(Topic ID: 225828)

Hot Line Restoration

By TopMoose

5 years ago


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  • 33 posts
  • 6 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 4 years ago by TopMoose
  • Topic is favorited by 3 Pinsiders

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#1 5 years ago

About 10 months ago I responded to a Craigslist ad about a "fishing themed pinball game" and a few hours later I was hauling a 1966 Hot Line home in the back of my Yaris.

(A quick side note: the seller, outside Columbus, Ohio, claimed that the game's original owner was Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's Hamburger's. He said that he got it in trade for some electrical work from a guy who got it in trade for some plumbing work for Dave Thomas back in the 90's. Geographically, this checks out because Dave Thomas is from Columbus and set up his HQ there. But, of course, there's no way to substantiate any part of the story.)

The back glass is near-flawless and worth more than half of what I paid for the whole machine and, after two weeks of tinkering, the game works beautifully. Pops are snappy, bells are ringing and the score reels chatter away like crazy. A white Glow Ball really makes the game play fast and furious. The cabinet was obviously re-painted at some point, but they did an okay job, even re-applying the stencils (upside down on the backbox) and adding some speckle with a contrasting blue color.

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The play field is in surprisingly good shape - good enough to make me think the game was never routed. The colors are bright, but dirty. It suffers from some ball swirl (most noticeable in the whites and yellows) and some paint flaking along the edges of the play field. The keylines around the inserts could also use some touch-up and the shooter lane is worn out.

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So I've decided that it's time for this game to get a makeover. I'm starting this topic not only to show off my progress but to archive the disassembly and make the final re-assembly easier. Enjoy!

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#2 5 years ago

Step 1 will be taking apart the playfield, stripping it down to a flat surface.

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That's everything I can get off the top. Next, removing all the stuff on the bottom that pokes through.

#3 5 years ago

At this point in the process I'm keeping a running list of replacement parts I'll need for the re-build. Add one pop bumper metal thingy to the list!

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Pops, slingshots, flippers, standups, rollovers and kick switches are all cleared away!

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Next, it gets an initial scrub with naphtha to clear off the top layer of grime.

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#4 5 years ago

Time for paint. Matching that teal is nearly impossible.

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#5 5 years ago

I happen to have a few 1" circle decals left over from my last project to start on Hot Line. Insert keylines before...

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...and after.

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Before...

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...and after.

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Before...

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...and after.

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And I'm out of decals with 21 more left to do. Time to take a trip to the copy shop with my last sheet of decal paper.

#6 5 years ago

The decals on the center rollover inserts was a particular challenge. First, I tried cutting a hole in the center of the decal with an x-acto knife, but when I slid it across the board, the decal would stretch and distort. Next, I tried an intact circle decal, but the center well caused the thin film to sag and go wonky. Finally, I bought some .75" washers to fill the wells and was able to slide the decals over the insert beautifully.

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Then, once it was fully dry, I carefully cut around the washer and removed it with a magnet. I'll use the same technique to mask the clearcoat.

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#7 5 years ago

Here's the playfield with touched up paint and black keyline decals complete.

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#8 5 years ago

Time to turn my attention to the cabinet, starting with the easy part: the back box. One of the previous owners took it upon them selves to re-paint the cabinet blue and re-apply the stencils (incorrectly). I've debated a long time about re-doing the blue color scheme, but ultimately, decided that I want to return the cabinet to its original colors.

Blue box:

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Plain box:

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White box:

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The 'frame" of the backbox was originally black, so I've masked it off and sprayed:

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#9 5 years ago

Next are the stencils. I've cut the stencils out of large sheets of mylar with an X-acto knife, tacked them to the sides of the backbox with light spray adhesive and masked the rest with scrap paper. Red first...

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...then blue...

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Then, repeat on the opposite side. The left side turned out better than the right.
Next the mechs go back in. Williams mechs are so much easier to deal with than Gottlieb and their awkward hinge system.

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And I mounted it back on the cabinet for safe keeping. The lower cabinet is a project for another weekend.

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Looks pretty good next to Jet Spin!

#10 5 years ago

Thanks for posting this! Hot Line was introduced the same year I was born and was my first machine in the early 90s I've always regretted selling it. Seeing your restoration of this of one really makes me want another one.

#11 5 years ago

Today I had my first major setback in the project.

Three weekends ago, after being flat-out rejected by seven other local body shops, I visited to my local Maaco to see if they could clearcoat the playfield - the supervisor said no problem and we talked through the procedure. I had questions and they had questions and I left feeling relieved that I finally found some help.

Last weekend I went back, showed some photos and answered their questions about how things should be done. A light initial coat to protect the decals? No problem. washers to mask the rollover inserts? Sounds easy. Initial cleaning with an alcohol-based solvent? The supervisor said it would be no problem and I made an appointment.

Today I showed up at the shop with my playfield and watched the panic grow in the supervisor's eyes when he actually saw the thing in front of him. All the things we talked about were suddenly major concerns and he couldn't guarantee that any of it would go to plan. He couldn't do the light mist coat. He was unsure about the washers staying in place. He had doubts about the solvent. "If you're willing to accept the risk..." he'd say, "but we might ruin this."

His uneasiness made me feel uneasy, so I told him "thanks for having a look" and loaded the playfield back into my car. And with that, the project budget just quadrupled because now I need to buy an air compressor, accessories and chemicals to do this myself. At least this gives me time to focus on the cabinet...

#12 5 years ago

Not pictured: the 90 minutes it took to disassemble the lower cabinet, remove the coin door, shooter rod, lower mech board, legs and rails.

Blue box:

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Blank box:

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White box:

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#13 5 years ago
Quoted from TopMoose:

Today I showed up at the shop with my playfield and watched the panic grow in the supervisor's eyes when he actually saw the thing in front of him. All the things we talked about were suddenly major concerns and he couldn't guarantee that any of it would go to plan. He couldn't do the light mist coat. He was unsure about the washers staying in place. He had doubts about the solvent. "If you're willing to accept the risk..." he'd say, "but we might ruin this."

The supervisor sounds like he's a smart guy.

What if the washers blew out of place from the high volume of air that comes from the gun? (blu-tac putty will hold them in place)

What if alcohol smeared all the touchups ?(Naphtha is safe for any paint)

What if a bunch of fisheyes appeared and his tech had 30 seconds to make that command decision of flooding vs. misting to get rid of them?

A backyard auto painter can just say "FU, it's out of my hands", whereas the Maaco manager knows you will post a 1 star review on Yelp and call the corporate hotline getting him in trouble for straying from auto painting.

Macco can do it, but you got to do the prep for them.

Stick the washers down yourself. Earthquake putty, blu-tac putty, whatever

Lightly sand the entire playfield with 400 grit for tooth. If you sand through, fix it, and sand that spot again.

Wipe the whole playfield yourself with Naphtha. Look for any trouble spots that might fisheye.

Remind them you want it shot flat on it's back.

#14 5 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

The supervisor sounds like he's a smart guy.
What if the washers blew out of place from the high volume of air that comes from the gun? (blu-tac putty will hold them in place)
What if alcohol smeared all the touchups ?(Naphtha is safe for any paint)
What if a bunch of fisheyes appeared and his tech had 30 seconds to make that command decision of flooding vs. misting to get rid of them?
A backyard auto painter can just say "FU, it's out of my hands", whereas the Maaco manager knows you will post a 1 star review on Yelp and call the corporate hotline getting him in trouble for straying from auto painting.
Macco can do it, but you got to do the prep for them.
Stick the washers down yourself. Earthquake putty, blu-tac putty, whatever
Lightly sand the entire playfield with 400 grit for tooth. If you sand through, fix it, and sand that spot again.
Wipe the whole playfield yourself with Naphtha. Look for any trouble spots that might fisheye.
Remind them you want it shot flat on it's back.

Yep - all that. I was expecting to stay and be there to oversee the process, but it turns out they don't let customers in the bays. I even brought my own naphtha, a clean rag, level, gloves and a magnet to remove the washers. This is for the best - I'll have more control doing it myself.

#15 5 years ago

There are seven stencils for the lower cabinet.

One...

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Two...

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Three...

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Four...

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Five...

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Six...

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Seven.

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#16 5 years ago

Aaaaaaaaaaand 27 hours later, the cabinet is back together in one piece.

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Bonus: I got to install a couple of replacement parts (check out the shooter housing!), which is really satisfying.

1 week later
#17 5 years ago

Please meet the newest member of my family...

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I've clearcoated three playfields in my garage with a small, borrowed compressor but for this project, I bought my own (used) 33 gallon monster. I may only use this guy once a year, but I hope it will save me in the long run.

#18 5 years ago

It is time.

I've spent a week gathering supplies and getting prepared. The inserts are filled, the playfield is leveled and cleaned, the tank is full and I'm dressed like Jessie Pinkman going to work. Let's do this.

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It went pretty well, I think. I started off with a light mist and anxiously checked the decals, but they seemed to hold. After a few minutes, while the mist layer was still tacky, I gave it another light coat, waited again and sprayed a second light coat on that. Now I'm leaving it alone in my garage for a few hours.

#19 5 years ago

It's been four hours since the final coat and the finish is dry, so I've taken the playfield back inside to live in its cabinet. I'll give it a week to firm up, sand lightly and do a second coat. I have more supplies to buy, but for now just look at those colors! Zowie!

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1 week later
#20 5 years ago

Hello, sandpaper... goodbye gorgeous glossy finish.

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After sanding, I had to re-apply the decals. I should have waited to decal until after the first clearcoat, but I got excited. Then, I took the playfield out to my compressor and blew all the clearcoat dust out of the holes... and tore apart some of the decals. Good thing I printed lots of extras.

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#21 5 years ago

Clearcoat round two. I used the same procedure: a light coat, a full coat and a 2nd full coat with 10 minute breaks in between, then I left it alone for about four hours.

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Not bad, I think. The color is back, which is nice, but I have a few bumps to sand out when this cures. It's now living back in its cabinet.

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#22 5 years ago

Looking good.

1 month later
#23 5 years ago

Seven weeks later...

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#24 5 years ago

Next, we get into the liquid abrasives and add some power.

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NOTE: this is the only time Novus should be used on a playfield.

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Finally, a liberal coat of Carnuba paste wax.

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#25 5 years ago

Clear coating is DONE! What a beautiful shine. Now the fun begins: repopulation.

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#27 5 years ago

Repopulation, Phase 1. I got lots of brand new parts for this, but shortly after I started, I decided that I need all new pop bumper bodies. They'll be installed in 3 to 5 business days.

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Check out those brand new, stark white rollover buttons!

#28 5 years ago

Repopulation, phase 2: Gorgeous new pop bumper parts.

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Reassembly complete! I just need to adjust some switches and get the game into working condition.

#29 5 years ago
Quoted from TopMoose:

Repopulation, phase 2: Gorgeous new pop bumper parts.
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
Reassembly complete! I just need to adjust some switches and get the game into working condition.

Just a beautiful job! I own a Hot Line and it needs massive amounts of work. Youve inspired me!,
Well done

#30 5 years ago

Here are a few glamor shots. Check out:

- the color-matched pop bumper skirts
- the all new rollover buttons
- the new inlane hardware, including red metal posts.

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#31 5 years ago

If there's one thing I've learned fixing EM games, it's that the simplest solution is almost always the correct one. If the simplest solution doesn't work, it means there's an even simpler solution that you haven't thought of yet.

Case and point:
After re-populating the playfield and adjusting a lot of the target switches, I found in test games that the A and B targets and rollovers didn't work. I pored over the schematic, filed the contacts, checked the spacing on the score motor switches, examined the A and B relays and tested every connection with a multimeter.

Then I took a break and, purely on a whim, decided to change the bulbs under the A and B inserts.
BOOM.
Problem solved.

6 months later
#32 4 years ago

I am about to go pick one of these up. Powers up, flippers and stuff work, but will not kick ball out at start of game. Any ideas on problem? or where to start looking once I get it home?

#33 4 years ago
Quoted from woody76:

I am about to go pick one of these up. Powers up, flippers and stuff work, but will not kick ball out at start of game. Any ideas on problem? or where to start looking once I get it home?

Checking the schematic, it looks like there's an Outhole relay. It's also connected to the score motor Switch 4D (red/green). You could also check the Outhole switch.

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