Clay Harrell - the master of EM restorations and repair - suggests Krylon Ivory.

Here's what he says:

Use Krylon "Antique White" if you are doing a partial cabinet repaint (like the front of the cabinet) to match a yellowed cabinet finish. Works great on Gottlieb wedgeheads. If doing a complete cabinet repaint, Krylon "Ivory" is probably a better choice (it's less yellow looking).

And here's the link to the whole document:

http://www.pinrepair.com/restore/index1.htm#repaint

Well, in that case I join you in being interested in what others have to say. Because I'll be painting a Jacks Open very soon.

You might consider having this moved to the EM section. They know everything about everything over there when it comes to EMs.

I was just told that the big boys doing these restorations use heirloom white. Just picked up a can. I'll report back with some pictures as well as posts in my restoration thread. Hang tight, and let me know if you find anything in the meantime.

Did you use flat or semi-gloss? Or flat for the white and semi for the colors?

And that was a beautiful Centigrade 37 - I played it and enjoyed the hell out of it!

Tearing down my Jacks Open this week. I did notice that where the paint is scratched it's MUCH whiter underneath, so I'm thinking the heirloom white is spot on. I'll post A/B pics on my thread and here if I remember.

Before sanding the cabinet of my Jacks Open, I checked on the color so that you could get a definitive answer on your OP. I sprayed some Rustoleum 2x Heirloom White (satin) on a bare piece of wood and let it dry. I then held it up against various spots that had been protected by large parts for nearly 40 years, so there was no fading or discoloration. I took pictures in sunlight and in shade. I think you can see that the match is nearly spot on, so that's the color I'm going with.

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That works as well. But who the hell wants to pay for automotive paint on an EM? I barely wanted to pay for it when I did an $8000 game.

But, uh...that game is beautiful, man.

Oh...I also wanted to add that I found it really interesting that depending on the light and viewing angle, the heirloom white sometimes looked more white, and sometimes more almond...just like the original paint did.

I am! I'll post pictures when it's all done.

I think I saw in a playfield restoration thread (Vid's?) that it will yellow with time, though.

Here's my Jacks Open cabinet painted with Heirloom White. It looks plenty white in this picture, but sometimes it has more of an ivory look. It all depends on the lighting. IMO, anything more white would look a little unnatural.

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Let me reiterate: I could take a picture through the garage door while standing in the driveway, and it would look more ivory. That's the strange thing about this color - it really looks different in different lighting. But overall, it's not too white, and that's what I like about it. (And I think it'll look more white when the black and white are on there as a contrast.)

...which is freakin' awesome.

I don't level it out. I think that's overkill, but have found putting down clear over the top as a last step helps even it out. I think anyone that sands their stenciled art is playing with fire.

I'd also Wait more than a few days before putting down a second color. You could get wrinkling in the layers. I wait two weeks to stay safe... I learned the hard way

I suppose you can do all that. I just don't think it adds value to the machine...but that IS a personal opinion/preference, and you can get 100 other opinions on the matter. I do like the look of a freshly restored machine, but I can't stand the guys that run their hands over the machine and say "I can feel the paint!" Um...yeah...paint--however thinly applied--still has depth. So if you WANT to feel it, you'll feel it. I'm doing a resto for a guy and thank God he's not like that. It takes long enough to do what I'm doing; I'd charge double if I was doing what you're doing.

But you have high standards, and that's awesome! So keep up the good work.

Yep. Gottliebs get speckled or webbed, depending on the game/era. That looks like a speckle job. That's a whole other animal. I use the HVLP sprayer, but there's a whole thread or two on different ways to apply it.

That interior webbing is factory? Factory is usually a little less thick or obvious. I actually think yours looks better.