I picked up this machine a few weeks ago. These are the pics of bringing it home:

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It thought it may be useful to provide progressive updates on the resto & I hope it is of interest to others. I wanted in particular to cover some of those issues which are confronted in a resto, perhaps even trivial, that we just do automatically without thinking too much about it. Quite often these are the curses that previous owners have bestowed upon us. As an Australian perhaps these 'curses' are magnified because machines and parts to provide the remedy are often from a far away place-the US mainly.

Anyhow on to Spin Out. This is a machine I wanted because in a past life I was a revhead and just like pins that really never leaves the soul. Spin Out by its art & perhaps ruleset I hope will provide a continuing practical reminder of that enjoyable past life.

I rate the machine condition cab 5; pf 6.5 & bg 7. As is usual when I got it home I wanted to establish whether & how it worked. It worked fine albeit with a variety of resto issues which I will cover as we move on. I always like to establish operationally where a machine stands before I start a resto. Through a resto I also try to maintain the continuity of the initial status so I do not create new issues.

When I said it worked it did so without the lightbox score & name lights operating. That was traced to poor contact/tension of a female terminal on a light box jones plug. But that then highlighted that the bg when it was lit was not quite what I had expected. It had a fair degree of flaking within the yellow name Spin Out & I figured I better do so something about this at the start of the resto. But given my previous poor experience with restoring a bg I already had bgresto in sight!!

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However I thought I would give it a go and at least give it the triple treatment to prevent any further deterioration. So after preparation (I do not clean the bg prior to treatment-too many experiences making it worse) I applied cross coats of triple thick and then used Clays method of applying gladwrap to the flaky areas and dampening down any raised sections. 24 hrs later I removed the gladwrap (it by miracle! just comes straight off) and the bg is sealed & the lifting pieces were flat & secured. I then touched up the affected areas using Createx & Americana acrylics & to my absolute amazement it turned out pretty good. I was stoked & as a result one less order for bgresto.

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At this stage I completely disassembled the machine to undertake the cabinet, the score motor board, the playfield & finally the lightbox resto.

NEXT the cabinet.

Great advice Boatcat thks

Thks Pinbee. Yes a brush used in both cases and fortunately I was able to use colour 'out of the bottle'-Createx yellow; Createx blue & Americana cadmium red.

The Cabinet of my Spin Out had structural & cosmetic issues. The standout issue was a really poor treatment of a 'holed' bottom board.

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The repair looked dreadful. It used part of a packing case (from a Bally Hokus Pokus machine addressed to Atlas Music & Novelty Co Pittsburg Pa) and was secured by 1/4in cup head bolts and nuts.
After removal of this repair as is often the case on these cabinets the plywood lamination/s below the bottom board rebate had largely become separated. The remainder came away quite cleanly.

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This enabled the original bottom board to be removed and I was able to separate without damage the under coin box metal shield and associated timber sections to secure the on/off switch & coin box. I purchased a sheet of 7mm thick plywood (slightly thicker to original which gives greater lifting stability & durability) cut it to size and reattached the components removed from the original board.

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Now when sizing the new board I noted there was a slight bulge in the centre of the cabinet and the quad reinforcing/securing braces to the score motor bearers were either damaged or detached. I corrected the bulge & installed new braces (glued & brad nailed).

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Finally the new board was installed and secured by a 9mm square moulding which was glued & brad nailed to the cabinet & which replaced the original separated ply laminations. I am pretty happy with result.

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The machine included a good condition pedestal from a Sing A Long machine but that blue & white does not match a chequered flag!! The pedestal was sanded & refinished with a primer & acrylic black using automotive spray cans ( I use these spray cans on small tasks rather than load up a spray gun.

SOcabrepped.jpg

NEXT-further cab resto

I really prefer original cab paint-there is just something to me which adds to the character of the game. On this Spin Out the light box and cabinet sides with touch up were ok but the front was a bit of a mess and I did not believe touch up would be successful.

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So I decided to repaint by first filling & sanding some cracks and holes for a lockbar with auto body filler & then taking a trace

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Then using the trace to prepare an MDF board stencil

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Using a touch up spray gun first the yellow

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Then the black

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and front finish

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NEXT-some cab unforeseen issues

Yep I think it is the car theme dtown. That's an empty soup container for parts!

Continued with the cab resto & found a few niggling issues. I noticed the left playfield glass slide was grey rather than white and that it was short at the head end. Resolved that by adapting a pvc length from the local hardware store.

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But when I then observed the side rail I found it was short, had the wrong screw pattern & had a jaggered flipper button hole-clearly the wrong component.

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That is maddening. I have organised purchase of used replacements.

A leg attachment internal bracket was missing-fortunately I had a replacement.

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I assume when the bottom board was accessed it was to gain entry to the coin box as the coin box lock bracket was bent forward badly-now corrected.

SOcabrepcoinbkt.jpg

Apart from some final touch-ups (I will post pics when that is done) that completes cab resto.

NEXT-score motor board

No prob Tony its yours (subsequent PM sent).

On the cabinet resto I have been surprised at the number of 'stripped' timber threads and what had been the response. For example the flipper button switches were held by what we refer in Australia to bugle head wallboard screws-they looked dreadful. In all cases the holes now have either been dowelled or toothpicked & the correct screws used.

The score motor board which was fairly gunked was removed from the machine and set up on a transfer board.

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All components were slid from the motor board to enable board cleaning & cleaning, adjustment of contacts & 'oiling' of score motor.

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The board was quite dirty

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It cleaned up pretty well using the technique profiled by jr pinball using brake cleaner

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All hardware was tumbled (where possible) and/or cleaned/polished

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After contact cleaning & where necessary adjustment all components were returned to the board and re installed in machine

SOmb1.jpg

I was able to access the Peter Koch site to recreate a number of labels which were laminated & re-stapled to the board. My thanks go to Peter once again for providing this wonderful facility. The positive difference of the new labels compared to the old (the relay bank) is certainly stark.

The machine is missing a playmeter. I have arranged purchase of a replacement.

The machine has been returned to 110v operation which will use a 240v > 110v step down transformer. I was not happy with safety associated with the series connection of twin transformers covered in a separate thread

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At this stage the machine was activated to confirm that playfield maintenance did not raise any issues. Despite thorough contact cleaning the 'old chestnut' a jones plug prevented machine operation. That was diagnosed & resolved fairly quickly.

NEXT-rebuild of chime & knocker units

The chime unit was dismantled, cleaned & rebuilt with a PBR rebuild kit.

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It appeared that the knocker in bronze form was not original to this machine. It was replaced with a rebuilt nickel knocker.

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The on/off toggle switch was replaced with a preferred push switch.

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The machine lacked a full operating tilt mechanism which has now been corrected.

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NEXT-playfield

Well on to the playfield. When I purchased this machine I knew there were issues with the integrity of the playfield-it was not the best but nor was it the worst.

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I have now stripped the upper playfield. I was very surprised at the level of tension of screws generally and of their rusting. A screw supporting the right hand guide would not dislodge so I needed to drill out the head, lift of the guide rail and then remove the remainder of the screw with pliers.
But when I got to removing the pop bumper bodies one securing screw on the right pop sheared just above the thread line and below the playfield surface. It is not possible to alter the securing location on the body so oh ....!

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Now the screw was too small for a screw extractor & the proximity of the internal pop wall prevented using a hollow extractor. So I decided to drill to the left side of the broken screw in an effort to move it sideways and upwards & accepting that the drill out will ultimately form part of the dowel hole

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then

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and up & out

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allowing drill out taking care not to sacrifice the internal wall & placement of a dowel using wood glue

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That went pretty well. I am quite happy that the internal side of the hole retained its integrity which resulted in a very tight dowel.

When the pop body (this one will be replaced) is installed the repair is hidden

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It seems that at some point the the ball return hole base plate was removed & replaced with a 'fill screw'-amazing!

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The ball arch cover will need respraying; the ball arch proper has significant rusting & will be replaced with a parted out unit and the shooting hardware replaced

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Following the initial clean & inspection I think with judicious touchup of the playfield it can come up reasonably well.

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NEXT - pf continued

Thks fast_in_muskoka.
Yep that's A Golden Arrow next in queue for a resto. I had played Golden Arrow at the recent Sydney Pinball Expo & really enjoyed it but all up I have probably only played 40 or so games. It certainly has tremendous presence through those very striking & colourful graphics on both the playfield & backglass.
The Spin Out I really only have played a limited number of games when it arrived a month or so back because the playfield had no protection & I did not want my resto to be any harder. I know this is a machine which is not readily accepted as a good player but frankly I quite enjoyed it & found getting the number sequence quite difficult but when you do and you get a pop pop pop it is a great feeling.
I think if you are a revhead like me you will like it and it will probably be a keeper for me and at some point I will onsell Golden Arrow.

It was great to touch base with you last week Dave & receive your informed opinion on the twin transformer setup, return it to original and over which I am now far more comfortable-as we Aussies say thks mate!!

Completed touchup of the middle & lower blue sections of the playfield which particularly above the flippers and under the roto target were well worn and made the game look very tired. Interestingly though the normal Spin Out wear patch under the kick out hole was not as serious as I had expected.

Before:

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After:

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The sections were brushed with good quality artists brushes using a mix of Americana baby blue & Createx brite green colour acrylics. The science of colour matching, if there is any, continues to escape me but I guess its all about experience and this is my first serious playfield touchup. I believe that using a good quality brush is critical to eliminate brush strokes in the finish and to be able to accurately brush to the demarcation lines. As a result no black line touchup was necessary.
I think the touchup changes the whole demeanour of the playfield for the better which is now ready for waxing.

My PBR order is due to arrive tomorrow just in time for various under playfield maintenance.

NEXT- playfield (upper) continued

This is a pic of the chequered configuration provided by kangourou

SOrotofrch.png

I think from the pic included on IPBD it should be possible to design the plastic. The bigger issue for me is developing the reverse water slide decal-still figuring that one out. I note also that where I have seen Spin Out plastic sets for sale this particular plastic is never included. I wonder whether it was supplied with all production machines.

Thks stashyboy. I have now provided an 'acrylic' clear over the touchup sections as I did in touchup with my El Dorado on the high wear ball arch area-no probs to date but will watch closely.

Ah Noobee I often struggle with 'where you start & where you end' & this was no exception.
I had only intended to touch up the blue sections immediately in front of the roto targets and above the flippers. But I struggled getting a colour match I think in part because there are so many colour variations in a given area with age, it was just not 'brushing' well & the wet colour is not the dry colour.
So I put aside my cheap KMart 'artists' brushes & pulled out some well worn brushes (over 60 yrs old) which my Dad (who was a ticketwriter) had left me & so they are very special and it brought a tear to my eye to use them as he had done. I used two in particular a fine one & a broader one.

SOpfbr.jpg

You will see that the fine one even has the stem held together with wire!! But wow did using these brushes make a difference. The acrylic flowed nicely and it was so easy brushing to the extremities without 'painting the black delineation lines'.
Getting back to your question I decided then that I would do the upper blue section down to the top of the numbers 1 to 7. But it seemed to go reasonably well so I took it to the flippers and the two lower outside blue complete areas.
I know it looks as though I could have gone further including into the pink but those areas were not really worn & I did not want to go further than I needed. I also think that once the playfield is populated any difference will be barely noticeable. However I now accept that for touchup you really do need to do sections rather than spots if wear is significant in certain areas.

From post 11 these are the near final exterior cab pics following respray of the cab front & back & touchup of the head and cab sides. Spatter of the rear & attachment of gliders still remains and the coin door is a project door with the machine coin door to be covered in a later post.

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Back to the playfield I discovered that the upper outside rollovers should be a mini tent guide whereas standard double sided guides had been installed. Additional screw holes had been made outside of the mini tent guide perimeter.

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No idea why this would have been done but to me it sucks! Anyhow holes filled, touchup completed & correct posts & guides ordered. This is shown in a pic of the playfield after 2 wax layers (8-10 to be undertaken).

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I have also made a start on the playfield underside starting at the rear and the ball return hole kicker. I again show this pic

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and on the underside

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It is the wrong ball kicker for this machine so whoever has made the wrong kicker fit and used the screw to in part take the place of the hole plate. These sort of 'fixes' make me mad!!! I have now ordered the correct parts.

NEXT - pf continued

Completed 10 wax layers on the playfield & it has come up reasonably well.

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The timber guide rails were sanded & clear coated then waxed prior to re-installation. The tip of clear finishing these rails was provided by MikeO some months ago & I think significantly adds to the lustre of a playfield. New shooting lane hardware was installed replacing rusted components.
On this resto I did not remove the wireform lane guides but did remove rust spots & brought back their polished sheen. I believe that securing notches at the foot of these guides makes it problematic whether the guides can be removed without damaging the playfield.
I did however remove the wireforms immediately below the flippers as these have no notched locators, are easily removed & harbour significant gunk which needs to be removed.

SOpflgfl1.jpg

I remove these wireforms by prizing a non abrasive plastic sleeve underneath and then use a paint scraper over the plastic sleeve to carefully lever the wireforms up & away.

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Now I find on many machines metal hole liners (I often refer to them as egg rings) which have an important functional & aesthetic role are either missing or tarnished. I always replace them.

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NEXT - playfield continued

Thks jjpm. I must summon up the courage to try your method on the next one. There is no doubt the less obstacles to wax significantly improves the process.

Transferred the playfield to the rotisserie for work on the underside. I find this part very important with lots of preventative maintenance and discoveries! Why has the transfer to the rotisserie not happened sooner. When I have the timber siderails off the playfield (which I believe give the pf longitudinal support) I prefer not to have a loaded pf unsupported on the rotisserie.

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Before going to the underside there were a few other things to mention re the pf top. Using the PBR bulb socket probe I clean all sockets & in some acute cases I also use a wire brush in a high speed power tool. I feel bulbs lit properly are a really important part of machine performance.

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I was concerned at the condition of the chrome bracket which sits between the roto numbers-despite cleaning it had lots of rust etching.

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I bought on ebay an A4 sheet of silver chrome vinyl adhesive (only used a small section).

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and whammo what a difference!!

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I am anxious to resolve that elusive plastic that seems to be missing from many Spin Outs and seemingly not included in plastic sets. It was very well captured by kangourou recently

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I made a rough template for a plastic and am enhancing the artwork provided by kangourou to enable creation of a water slide decal of the 'chequers'. I also found that the machine had installed post rubbers rather than a single rubber-that will be corrected.

SOpfrotaplastemp.jpg

Now starting on the underside I will try to start at the ball return end & work forward. In general terms I will be cleaning, replacing coil sleeves & inspecting coil stops, if necessary adjusting & reviewing everything bearing in mind the machine at the start was operational!! The ball kickout return I am awaiting parts.
I had already removed all rollover wireforms. They were a pretty sad lot (left) with heavy rust. I decided to tumble some spares (right) and will use those. Wow this machine is depleting my spares cache!

SOpfwforms.jpg

As I install the wireforms I remove, clean and if necessary adjust the switches.

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As I move through I also inspect all bulb holders & solder the lamp body to the base. I have found this procedure eliminates just so many dull/blinking/malfunctioning bulbs. I also thoroughly clean the underside of all inserts-what a difference that makes to the pf light show!

SOpfbulbsoc.jpg

I also insert a bulb to each completed bulb holder & verify operation. On this first bulb holder I found the grounding braid had come adrift-that is preventative maintenance!

SOpfbulbtest.jpg

Moving across to the kickers the contact kicker arms were quite worn/corroded/flaking-more parts needed!

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and it was so good to look at the playfield with those bright shiny lower rollover wires poking through

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NEXT - playfield under

That's a great story jrp and the machine has the elusive plastic in front of the roto target & a pretty good playfield. What I found intriguing was that on the apron the instruction card is actually 'the high score options'!!! Any idea what Pat paid for the machine?

What amazed me was your comment that he picked it up at a 'flea market'. That just would never, or maybe could not, happen down under! I envy your opportunities.

Prepared the coin door components (screws & coin mechs not shown) for the coin door. I decided to retain the original coin door which was fairly rusty but has come up pretty well. I am also influenced by cost as the base cost for a new door, plus exchange rate, plus shipping is likely to sit around $A150-that is heaps!!

SOcoindoor1.jpg

As there have been a no of posts seeking info on coin door assembly I will do a stepped assembly pictorial later.
Returning to the pf underside I had mentioned replacing the contact kicker arms due mainly to flaky nickel. However I made a call that there has to be a limit on $ spent on this machine (at this stage) and at times compromise has to take the place of purity. So abrasive blasted the arms and then recoated in a satin chrome finish. Ok but far from perfect.

SOpfkickold.jpg

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Removed & disassembled the hole kicker lots of crud around for cleaning. I found the fulcrum arm on the kicker had become loose from the 'rivet head'.

SOpfhkick1.jpg

Resolved by re-asserting the head to the arm and now very tight. Much of the thrust of the hole kicker would have been compromised by this looseness & may explain why there was little wear on the typical Spin Out pf wear spot (the wear was elsewhere!!).

The hole kicker ring was heavily rusted & looked dreadful. I will replace from the parts cache.

SOpfhring.jpg

Found another bulb where the grounding braid had come adrift but on this occasion a previous fix included a washer head screw-incredible!!

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SOpfbulbgr1.jpg

NEXT - pf underside continued

Yep we have flea markets jrp but they are pretty limited in scope to my knowledge

Received some packages from the US today. These 3 items along with two others were received before an order I placed at the same time for items from Melbourne, Australia-just incredible!!

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The pipe pack included a left hand SS siderail & glass guide (mentioned in post 11) along with a playmeter (yep this machine has only done 43630 plays) & a few other items.

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I purchased these items from ebay seller Pinjunk (Skip). I cannot speak too highly of this seller. He is absolutely fantastic in service & serving the hobby. His packaging of my items was outstanding.

Another package contained some parts to rectify an alien installation of the ball return kicker.

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These parts came from Marco & again my experience with Marco is that this Coy processes orders fast & highly professionally. I do not use PBR for small orders because for me I encounter for each order a $A20 bank tsf fee & a $US25 bank fee-that is roughly $A50 before I start ordering!!

The third package in the pic is a mystery box which I will cover in a separate thread.

I have completed resto of the hole kicker assembly which required thorough cleaning, replace coil sleeve, adjust switch & replace hole ring.

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I have prepared all pop bumper components & their initial assembly.

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I will replace x1 pop bayonet socket which was broken and was bypassed by the addition of an extended wire connection which was another one of those awful fixes.

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I have prepared all flipper components. This includes install of a PBR mini rebuild kit, replacement bats & orange dot coils.

SOpffliprods.jpg

SOpffl;ipcomps1.jpg

NEXT - pf underside continued

I really appreciate your kind comments goldenboy232-thks.

Thks SYSS6. On this occasion I needed the parts yesterday but I will keep your approach in mind.

I had purchased last year a set of pin punches to in part use for removing & replacing the roll pin in a flipper lever arm. But where I put them I have now no idea. So as often happens problems create opportunities. I scouted around and found that a rivet punch fitted the roll pin perfectly with the end dimple providing perfect centre-ing of the punch. It is now my preferred tool for this function.

Rpunch.jpg

The punch was part of a kit available on ebay at just over $A5:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/130872054897?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Installed the new coils and EOS switches.

SOpfflip4.jpg

and soldered connections prior to installing bat & lever arm mechs.

SOpfflip5.jpg

I noticed the upper rollover lamp holders were heavily rusted (actually a lot of rust on this machine pf parts particularly under screwed sections) so removed the assembly for abrasive blasting.

SOpfupperbulb1.jpg

Cleaned up nicely after abrasive blasting & soldered lamp holder bodies to base.

SOpfupperbulb2.jpg

NEXT - pf underside continued

Continued with the playfield underside resto.
Flipper components now installed which included PBR rebuild kit. The old plungers were rusted and the flipper bats cracked.

SOpffliprods.jpg

From experience I ensure the EOS contact tension and EOS gap of 1/8" are strictly maintained.

SOpfflipcomp.jpg

Contact kicker assemblies cleaned/tumbled, switches adjusted & coil sleeves replaced.

SOpfckickcomp1.jpg

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To assist modest & even tension to flipper/contact coil brackets I modified a small G clamp by welding a sleeve to the clamp rod.

SOpfGcl.jpg

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The two sets of sequence banks were cleaned, switches adjusted & coil sleeves & labels replaced. Also the bank brackets were a hotch-potch of scavenged parts. All restored to original nickel plate.

SOpfsbankcomp6.jpg

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(damn I thought that rust was GONE!)

SOpfsbankcomp2.jpg

I need to extend thanks to Peter Koch for adding the GTB A7800 labels to his site.

The roto target was cleaned, lubed & coil sleeve replaced.

SOpfrotocomp.jpg

The pop bumper assemblies were installed to the pf upperside.

SOpfpopcomp4.jpg

and the underside including correction of the ground to the right bumper.

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Finally I added a light bracket to a rotisserie work station able to be switched to either end.

SOpfligholder.jpg

That now completes the pf underside

SOpfcomp10.jpg

NEXT - pf upperside

SOpfcomp11.jpg

Very kind comments jr thks

I know the feeling Ken- 2 in the garage & one under the stairs in the queue awaiting a parking space! Drop 'over' anytime-Delta have some good deals & the $US is strong against the $A. Wayne

Well it is always good in a resto to get to the upper pf-it leaves such a pivotal image to the restorer & the player.
The ball arch was pretty wasted with rust and the cover chipped and awful appearance.

SOreppfarch1.jpg

I resprayed the cover, replaced the ball arch from my parts-from a Freefall & abrasive finished & clearcoated the support struts.

SOpfbapr2.jpg

After adding the hardware now installed.

SOpfbapr3.jpg

Pinhead52 has kindly provided info to enable attach of a Manufacturers Certificate and will do when the matte adhesive paper arrives.

On this resto I found it useful to take a copy of Spin Out from the GTB 78 parts catalogue to verify correct placement of rings.

SOpf78.jpg

The upper ball control plastics were badly yellowed and the left broken. I also wanted to make the 'elusive' plastic for the roto target front. I scribed the material and cut the sections on a router table using a 1/8" bit-tight control needed but fairly effective.

SOpfnewpl1.jpg

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After the intial cut the new plastics were filed and 400 sanded to give a smooth edge.

SOpfnewpl3.jpg

Install on upper right went well.

SOpfup12.jpg

However when trying to install the upper left plastic I found the posts were off centre & in consistent with the plastic post holes.

SOpfup1.jpg

Then discovered two broken studs and a previous owner had simply 'drilled' next door.

SOpfup2.jpg

Now unlike the broken pop bumper stud where there was insufficient wall thickness this was an opportunity to use Vids' suggested screw extractor from Woodcraft.

SOpfup3.jpg

This hollow extractor is designed to go around the screw to create a dowel hole. I was conscious that feedback indicated these bits are brittle & will shatter if there is contact with the broken screw-so extra caution needed including an intial dig to allow the extractor to grip & not divert.

SOpfup4.jpg

Allowing the broken piece to be removed and the hole drilled for dowelling.

SOpfup5.jpg

Now dowelled & pilot drilled.

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Posts & plastic now in good alignment.

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For all plastics I did a 'back plastic' touch up with acrylic water colours using Createx from the bottle.

SOpfup11.jpg

I had also put all non stencilled plastics through the ultrasonic cleaner.

SOpfult.jpg

On this occasion I used Comet ultra dust additive. It produced a good result but not sure much better than with vinegar. I need to do some more tests.

On an earlier post I used a chrome vinyl paper to cover a rusted roto target front section. In retrospect I was not happy with that result. I obtained a painters SS scraper set ($4)
& used one scraper to make a SS cover.

SOpfroto1.jpg

This was super glued to the original bracket & looks not too bad.

SOpfroto1a.jpg

Now to the elusive SO roto plastic which I had earlier fabricated & now to the artwork. Based on pics provided by kangourou a friend created the chequered flag artwork in a sheet. I then transferred that image to CLEAR waterside decal paper.

SOpfroto2.jpg

As the waterslide decal was to be reversed applied (so it was on the back of the plastic) It was necessary to spray the IMAGE side of the paper white (printers do not print white) & finish with a clearcoat (both done with spray cans).

SOpfroto3.jpg

The actual decal trimmed

SOpfroto4.jpg

and applied & installed-that was a learning experience!

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The remainder of the pf resto went fairly smoothly.

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The shooter rod was quite rusted so was replaced.

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NEXT - light box

I really appreciate your kind comments-thks so much. But there is some of all of you in this because the direction, help & inspiration I have got since joining the hobby has been simply terrific.

Actually Dave this one came from Chicago about ten years ago & had been in storage in Australia-any bush in Chicago??

Completed post playfield resto testing prior to moving to the Head. A few minor issues:
-left pop bumper bulb out of action: lampholder ground solder ajar resolved;
-pop bumper post score chatter at different intervals: readjust left pop switch resolved;
-mid left rollover not scoring: readjust switch resolved;
-mild hum on right flipper hold: to be readjusted.
Finally & the frustrating one ball return kickout sluggish with ball only returning 50% of time. This was frustrating because as part of the resto I had reviewed, cleaned and, where necessary, adjusted all relay & score motor switches. I had also installed a new kickout arm incl plunger, new switch, new hole plastic and new coil & sleeve. This was the last thing I expected but after reading earlier posts this seems to be a 'Gottlieb regular'.
Anyhow removed the apron and spent a couple of hours inspecting & thinking including looking at earlier threads where Dirt Flipper & Crazy Levi had provided very valuable info & tips.
It turned out to be the positioning of the kickout arm. Whilst secured by three screws they do allow some movement & in my case the arm was too close to the left side of the hole preventing ideal positioning of the ball. Installation of a hole ring accentuated the problem. So I was able to move the arm within the screws around 2mm to the right, reinstalled the hole ring and now the ball turbocharges its way back to the start line (excuse the pun). Really glad to get that one out of the way!

Oh jr with the exchange rate & shipping hitting hard I do not take replacing parts lightly. On this one the rust had badly etched the shaft & handle so as the shooter is such a frontal image of the machine & critical for 'getting the cars off the start line' I figured I would replace. But I appreciate your tip. On your push up rods I trust you are using 'a roller cam & rockers'!!

Finally got back on to the resto this week. Last week we had a massive storm which caused significant damage in the region and power was lost for around 4 days. So resumed to commence work on the head.

SOhd1.jpg

The half moon credit unit was not adding replays & inspection indicated it was pretty gummed up.

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Unit was disassembled & thoroughly cleaned & parts tumbled.

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It was also evident that the credit limiting screw was missing and this was causing the unit to jam between 0 & 1. The unit was reassembled & installed.

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The ball count unit was inspected and was similarly 'gummed'.

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The unit was partly disassembled, cleaned, coil sleeves replaced, rivets cleaned & lubed and reinstalled.

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The F match relay was removed cleaned and a stripped switch retention thread replaced by screw & nut. (That spring looks weird!)

SOhd7.jpg

Remaining relays were inspected, cleaned and contact gaps confirmed.

SOhd10.jpg

The game over light was not working & the score reel bulbs tended to flicker quite a bit. These were corrected by soldering the active wire to the rear of the game over lampholder pin & soldering the lampholder bases to the grounding bracket of the score reel bulbs.

All jones plugs were inspected & cleaned using SS wire brushes.

Score reel operation & switches inspected & remarkably all ok.

SOhd8.jpg

Finally the machine was tested & confirmed the head is fully functional.

NEXT - coin door assembly

Thks Dave

On the home stretch now with focus on the coin door. I opted not to purchase a repo door which when exchange rate & shipping is factored would cost over $US150.
The coin door & entrance plate were lightly rusted front & back and had two holes from a lockbar.

SOarr3.jpg

I prepared the front using 400 wet & dry paper and abrasive blasted the rear. I tumbled the remainder of the components (except coin mechs) using Fritz media additive. These are the components after those processes.

SOcoindoor1.jpg

I decided to fill the lockbar holes using SS screws & nuts rather than the A7478 hole plugs.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/151263894054?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

SOcd3.jpg

The door was reassembled & reinstalled on the machine.

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During reinstall I noted the coin door wiring had been hacked by severing the green wire to chute2 & attaching chute two green wire to a blue wire.

SOcd15a.jpg

Also the jones plug green wire had been removed & located at the blue wire point.

SOcd23.jpg

I returned both hacks to the original machine status & rerouted the earth wire the vacant jones plug for connection to the coin door.

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Coin Mech coin mechs were installed and the coin door tested for full functionality including coin lockout.

A coin box was fabricated.

SOcb1.jpg

SOcb2.jpg

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I also fabricated a jig for the coin box coin entry slots for this & future use.

SOcb4.jpg

and installed the coin box in machine & tested for functionality

SOcb6.jpg

I will prepare a separate thread covering the coin door assembly in response to a number of earlier threads.

NEXT-completion & transfer to gameroom

Thks for your kind comments Andy & glad the thread is useful for you. Your comments on Spin Out are spot on-I think it is a very under rated game.

I had not realised that 3 was single MikeO & now that you mention it I find it is often the 'missing link'.

Well this is the final post of the resto.
My thanks to Shapeshifter for providing original docs-they are 'the icing on the cake'.

SOdocs1.jpg

and to Pinhead52 for facilitating the mfg certificate.

SOdocs2.jpg

These are the pics prior to transfer to Gameroom.

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SOf3.jpg

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Now on transfer to the Gameroom I found on testing that the roto target was not activated through any pf switch. From the schematic I confirmed relays C, E & G were ok & then moved to score motor 4E & there it was a broken leaf at the solder joint. I replaced the leaf & found that the leaf had been previously broken & 'fixed' by solder joint-unbelievable! The black spot on the pic reflects that fix.

SOf9.jpg

Then on placing the machine in the Gameroom I find the machine contains the wrong legs-271/2 not 31s-damn!!! Temporary blocks in place.

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and finally in position

SOf12.jpg

Thks for your kind comments Dave & jr-much appreciated.

It plays beautifully Dave-fast & responsive. I am a simple person so I like a simple ruleset & this has it-achievable but only occasionally. Andy in post 75 I think has captured really well the essence of this game. I must admit though anything with a race car on the backglass is probably a winner for me and one day I may even trespass to the other side and get a Bally Nitro Ground Shaker.

One thing I have picked up on this resto is that the tolerance on fastening of kick out arms can have a decisive influence on whether the ball is propelled (ball return) and where it goes (centre kickout hole on Spin Out). On my original install the kickout hole sent the ball every time directly through the centre drain & nudging had no influence-it was a pain. I readjusted the fastening and the ball is propelled to the right flipper and that dramatically improves game playability.

My friends would be horrified Ken. I already am in trouble with Spin Out as I & many friends are drag racers from way back & who do not take kindly to the 'herdy/gerdys' (as in circuit racing).

Thks so much goldenboy232-pm sent.

Thks Shapeshifter. I actually got the seven numbers as well as the four letters during testing (no cheating) but only once & not got close since. The ratta-tat-tat of the knocker was just awesome & I have to admit I just love playing this game

Thks Jeremy much appreciated.
I had intended to use an air die grinder within the jig to create the slots but found it quite ineffective. So I used my trusty Makita jigsaw with metal blade in 3 stages.

1. attach jig to precut lid.

SOcb4.jpg

2. drill pilot holes.

SOcba.jpg

3. cut slots using jigsaw.

SOcbb.jpg

I noticed the total play meter had stop functioning so removed the unit from the machine and then the cover by depressing the x2 metal tabs at the rear.

TPM1.jpg

I noted that the polythene skirt which enables ratchet operation upon coil activation had split which disabled tension to the ratchet (pic is of the opposite side).

TPM8.jpg

I repaired this split with araldite but the tension was still inadequate. From a piece of clear polythene (bolt & nut packet) I created a short section doubled over to act as a tension piece.

TPM2.jpg

I then adhered, again by araldite, this piece to the skirt to provide tensioning.

TPM3.jpg

This enabled the play meter to function properly-a fairly simple fix.

In undertaking this fix it became obvious to me just how easy it is to adjust the playmeter to give any count. With a retainer component removed (it just falls out) the reels are able to be adjusted quickly & precisely to what you want.

TPM4.jpg

TPM7.jpg

This highlights caution when placing emphasis on a play meter count when acquiring a machine. Anyhow play meter re-installed in machine & all ok.

TPM5.jpg

Thks for your kind comments Gerry

Araldite is a fast setting two part epoxy

http://www.selleys.com.au/adhesives/household-adhesive/araldite/

Playing a few games today & noticed the 1000pt chime not functioning. Diagnosis:
-L 1000pt relay manually activated scores but no chime;
-swapped lead in wire to 1000pt chime from 100pt to1000pt chime works;
-ran jumper from BR-WH wire on 1000pt chime box through test light to BR-WH on 1000pt relay switch all good;
-ran jumper from connecting wire between outside right 1000pt switch to middle switch (which connects with BR-WH from chime box) NO continuity;
-reflowed solder joint - fixed.
Another example of just because it looks ok it does not mean 'connection' is made.