Hey Guys, Gals,

Last Spring I acquired a Gottlieb Subway that played but needed work. Cosmetic as well as Playfield work. The game played OK, however the cabinet was poorly pained over with some weird design and lots of rust and stuff everywhere. So here I am documenting what I have done so far. This will be a ongoing documentation thread. so here we go..

here is the cabinet taken apart. as you can see, this paint job is really awful.
IMG_6199 (resized).JPGIMG_6161 (resized).JPGIMG_6160 (resized).JPG

the back of the cabinet has some bad warping as you can see. but nothing that couldn't be fixed.
IMG_6164 (resized).JPG

stripped and bondo time.. starting to look better.
IMG_6168 (resized).JPG

IMG_6169 (resized).JPG

got the back fixed up too..
IMG_6166 (resized).JPG

primed and painted with base coat.
IMG_6202 (resized).JPG
IMG_6208 (resized).JPGIMG_6209 (resized).JPGIMG_6210 (resized).JPGIMG_6213 (resized).JPG

My buddy Wade lent me his stencils.. cabinet is now done.
IMG_6236 (resized).JPG
IMG_6239 (resized).JPGIMG_6241 (resized).JPGIMG_6244 (1) (resized).JPGIMG_6252 (resized).JPGIMG_6249 (resized).JPG

Started on the bottom board.. thought I would sand it, paint it and clear coat it just for that extra special touch..
IMG_6260 (resized).JPG

IMG_6261 (resized).JPGIMG_6262 (resized).JPGIMG_6263 (resized).JPG

still need to do lots more work, have new coin door and coin entrance plate, all the bits and pieces need to get polished and put back, then I need to start taking apart the score reels and cleaning them, as well as new light sockets in the head. etc.. stay tuned..

thank you. its been a slow process.. the winter really slowed me down since its really risky to paint when it gets too cold. even California weather is a bit on the too cold side.. ive ran into problems before with paint peeling and such when the weather is not just right..

Just a quick update as work slowly continues on my Subway. I got the head on finally and all internal organs have now been transplanted back inside the cabinet. I replaced every light socket and wiring in the backbox as they were all corroded and not reliable. I also cleaned all the relays and score reels in the backbox as well. In addition, all the remaining hardware in the cabinet is completed.

New legs, coin Door and coin receiver plate were in order. I was debating on replacing the siderails as the ones that came with the machine were in pretty rough shape and no matter how I tried I could not get them quite as nice as I would have liked. I called around and found a metal polishing shop down in the ghetto that would clean them up for a mere 25 bucks. I can honesty say they look really good now.

After I put it all back together I was having a issue with the D relay not completing the bank reset function, even though the score reels would zero out and everything else seemed fine. After pouring over the schematics for quite awhile I finally found the culprit (by using alligator clips and the process of elimination) to be the tens reel runout switch not making good contact. This took me a better part of the day but in the end it proves that I am getting better at reading and utilizing the schematics with every machine restore I do.

The backglass is actually in really good shape, the only noticeable issues are the white and black outline around the score window. Im going to leave it as is for now as its just not that bad and really only a trained eye would hone in on it.

The only thing left is to put the play field back on. Currently it is out being restored and cleared by a professional as this is just way beyond my artistic ability. Once I receive it back I will put some before and after pics up to show the difference.
IMG_6317 (resized).JPGIMG_6318 (resized).JPGIMG_6319 (resized).JPGIMG_6321 (resized).JPGIMG_6322 (resized).JPGIMG_6323 (resized).JPG

thank you. It is certainly a process thats for sure.. ill post more pics as i install the PF

Just wanted to give you a update on where I stand with this.. I received my PF back from being restored. It was painted, leveled and cleared. It actually came out amazing! I couldn't be happier with it. IMG_6530 (resized).JPGIMG_6535 (resized).JPGIMG_6537 (resized).JPG

They even painted the bottom of the PF. IMG_6543 (resized).JPG
Now to start work on getting the everything reinstalled. IMG_6544 (resized).JPGIMG_6545 (resized).JPG

Most of the work on the underside of the pf is complete except for pop bumpers and flippers. I need to order a few parts on Monday to get those completed. Here is the completed work so far.. New posts, roll over guides, rubbers, Lanterns, etc. The plastics are actually original but I think they look good for their age. Repainted Apron with a Pinball Rescue decal. Upper arch is repainted as well. IMG_6560 (resized).JPGIMG_6562 (resized).JPGIMG_6563 (resized).JPGIMG_6568 (resized).JPG

Thats it for now. I should have my parts I need to complete the work by next week. I will update when completed.

This game is for myself and my family to enjoy. I have no intention of selling it. Especially as a factory replicated restore. To me the speckle is something that I feel looks really nice and is easy to replicate at home. I have never seen anyone truly able to replicate factory webbing the way it came from the factory, and to be honest I really dont like the look of the webbing.

Also, the Red and blue boards were just something that I thought added pizzazz to the look of the machine, and I like it. Thats really about all this is for that. Thanks for the kudos on the paint. I borrowed the stencils from a friend who already had them cut.

Thanks.. yes its also very unforgiving as well. the gap between the flippers is pretty big..

Thanks. The PF was restored by Tim Crowley at Las Vegas Playfields.

http://www.lasvegasplayfields.com

they look great. I will def consider it. whats the best way to polish them?

yes here you go.. Before Pics IMG_6110 (resized).JPG
IMG_6112 (resized).JPGIMG_6113 (resized).JPGIMG_6114 (resized).JPGIMG_6116 (resized).JPGIMG_6117 (resized).JPGIMG_6119 (resized).JPGIMG_6120 (resized).JPGIMG_6121 (resized).JPGIMG_6122 (resized).JPGIMG_6123 (resized).JPGIMG_6124 (resized).JPGIMG_6126 (resized).JPG
After Pics IMG_6555 (resized).JPGIMG_6556 (resized).JPGIMG_6563 (resized).JPGIMG_6564 (resized).JPGIMG_E6494 (resized).JPGIMG_E6496 (resized).JPG

IMG_6554 (resized).JPG

OK thanks I will do that!

Good question. I think the reason was that I was running low on paint and I didn't think it was important enough.. but I did think about doing it at the time.. Thanks fore the Kudos though

Exactly

The before pics of the PF I posted was actually after I replaced all the inserts myself. The original inserts were very very cupped and almost unplayable. After I removed the old inserts and replaced them I caused so many more paint and chipping issues that I just decided to send it to Tim to get restored properly. I think my forte lies in cabinetry and stuff like that, painting and fine detail work are not my specialty at all. I will leave that to the pros.. And im glad I did because I think he did a great job as well..

Thanks.. I have a set of yellow dots going in.. hopefully they wont be too much.. we will see..)

I dont think the yellows will be too much. I actually had them in before I dissembled the PF for the restore and I thought they were good, made the game a little more peppy but not overly snappy. . . I will tell you that I did put yellow dots in the pop bumpers and I immediately took them out as the game played way to fast for its age. I went back to stock coils on the pops. .

Yes for sure. Thanks for reminding me.. well I can say now that my Subway is 100% complete and it is working 100% with the last issue on the tilt just nailed down thanks to @markg. So without further adieu here it is in all its glory..IMG_6693 (resized).JPG

IMG_6694 (resized).JPG I think I mentioned this in another post but the PF was restored by Tim Crowley at Las Vegas Playfields.. Tim was absolutely fantastic to work with. The job took about 5 months. Tim was very communicative and involved me with some color matching on the white areas and the finish which I chose gloss over the matte. I think the PF came out fantastic and I am extremely happy with it. For anyone looking to have a PF restored and cleared give him a call. IMG_6686 (resized).JPGIMG_6688 (resized).JPGIMG_6644 (resized).JPG All pop bumper plastics, rollover guides etc on the PF are new as well as all new rubbers and posts. The plastics themselves are origonal as they are in pretty decent shape.
and as she sits in my current line up.. IMG_6640 (1) (resized).JPG This is my first 60s era machine and I have to say that there is something amazing about the way the game plays. Just a little slower, the bell sound as opposed to the chimes, those 2 inch flippers, etc. I really like it a lot and it just has a different feel than the current 70s era machines I have along side it. So this is it, a well finished Subway that I absolutely love to play. BTW the machine is setup to take dimes, no free plays here. ! I love the Add a Ball feature as well. I will definitely be looking to add a few more add a balls to my lineup when I have some more time.. Now to finish that damn Peppy restore!!!

IMG_6677 (resized).JPG

ahh.. you got me.. lets try that again..

"Without further ado.." This should be the correct term.)

thanks.. so regarding the coin mech, a very kind pinsider sent me a spare saddle.. I had a spare 10c coin mech. regarding the yellowdots, i feel like they work perfectly. I have the machine setup steep and i have a little more return spring tension on the flippers, so i think i have them dialed in for the perfect balance. I will add a video of the machine playing but so far so good.