping to find some flanged ones that doesn't require drilling, but most available PCB guides seem to be the pop-in-hole type. If I get some, I'll report back how they work.
Quoted from swinks:the reason I say 4 on a sprue is shapeways charges on a volume and there is a point where going over a certain size you start to loose the sprue advantage may cost more but can try a 4 or a 8 sprue. And with Shapeways volume charge is based on volume that it takes up in the printer including the air gap between the parts.
and there is no reason why the design can't be improved on, here is the 80's ball kicker that I did for a mate where I did the original for the purists and then a slightly beefed up one to hopefully stop failures
https://www.shapeways.com/search?q=swinkskicker
another example is the bally backbox light shrouds that I did for a restorer here in Aus, as they were always stapled them so we tweaked to have screw holes.
https://www.shapeways.com/search?q=swinksshroud
there is an alternative so happy to help.c51f30c40f557d81d3a02126ba859b29fda1343f_(resized).png7fcbf9d74a80fddd0377abe025bca6777155fa2b_(resized).jpgd0388cc66fbcc665c61becfed7517df391a7a8a4_(resized).jpg
Thanks for the Shapeways link - nice to know as a final option. Is the 3D printer plastic as strong as extruded nylon?
Quoted from EMsInKC:To do it right, you're either going to have to find a donor plates, or have someone 3D print the guides. If the plastic is really brittle, my fix probably won't work for long either. Drilling the holes might cause you an issue. If you can actually drill them without cracking the plastic it would hold up for a long time, but if you try drilling and it starts to crack, well, that's that.
That plastic is over 50 years old, been subjected to a lot of vibration and who the hell knows what else. Plastic gets old, it gets brittle, it breaks. Once again, game was not designed to last 50 years so no surprise it has given up the ghost.
I'll risk the wrath and say that Williams design of the same era was better. Take a look at a picture of a 1964 River Boat and see how they designed the reels to stay put. It was better. Bally and Williams just did a better job of designing a simpler, more reliable score reel assembly than Gottlieb did.
Yours is a good idea...if they weren't so brittle I'd try that. They pretty much break if touched. I was curious if the plastic in mine is more brittle because of moisture. Mine appears to have sat in a puddle for a while.
I looked up the River Boat, and it looks like the brackets were reduced to a minimum.
Quoted from EMsInKC:They used wing nuts on a stud to hold them in place. Metal. Not plastic.
Just for argument's sake, any reason I couldn't use a metal bracket instead? Does it have to be plastic for non-conductivity or something?
I assume the Shapeways option would cost quite a bit more than the PCB guides off Newark.com (correct me if I'm wrong), so I'll probably order some samples in the next few weeks. Will report back how they work. If those don't work out I'll look at the Shapeways option. Thanks for offering to sketch them up!
Quoted from pinhead52:I use 70's reel guides on 60's machines. I used #2 nut and bolt hardware to mount it. Works well.
Does PBR sell those?
Very nice! And the 70's plastic is still strong?
I got my Newark order of black PCB guides. Will send pics once I get them installed, but I want to try some evaporust on the metal chassis first. Any place to buy it in the DFW area?
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Dallas, TX
