Thanks jwo825, that link reminds me that anything is possible when it comes to fixing these aesthetics.

Blownfuse, that seems like some valuable info thank you!

Hello again, everyone. Thanks again for the extremely helpful advice when I started this thread. Since then, I've literally sifted through and digested nearly every internet article or video I can find on the HH over the past few months. I even bought This Old Pinball on DVD to get in the spirit and know even more about bulletproofing the game before making my purchase. I know a lot about the game now, but the last piece to my experience puzzle is to get my hands dirty working on one, and of course making a deal. I've had a few HH games for sale thrown my way since looking, and they just didn't work out. Either they sold before I could pounce on them, too far away, or they were fully overhauled and too expensive for me in one lump sum.

One deal recently came to me over the past few days that I am interested in and the location is only a few hours away. The game was used in an arcade in the early 80's, then sold to a family in the late 80's for the kids to use and it just sat wrapped in blankets in a climate controlled basement since then. It apparently got very little use once in the family's hands. The kids of the house are all grown now and they want to sell old items in their parent's home no longer being used. The sale price is $1,000 USD firm, since they feel it's fair based on what they researched of the game. I tried to get it lower, but they were set at $1k.

- The game is all original and as you can imagine everything is kinda dirty, rubbers are oxidized and cracking, and it is like a time capsule from the 80's.

- The game lights all work and the soundboard appears to work fine as well

- The PF's are decent. The main PF has just a few dings here and there but not that bad, the attic is actually really good besides the ball drop area is to the wood, and the cellar has the typical two bare wood spots where the ball drops.

- The backglass is original and looks perfect.

- The cabinet is in decent shape and doesn't appear to have any major dents, rust or mold issues.

- The only problem reported to me is that the displays are not working

The catch is, the people selling the game know nothing about it, and it doesn't come with keys. The coin door is open but not the backbox. I'll have to drill that open. So I can't see if the boards are corroded, and I can't rely on the seller being a pin-guy who may know the fine details about the machine. It's sort of a blind deal in some respects. But it all seems decent for the price and I LOVE the story of it being frozen in time untouched in a family's home where I can carry on the lineage of the game. I know being untouched means no mods and no new parts so thats a risk too.

My original goal was to eventually have a collectors quality HH restored top to bottom. But after looking at a few dinged up, I'm slowly starting to appreciate the patina and character that comes with a game that is fully reliable but shows it's age and the story behind it.

I can either purchase the game, clean it up, throw an all-in-one board in it and refresh a few parts leaving it mostly as is. I could also buy this for $1k, take it to TNT Amusements when I save more money and have them overhaul for $1500 getting it to near CQ for a $2500 total investment. Or I could pass and remain patient.

Thoughts? Here are some photos of the game in question.

IMAG3676.jpgIMAG3677.jpgIMAG3678.jpgIMAG3686.jpgIMAG3688.jpgIMAG3690.jpgIMAG3691.jpgIMAG3693.jpgIMAG3694.jpgIMAG3697.jpgIMAG3700.jpgIMAG3701.jpgIMAG3703.jpgIMAG3705.jpgIMAG3707.jpgIMAG3708.jpgIMAG3710.jpgIMAG3712.jpgIMAG3714.jpgIMAG3720.jpgIMAG3721.jpgIMAG3722.jpgIMG_0197.jpg

Thanks guys! Once again, I really appreciate the feedback and opinions. I'm going to buy it. When the deal is made, and I get it home, I'll take some photos and share the restoration process with the Pinsiders.

I'm going to get it in my hands and feel it out a little to decide if...

A.) I like the patina and character of a game that is used lightly like this, and will just upgrade rubbers, bulbs, flippers and boards leaving the cabinet and PF's alone. A part of me is thinking it might look cool with the slight dings/marks in the PF's making it look and feel more like a true old Haunted Mansion, which are old crumbly buildings and not crisp or clean.

B.) Wipe the PF's down, invest a little into it initially to get the displays running, have some fun playing it and save my money to have TNT overhaul it. My original goal was to have collector's quality version with fully restored PF's.

C.) Handle all of the restore myself (besides the PF paint) and hope it doesn't turn into a long hard road due to my little experience. I was once trained in electronics and soldering, but it's been years, and I have no real experience repairing pins, but I know through hard work and research I'll get it done. I will learn a lot along the way.

Thanks again!

Thanks Radium. I'll definitely be reaching out when I begin my journey bringing her back to life. Your advice and pics will serve to be invaluable.

Quick question, in regards to cleaners and wax. Any brands you guys recommend for this particular game? I was on the typical parts sites (marco, pbr) and seen the choices, but some of them do specify certain brands for certain games. Any opinion for this system 80?

Yeah, I like TNT's work based on their videos, and they've done about 30+ HH restorations. I just like the thought of getting the machine scrubbed down and reworked from literally top to bottom, and like Ronnie said, anything from there would be maintenance effort rather than a restoration.

I'm going to probably start a new thread for this, and will check to see that one doesn't exist already, but I'm curious what Pinsiders would say would be good for me to fix myself in the meantime so I can enjoy the game until I get it overhauled (rubbers, cleaned, waxed, mylar for wear spots, etc.) I don't want to sink too much into it if I'm eventually going to pay to have it fixed.

Thanks again.

I feel good about it and excited to get it home and start raising it from the dead. Now I just have to decide which direction to go...

I'm going to start another thread seeking advice on what would others do to minimally get this healthy enough to play, without getting too invested financially if I'm eventually going to take it to TNT for a full overhaul. Not sure if I'm 100% going to do that, but it is an option I'm weighing.

I may even do it as much as I can myself, and spend the $1500 overhaul funds on a Black Hole

Nice Donjagra, seeing that all lit up gets me excited to see this thing in attract mode waiting for someone to come it a go. Was already thinking of hosting a Halloween Party this year and now having the HH front and center for guests to enjoy.

That's going to be the immediate plan. Get it working for enjoyment now and make some big decisions later.

Any particular cleaner and wax you use on your HH? And being that mine has some 25 years of dirt on it along with some never treated scratches, is there a certain brand to use with that in mind?

Thank you to everyone who has helped me throughout this thread. I ended up buying the game for $1k and picked it up yesterday! Pictures below with lock bar and glass off... It feels so good walking into the room and seeing this thing sitting there. I've been researching the game and market every single day for months, and to finally have one in my possession, that I am the owner of feels great. This is my first game, I am just now soaking it all in, assessing everything, writing down parts needed, taking pictures and developing my game plan to a clean and bulletproof game.

As a new member of the pin community and hobby, I will say that I am blown away by the support and willingness of everyone to help. I am really excited to begin this journey, especially with one of the baddest and most complex games there is to maintain and restore. I'm going to learn a lot.

I still am considering having this fully overhauled by TNT Amusements one day, because I do want a CQ edition of this childhood favorite of mine. But right now, I can't afford to drop $1500 on that, and the current plan is to just do it myself, even though I'm a complete newbie. I think i'll learn so much and have a better understanding and appreciation for the game if I personally brought it back to life.

My plan is to start a HH Restoration thread charting the developments of my restore and to ask questions along the way.

Again, I truly appreciate all of your advice and help.

Dave
IMG_2308.JPG
IMG_2307.JPG