Four Million B.C.
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Starting out just gutting the game for the parts I need to get in order first and foremost.
That will be the cabinet and playfield.
I wont say too much about conditions at this point because it will be better to focus on that when I am restoring the actual part itself.
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Quoted from Mbecker:What does "cautiously" removing the head paint mean? Are there extra precautions you use to keep possible lead dust down? (Or dies festool virtually eliminate all dust?)
Long sleeves,long pants rubber gloves,dust mask and yes the Festool definitely helps.
I went over to my warehouse and gutted another game I had for the lower.
This was a german version and while it adds to the workload a bit it is really more practical and will provide a better platform for this level of restoration.
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Skim coating and dealing with the worst areas first. This lower is overall solid front to back it is only the rear that is chipped badly at the legs and very grainy.
I use a higher grade of filler that is made for anything up to carbon fiber because it is very hard and strong and since it will bond well to carbon fiber wood is no problem.
There is not a lot of effort or ability to get the skim coat down neatly because it is a large area and you have to move fast before the filler starts to kick off.
The sanding procedure will but the most important part of getting it straight.
Holes are opened back up.
I like to just wrap a little sand paper around a dowel and do a slight bevel until I see wood again.
That way I know leg bolts will not easily chip it out at anytime in the future.
It is still basically just roughed in at this point and will finesse more as I go.
Quoted from ForceFlow:What is the material you're using to "skim coat"...Bondo or something else?
I like Half Time.To really skim adding a little lacquer thinner to the mix will make it soupier.
Quoted from RobertWinter:From what I recall from my auto body repair days in college, it's a light misting of paint, usually black, over the primer. Once you sand the guide coat off it reveals any imperfections.
"GUIDE COAT is designed to give the auto body refinish technician a visual guide to a smooth surface when sanding most primer surfaces and body fillers. It helps detect low spots, sand scratches or other minor imperfections in the repair."
Great description.
Quoted from DerGoetz:How will you match colors? If you scan what you have right now you will scan patina. Or do you have manufacturer color chips? Or are there official color codes?
I do this by eye and mix my own paint when needed.
There is definitely a story behind this games restoration.
It isn't my story to tell other than the restoration process itself but perhaps the owner will chime in with that background story if he wishes to share it.
From my own perspective I enjoy restoring just about anything and can approach it from a number of different angles so that will be the highlight for me.Different games,different needs,different types of processes at times leading to the same end results.
Quoted from Whysnow:I would love to hear the story if the owner is willing!
Any game getting this level of restore deserves a background story
The owner provided me with this backstory to paste here. He prefers to remain anonymous .
In the mid-1970’s my teen-age cousin had a Four Million BC pinball. Every time my family visited my brother and I made a mad dash past the relatives to the game. We competed for what seemed like hours. When my cousin went off to college he came home one break to find that his father had sold the game. He never shared with me how he felt about it, but I can only imagine. Speed up time – after an evening out celebrating his 40th birthday my cousin arrived home to find his original game in his basement (his hand-written rules card was still in the cabinet). As it turns out, his brother had tracked down the buyer and bought it back.
I have been talking for some time with Christopher about having a Four Million BC restored for my 50th birthday. Then, at a family function my cousin and I were discussing pinball and my sizable collection (mostly B/W 1980-90’s games and many restored by HEP) when he offered to gift me his Four Million BC. His only caveat was that it remain in the family. So now, I am having the exact game that grabbed me as a child restored by the master himself.
I am very glad to see the level of interest in this restoration. Happy Holidays to all of you
Since the leading back edge is primarily filler and games are so often stood up and transported on their backs I will bevel it for better durability.
This allows it to roll or pivot just a bit with no sharp edges to catch and like the leg bolt holes gets it back to natural wood as much as possible without ruining cosmetics.
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Ready to mask and prime lower.
The interior floor is the darker brown masonite like material so sanding is not advised.
What I will do is clean up as well as possible then refinish in that brown shade the lone area that needs it which is the cash box area.
Otherwise the floor is pretty much completely covered one the lower mechanical assembly us back in place.
To give a little more strength to the rear cabinet I will change out the 45s there in favor of one solid peice
On this era cabinet with this type of floor and construction it seems to be the location that is most often falling out or seperating.
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Removed the coin box framing and was able to get the floor looking respectable.
I will leave that out until after the cab is painted because that taller side can be tougher to spray around and my plan is to paint the sides in the typical HEP style.
It is not that I couldn't duplicate this pattern just that I dont prefer it unless requested because the inside is stained in places.
Quoted from j_m_:chris,
could you bead blast the inside of that masonite on a really, really low pressure to try and clean it up, would would that still be too abrasive?
That might be possible with a super soft media and a open style blaster but my blaster is a cabinet based model.
I was able to gently sand vacuum and blow it out with good results though.It was more robust than I anticipated.
Quoted from j_m_:chris,
do you use different colored primers based on the base color that the cabinet gets painted?
No I always use the Buff/beige color because it is the closest shade to natural wood.
That said if I know a color will be problematic in terms of coverage then I will lay down a ground coat of easy covering base color to make the needed colors cover quicker and easier.
For example red or yellow do not cover easily over a black base so if I were stenciling a black based cab with red or yellow (Vector comes to mind) then I would dust a light coat of white down first while I stencil to speed coverage and keep build up to a minimum.
Quoted from tezting:Excellent.
Might be a stupid question, but how do you match colors so well?
By eye and continually tinting until it is whete I want it to be.
Here is a picture of the graduation process. Start light and go dark is better than trying to lighten a color.
Lower unmasked.
Pretty happy with it overall but hope this guy pops a bit more once cleared.
The colors used for him are much more vivid in the cab but it can be hard to tell in this base form without clear.
If not I will tweak it manually kater in the process .
Cleared in three coats of full gloss for now.
I will let that set then sand it in full and tweak it a bit more.
The only real change I can see right now will be rhat darkest dinosaur. It matches tje backglass version well but looks a bit out of place on the lower because it seems so dark compared to tje rest.
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Quoted from Bryan_Kelly:Maybe it's just me, but I think this would have looked fantastic if the original colors had been kept. It's such a fun looking cabinet. Completely different then most any other game. The original greens would have really popped with the clear.
Biege is just....well....biege.
Yeah I like the thought of doing it original style too.I always gravitate to that because it is much safer and easier but I also like to change it up so as long as it meets the owners vision and request I am happy.
I do think there are some color choices to be tweaked and details to be added that will help pull it all together in the end as an assembly not just a blank cabinet.
This is what gets lost sometimes with the individual pics of the process unfolding... the game as a total package and the steps that lead up to that are just that until it is finished.
Yes I am definitely changing the color scheme on the triceratops. I really knew that before clearing but wanted to give it the benefit of the clear but honestly the problem is it just became too busy in an effort ro better mimic the backglass .The scheme will remain the same in general but with a minor change here and there to simplify it.
Quoted from dmbjunky:I now understand why you prefer new cabs, Chris. That was a lot of prep to get the cab ready to paint. Looks great though.
I often wonder about making a metal under cab strip for the edges to keep them from getting tore up in transport. Put in a couple of flat head screws to hold it in place. Seems like a good idea to me.
Thanks.I only put lipstick on the pigs when I have no other choice 
Honestly this was a good solid cab for what it is and some of the details of this cabinet would be painful to try and copy on a one off.
I typically do a clean bevel on all bottom edges to eliminate the possibility of chipping in the future but it can be hard to control how the game gets handled over the years once complete.No doubt this game will be well cared for once it leaves because it is a rare case where I can personally hand it off to the owner.
Quoted from xTheBlackKnightx:I am meritful of Mr. Hibler's work and documentation as a collector and restorer, predominantly as a benefit for others
Chris Hibler is a great resource for board repair and knowledge.
HEP = High End Pins =Christopher Hutchins
You are confusing people and services.
I have been documenting what I do daily for about 12 years long before Pinside was so popular right here
http://christopherhutchins.com/gallery/albums.php
Yes I am a busy guy.
Start the day off working on myself.20161207_085844 (resized).jpg
Just finished a proto BSD yesterday.14812005644631587542080 (resized).jpg
Been working on this CFTBL with its own playfield needs. 20161118_133817 (resized).jpg20161118_135813 (resized).jpg20161129_150459 (resized).jpg
Then there is this HUO TZ I am wrapping up.14812006749921940379639 (resized).jpg
Plus my wife has turned the house into a Christmas war zone 1481201804935-2005451734 (resized).jpg1481201951493-57495189 (resized).jpg1481201970775-423652034 (resized).jpg
And I get tired like anyone else. 20161202_204856 (resized).jpg
Hope to put a real update in here shortly just waiting on some more stencils.
Stencils are in hand and I have the cabinet prepped for round two.
The reason I normally stencil twice is the first session is meant to map it out.
The second session is meant to perfect it.
When leveling the first session out in order to get ready for the second colors that overlap often break through.1481297294961-1049423756 (resized).jpg
Head changes are made. It is really just a matter of simplifying the scheme.
They had a 3 color process and this got too busy with 9 or so colors.
I am now comfortably at 5.
Anytime you do something that is not the original scheme it is a bit more of process sincr you lose the luxury of just copying and move to creating.
Quoted from docquest:Do you strip off the clear for the second paint job or just go over it?
I sand it smooth and go over it. It is actually part of the building and flattening process so anywhere you break through it you start losing paint in terms of sanding.
Quoted from j_m_:looks great chris
I think that going back and simplifying the color scheme was a step in the right direction. now, you have a pair of green and a pair of gray dino's
Thanks. Got the other side done.Neeed to two tone the face of the neck still. . Will get it tightened up and do the fonal clear tomorrow.
Mocked up.
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In addition to reworking the apron prior to starting the playfield portion I will be going through the main cabinet assemblies as I build the cab back up.
On EMs I dont wash everything nor gut it as a whole. That is a fine approach on newer games but the cloth wiring,other less robust assembly items make that less than ideal and then there are the numerous fine adjustment needed upon reassembly so the approach now becomes more of a needs verses wants to start with.
I do want to gut and clean and rebuild everything for cosmetics sakes but I will likely regret that so to start lets do what we see is truly needed then take it from there.
Starting here I can see obvious universal things that need attention.
Using lighter pressure compressed air I have gently blown it off as clean as possible and start there.
First thing I think is to replace the fuse holders with more durable versions.
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Grounded cord roughed in place I have tied a stitch of braid to the cord ground because I plan on grounding the cabinet essentials like the switch ,door frame and lockbar reciever which should in turn ground the lockbar and rail assembly reducing the probability of being shocked at least playing the game.
Quoted from NYP:Just a quick heads up in case these pins are shorted.....
Thanks. I probably did that fishing the cord through.
Plan on cleaning all the contacts today.
Finished the preliminary going through of the lower panel and loosely placed it in the lower cab.
Added some ground inside the cab to what I considered the essential parts the user comes in contact with.
Front legs,power switch coindoor frame ,shooter housing and a map that should ground the rails and bar once placed.
Quoted from dtowndobe:New cabinet looks spectacular! Love the color scheme. Makes the original look like a 3rd grade art project!!!
I do feel, however, the backglass is now "out of place". Doesn't match, overall, in my eyes. Probably the burlap artwork.
Fantastic job nonetheless!
Thanks for the feedback.
I don't know how set in stone the framing of the head color is with the owner.He requested that specifically but I can easily change it without a total repaint of the head if a better idea pops up and ends up being needed.
I wouldn't even consider it yet until I see the whole package assembled though because it might look one way now with no playfield,coin door,or legs on and then those parts being placed might be what pulls it all together a bit more.
The burlap didn't really match anything before so it isn't likely to work with much else we have to accent the frame with unless we would have went with a golden yellow or brown so the idea is to tie in with other colors that are present on the glass.The factory did that by gravitating to the greens we are gravitating towards the grays in an effort to get away from that.
Quoted from PinballPimp:Looks AWESOME Chris! I love seeing people be CREATIVE with my stencils!
Thanks Jeff.
The stencils are great.
Quoted from LTG:I really like this one. A good balance between restoration and art.
LTG : )
Glad to hear it Lloyd.
Definitely something different around here.
I had placed the wrong backglass in the game initially.
Turns out the one that I have installed now is much more vivid than the other.
The one placed at first looks a bit washed out.The triceratops looks greener less brown .
The one previously placed is on the left .
Underside teardown complete.
I installed a small bracket to steady and flatten the "ramp" which is actually still a part of the playfield and potentially very fragile.
Would be hard to work this later with the sander and polisher if not completely flat and well secured.
I csn also feel a little more comfortable pulling on these wireguides.
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Playfield stripped topside
Has two Mylar patches I dread removing.
Some splintering at the edges I need to secure and also babysit through the entire process because if the ,air,sander,my hand or the buffer catch them just right ot will get ugly real fast.
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Mylar removed and I am cleaning the playfield as well as possible.
It is extremely fragile in many spots if you even wipe across it with a towel it, flakes. so I can di little for it right now.
There is a uniform ground in ball swirl on the entire surface that will always be present.
The only way to eliminate it would be to repaint the entire playfield and that isnt really my thing.
I plan on roughly touching up the bare spots for now and getting a coat of clear on it so I can work with it moving forward without further damaging it in the process.
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Quoted from bam10:Looks really good. When you have a playfield that is flaking like that how much sanding do you do before clearing? If just wiping it was flaking the paint im sure a sander would make a mess.
Just sand aggressively the bare wood then lightly scotchbrite the rest on something like this.
Quoted from flynnibus:Aw man... I was really hoping to see some magic. This type of discoloration and staining is more what I see from these and I was curious how far you'd go to repaint those areas. This period where we have much more than line art... but not full playfield protection typically.
Yes think of me as a Dr working on an older more fragile person... My first move is to patch him up and stabilize the patient.We know he is never going to be 20 years old again so we have to be realistic. 
Honestly even I don't know at this point how far I will take it but my experience in the past with these types of playfields is that if you take the age out of some spots by completely repainting those sections but can't properly do others it is a mistake and usually looks worse than the minimal approach because the repainted areas stand out and don't flow with the non repainted areas .That is why I am going for a convincing flow on this as a total package above all else.
The first order of business is the needs and we go from there.
Playfield is sanded and some repairs are being made.
Mostly just filling the holes here and there in an effort to tighten them up because I noticed there were toothpicks shoved in many at teardown.
Not looking to fill them entirely or lose them just tighten them for better screw and wireform anchoring.
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Repairs made.
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Prepped for whatever is next which I think at this point is going to be a very mild freshening up of the natural wood just to turn the ground in dirt down a lttle.That ground in dirt is better camouflaged in the art but in the wood it just looks like dirt.
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Other than that probably a good time to catch the insert borders and any other obvious things.
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Quoted from Lonzo:Just curious at this point in the restore, are you wet sanding or dry sanding?
I always dry sand anything that is wood.
This is typically done by machine even in the final sanding and polishing phases with sanders and papers made especially for that purpose.I prefer machined finishes because the patterns are finer than can be achieved by hand.
Water sanding is best used on metal parts (cars, pinball trim etc)if that type of sanding is preferred. There was a time when it achieved the best final finish but refinish technology has evolved past that now.
Quoted from meSz:Are we still in commercial break?
Yes kind of. Very busy with a move of my commercial location.
Heading back to a new spot in my old location.
Finishing up the playfield repaints today.
Been hard to document with the move and some other things I had going on but we are settling back into normal this week finally.
I have only airbrushed what I absolutely had to because I want it to look as convincing and authentic as possible.As a result some things might look a bit less than 100% but should show well once assembly is complete.
Quoted from SteveinTexas:Wow, Why do all this work if you don't fix the inserts. Are you saying the game had dished inserts when new?
Seriously, what am I missing?
These are not severe at all only minor.I have fixed them but won't be over correcting.
Many purist and EM collectors prefer the playfields not to be solid flat sheets of glass because it alters the character and game play.
I get playfields in where that is requested and do it but I wouldn't do it to this game because I want it to be a good total package in both looks and play.
Playfield was cleared yesterday and after overnight drying it looks like it will need one more,session to finish filling in the insert gaps.
Not worrying about making them truly flat as noted earlier just sealing and filling the voids between the lens and wood as these can take some work to close,up.
Quoted from Jjsmooth:What brand Bondo do you use?
Depends on what I am working on or straightening but for cabinets I like a product called Half-time.
Quoted from j_m_:while many of you guys think chris is good, I don't think that he compares to the son of god!
That is my next project but I keep putting it off. Looks pretty tough
Quoted from Whysnow:this?
amazon.com link »
Yes but in the tins not the tube.Tube is probably more runny and better suited for smaller glazing putty type repairs.
Quoted from PeterG:Just wondering, did you leave the fire 'decals' on and painted the rest? Did that not result in different colors? That must have been some masking to get that right? Finalized with a clear?
Fire is screened direct to wood so no decals but I saved the original art portions and worked the base color.
In general it is a color change with more details to be added as it progresses.Right now it is at a point where the cabinet has been repaired ,primed,based in black for that color change and then cleared to start eliminating edges.
It will be sanded entirely then further worked from here .
Quoted from Jjsmooth:Does the Half Time product clog sandpaper like Bondo?
Not in my experience.
Quoted from docquest:Looks great! How do you get perfect insert masks? Computer cut? Steady hand?
I do everything manually by hand with a razor blade.
No exacto ,no computer nothing fancy.
Using the same technique on this Fire cab which has been tough.
Unmasked and ready for the final clear.
I could spend the next month repainting things on it if I were looking to make it look more like something that is brand new but that isn't what I want to do on this case so I think it is at a good spot pending clear and evaluation of course.
Quoted from RVH:Have you tried a swivel bladed exacto?
Yes I use those for cutting out flames but I have a really good comfort level and control of the standard razor blade.
Quoted from RVH:Fire cabinet looks great in black!!!
Thanks.
I did a dithered fade in the lettering and many repaints to get this point.I wish I would have done a thread on it.
Quoted from RVH:Oh Fuck that Fire cabinet looks awesome with clear coat in black!!!
Edit: sorry for the bad language there was a tear in my eye when I posted that.
Thanks. I am about to black it out one more time and clear it again. Along with my dirt bike restore frame .
Then I will clear it in a minute along with the 4mbc playfield .I mix my projects together by processes more than the individual restorations.
Playfield is polished. Polished to a slightly lower gloss leve than I would normally do but clear is always going to add a bit of depth and gloss.
I was able to salvage the natural wood on the "ramp" so it should look pretty nice once assembled.
The needed wood tone repainted still show some natural muted grain including the Lane so that was a fair compromise considering how bad those areas were in the beginning.
I have new post but as usual some sources of the aftermarket parts continues to disappoint.
The first are what I need to replace.
Naturally I just order the two sizes I need from the same source in the same color. Sounds easy right?
Guess not.
I end up with two different whites I actually think the shorter is more of a light grey.
The best solution for the plastic post issue is shaving the taller ones down as needed to make shorter ones.
I will probably find a use for the shorter ones on a future project where they won't be limited by matching the taller ones.
The playfield parts that were badly rusted or corroded have been nickel plated.
Quoted from dasvis:Who does your nickel plating?
That is done locally as are most of our plating needs. It is a mom and pop type place that we have been using for about 10years. I would name it but they are not mail order nor pinball oriented so it would probably do more harm for them than good.
Quoted from Mitch:Couldnt you get the posts from pinball resource? i hear they are alot better quality there.
I don't doubt it but all sources have good and bad parts so it can be hit and miss regardless of where you shop unfortunately.
Not sure if the PBR version would be any different but what I see in those post are that the taller version is pretty much perfect and looks older the shorter version is newer so it is probably a matter of two different runs.
Problem was easily corrected but the lack of consistency in almost all parts is frustrating at times.
New glass.
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Frame and rails were regrained. It was tedious but really the only option.
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Other parts of the frame were nickel plated.
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The seals were soaked in bleach and washed. They are yellowed from age but should be hidden once in place.
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Quoted from Whysnow:love these threads!
How the heck are you able to mask off so close and change the background color on an apron?
so impressed!
Thanks. No secrets. This is how I do it.
Quoted from orangestorm87:So tell me the clear flipper buttons light up green, right?
Something I have been thinking of doing to mine.
No that could easily be done though but I honestly just picked those because they worked well with the scheme.
Same thing with this newer generation shooter rod.
Once placed it just looked right to me.
I kind of like subtle changes too that can be easy tweaked later if desired.
Quoted from Whysnow:so just frisket and a blade?
I like masking tape because it sticks better and holds up to automotive paints and clears but you can see through frisket and that does seem to work okay with latex or oil based paints.
As noted in the Fire post.
HEP gallery is coming back to life
Here is the much delayed and still not fully organized 4MBC album
http://christopherhutchins.com/gallery/album688
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Matthews, NC