I got this EM for free, and it has been a challenge to get it going, as this is my first EM I have really worked on. I FINALLY got everything working the way it is supposed to (most of the time..lol). Part of what needed to be fixed was a bad flipper. Since I got the machine for free and it is in decent shape, I really didn't mind sinking some cash into it and ordered a complete flipper rebuild kit with new flipper bats.

The machine currently doesn't have much of an incline to it, and it still seems like the flippers should be a little stronger. Nothing is binding up, but if I increase the angle of the playfield, I am afraid the flippers will struggle to kick the ball back up to the top. Anything I can do to help with this?

Pardon my ignorance.. are the flipper bushings the collar that goes through the playfield?

Thanks! Yes, they were replaced. I rebuilt the entire flipper assembly, including replacing the solenoids. I guess my next step will be to play around with the EOS switches to see if that helps.

Also, is there a suggested angle the playfield should be at for EM machines? Is it just a "best guess estimate" or play around with it until the ball barely makes it back to the top?

Like I said, this is my first EM here at home (I gave one to my mom for their vacation home a few years back), and I have another EM I have started to work on because I got it for free as well. (2 free EMs in one month)

Speaking of my other machine.. I started with the Gulfstream because it is in pretty nice condition, minor flaking on the backglass where the lamps are, but still nice. My Lucky Ace, on the other hand.. while the cab is solid and the backglass is mint, the PF is wore pretty bad in a few spots. I may be able to touch it up in the solid paint area, but some of the "detail" areas is well beyond my abilities. What would you do? Fix it mechanically and play it until there isn't any paint left on the PF? Touch up what you can and then wax and go? Just sell it to someone that will restore the PF? I got it for free, so I'm not opposed to sinking a little money and elbow grease into it (I already started doing a bit of work on it)...

Here are a few pics of the playfield damage to the Lucky Ace. These are cell pics, prior to me cleaning the PF.. sorry about the quality of the images. I figure the blacks, purples, orange and white could be color matched and touched up. But the card images and any typeface printing would have to be skipped.

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I used the return springs supplied with the kit.. I am hoping they aren't wound too tight. Can you adjust springs like that?

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I wasn't able to get at the machine last evening, kids felt they needed my attention every waking second..lol. Hope to go and check the EOS gaps and make sure the pads are nice and clean. I did replace the solenoids/sleeves with the quoted replacements from Marcos. Like I said, I got the game for free, so when I did the flipper rebuild, I did a WHOLE rebuild.. the original issue was one of the coils wasn't firing, so I replaced them both so the flipper force would be equal.

@ AlexF - Let me know, this machine was free as well, so sinking a little cash into it to improve the playfield and keep her going is OK with me. If I could get scans of the cards to get water decals made, that would be awesome! The cards are the only thing really keeping me from retouching the PF.

@ Bonzo71 - Wow, that is really cool! Same playfiled, but yours is a 4 player game. I have seen different names on the same machines (I have a Gulfstream, but someone locally was selling a Tropical Fun), but I have never seen the same playfield on a machine where they changed the number of players. (I'm still very new to this)

@EM-PINMAN - WOWSERS! Now that turned out gorgeous. My PF just needs a little touchup (very minor, and something I am going to attempt) and it will look alomost as nice as yours. My only gripe is the flaking on my backglass. It's not bad, but there is discoloration and dime-size flaking directly over the bulbs, so they shine through. For now, I swapped out the backglass bulbs with warm frosted LEDs to prevent further damage and mask the bulbs a little, but I would love to find a backglass as nice as yours or figure out a way to touch mine up.

I would love to find a new backglass for it. The flaking bothers me, but I have a feeling the Gulfstream will be short-lived in my home collection. I really only have room for 4 pins here, so I will probably be upgrading in the new future. Don't worry, I'm not selling it, my spare EM pinballs eventually will be making their way to my family's vacation home in Door County, WI. I have been putting a gameroom together up there, and my mom has been begging me for a few more EM pinballs.

I did get a chance to open up the machine and check the flippers. I filed the limit switches (I use 2000 grit sandpaper) to clean them up, and they seem to have a little more spunk now. I also adjusted the limit switches to about 1/8" gap when fully extended. Also placed an inclinometer on the playfield and adjusted it to 5 degrees. Game is playing pretty fun and aggressive now. Thanks for everyone's help!

All I have left to do now is decide if I am going to try any touch-up on this PF (very light amount of work here), and re-wax the playfield a little (When I started this, I thought I was supposed to use millwax. I have since picked up Carnuba Wax and want to give it a quick coat or two when I get bored..lol).

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Wow, sweet, I didn't even know they made something like this. Looks like I will have to order an assortment the next time I place an order with PBL. Thanks for all of the good info everyone!

Thanks, I was really suprised with the condition of the playfield when I got the machine. I had gotten 2 free EMs in a 2 week span, and Gulfstream moved to the front of the line quickly based on the PF condition alone. Now if I could just find an affordable backglass... Guess I'll just have to keep my eyes open for one..