late 60's gottlieb... door is bowed and bent, and is rather severely mangled around the lock hole... any chance of making it better? i've never had much luck straightening stainless before, but i don't know what grade of stainless these doors are made of...
chris
Of course, it is possible to straighten it.
Option 1:
Spend 30 hours banging away at it and not be happy with the end result?
Option 2:
Take it to a body shop and spend $300-$400 (or more) to have it fixed and repainted or replated. You may be happy with the end result.
Option 3:
As suggested earlier, buy a replacment from Pinball Resouce for under $100. You will be happy with the end result.
I would start with Option 1 and after 10 or 15 hours or the 2nd time I wacked my thumb with a hammer, I would immediatly jump to Option 3. 
My f-14 had a big old knee dent right between the two coin slots. I was able to disassemble the door, remove the coin takers, remove the inner wall of the door and bang it flat again. The door had a couple holes drilled through it. I used a 2 part metal epoxy (j b weld) to fill the holes, then sanded it flat. The dint was almost 100% removed. Next I painted the door with a textured paint to hide imperfections. I think it looks good
thanks to all who replied... 
my initial thought was just to order one from pbr, but i figured i'd toss the question out there first... placing order with jimmy this morning...
@jkmboler... your post brought it home very well... made me flash back to spending heaven knows how many hours attempting to polish up a leg, and coming to the conclusion that 50 bucks (or so) was well worth it for a set of new ones...
Quoted from Hellfire:Fixing a coin door isnt that bad or hard i do it all the time
I agree ^^ Body technician too.
If you have body repair experience and the tools your a step ahead.
Not a bad idea to get your feet wet with a hammer and dolly and start with some small dents.
My brothers Capt Card coin door is going to get a beating from my tools soon. 
well, i already know i'm incompetent when it comes to body work... the only thing i've ever done there is keep an old bondo bucket i had when i was a teenager topped up with bondo on a regular basis...
if anyone wants the old one after i get the new one on, drop me a pm... free to a good home, i'll eat shipping... just drop a few bucks in the homeless pets bucket at your local pet store... figure i'll give you guys first shot at it before i post it in the "free parts" thread...
^^^
yea, and i guess they did their intended job (i.e. keep people out)... not that people didn't try to get in, judging from the condition of this one (as well as another "next generation" one)...
heck, the machine the other one i have had a lockbar across the coin door, and the door is STILL mangled...
Quoted from Hellfire:Fixing a coin door isnt that bad or hard i do it all the time with bally doors and resurface the stainless
but i suppose i sed to straiten metal alot when i was a body tech as well.
Gottlieb doors are plated. I would think you would need to be quite skilled to pull that off.
I totally agree, I don't care how skilled you are, you will never get a crumpled Gottlieb door of that style to look like new. Double wall, chrome plating, and heavy gauge steel. When body work guys do that to cars, they always need filler of some type even if just spot putty, bondo is the norm. In this case, buy the PBR repro. it looks decent, the finish isn't quite what the originals were, but certainly much better than a old rusty/dented up one. If it's only the middle area that has a slight depression from a kick, that might possibly be dealt with. Painted modern coin doors would certainly be much easier to fix with bodywork type techniques.
Quoted from Pin-it:My brothers Capt Card coin door is going to get a beating from my tools soon.
It could use a good beating.... Ummm... That sounds dirty. Haha
^^^
i rescind my earlier open invitation to play my pins... 
if jimmy/ups are up to their normal standards, the newie should be here tomorrow...
since i'll have it apart, it'll be a good opportunity to unhack the coin door wiring mess as well... hopefully the unhacking process won't result in a "help, i've screwed something up" post...
Quoted from ccotenj:^^^
i rescind my earlier open invitation to play my pins...
if jimmy/ups are up to their normal standards, the newie should be here tomorrow...
since i'll have it apart, it'll be a good opportunity to unhack the coin door wiring mess as well... hopefully the unhacking process won't result in a "help, i've screwed something up" post...
Rescind? Wha...? Haha
Yeah. PBR... The best thing about being in NJ is how quick we get the pinball parts delivered.
yes - but it isn't worth the trouble.
It will look better if you just use some "Hammered Finish" spray paint and leave the dents.
Quoted from IntoPinball:Rescind? Wha...? Haha
Yeah. PBR... The best thing about being in NJ is how quick we get the pinball parts delivered.
i'll let you slide... this time...
yup... actually just got the notification from ups that the package will be delivered tomorrow... cannot beat that...
^^^
damn straight!
now off for my weekly (daily?) hardware store run... you'd think i'd have every nut and screw in existence, but NOOOOO... i'm always missing what i need... especially on this machine, which seemingly had half the fasteners missing...
^^^
those i've got, pbr included them with the nut strip for the door... thank goodness, because as you point out, those would be a bear to find...
however... riddle me this... #10-32 nuts were on the old strike plate... i measured the new one, and they should be #10-32 as well... however, they do not want to go on... grumble... anyone got any ideas on that?
I have an electrical stripper/cutter tool that has the holes (sizes labeled) to shorten screws (think outlet covers etc.) I check the threading on screws with it. It may be a 10-24 instead for the strike plate. I'm not home or I would check it for you.
thanks dude...
i just re-measured them with my handy dandy little fastenal thingie... they measure out at 10-32...
it's almost like the thread on the studs is "flattened" at the top and stopping the nut feom threading on... i'm tempted to apply a bit of force to get the nut started, but i do not want to strip them...
they (the new nuts) thread right onto the old strike plate... the one old nut that was holding the old one in place before has the same issue as the new ones on the new strike plate...
i think i will have a beer and think about it for awhile...
Quoted from ccotenj:it's almost like the thread on the studs is "flattened" at the top and stopping the nut from threading on... i'm tempted to apply a bit of force to get the nut started, but i do not want to strip them...
Own a tap and die set?
Quoted from ccotenj:oooooo... purty....
Luckly I had sunglasses nearby. 
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Irwin-PTS-Drill-and-Tap-Set-2-Piece-1765536/202214127?keyword=10-32%22+tap#.UXNrKbUsmwA
No need for the drill bit though. ^
^^^
yea, i forgot to turn off the flash...
yup, i've got one... thanks pin-it... and thanks for always being gentle when you point out the things that are "obvious" and i'm just being too dense/frustrated to think of... after 3 separate trips to the hardware store, my brain was on tilt... you are a credit to this community...
i'll go dig it out of the shed after i finish watching the f1 race i recorded this morning... hopefully we will have "installed" pics later today...
^^^
thanks! as usual, your wiser brother saved my bacon...
found something "interesting" when i was testing out the wiring to make sure it still worked... if a game is started and "in progress", actuating the switch for the nickel slot fires the 500 point relay...
something tells me this probably shouldn't happen, but i'm too tired to trace the schematic tonight... i'll figure it out tomorrow (maybe)... although it is entirely possible that it is "working as designed"...
Quoted from ccotenj:actuating the switch for the nickel slot fires the 500 point relay..
Sounds like a pay to play get the highest score feature. ^ 
Coin door looking good. ^^^
Now for the fun part, wiring. 
^^^
lol! an em "easter egg"...
thanks... once i chased the threads, it was pretty straightforward (fwiw, it was the plating that was gumming up the threads)... although as noted, getting that first screw in to attach the door took me awhile... generally i run into situations where i could use 3 hands, but i coulda used 4 in this case... you got a "pin-it trick" for making that easier? what i eventually did was put one through just the door and the nut strip to hold the nut strip in place, then put the top one through all 3 pieces, and rotated it up so i could remove the "holder" screw...
the only "problem" is that i'm gonna have to order a new shooter rod now, as it's dadgummed ugly next to all that shiny new metal...
yea, fun with wiring is next... 
to be honest, i'm tempted just to make a new harness from scratch, that way i "know" where everything is supposed to go, rather than trying to figure out the mess that is there now... i've got a boatload of thhn lying around here...
i think if i do that, i might keep the jones plug wired and take the wires coming out of there into a molex (or similar) connector... then build a harness with the mating connector to plug into that and mount the connector to the door... wouldn't be "original", but it would make unplugging the door easier... i'm also somewhat concerned that i may destroy the jones plug if i attempt to unwire/rewire it... dunno if you can get replacements for those or not, but i'm "guessing" you can't... i should drop jimmy an email to see...
at least i don't have to deal with the lockout assembly, as it's completely gone already...
i'm missing one coin chute as well... i've got spares from the "big" door they went to in 76... i'm wondering if they will work... the pictures in the catalog make it "look" like they are the same (see pages 69 and 78 in the 1978 parts catalog), but they are different part numbers... we shall see, it's easy enough to try...
Chris- not sure about the coin chutes, they may be different, I'm not home to check that. Couple tips for you. When I install the coin door strike plate, I make sure it is at least flush with the surrounding wood so as not to dig into the paint as the door operates. To do this, I add small amounts of tape to the back of the strike plate near the bolt studs. If done correctly, it will raise the strike plate just enough to make it flush. Also when you install the door, be careful that it is not too close on the hinge side. You can adjust this with those button-head scews. If too deep, it will gouge the cabinet again (most games already have this) I fill this gouge/touch up paint when I restore the cabinet. The rubber gasket material should hold the door off the strike plate just enough to prevent scratching up the chrome finish. The coin door harness has many different configurations depending on year and number of coin chutes. The Jones plugs can have 4, 6, 8, or even ten prongs. Not sure why you would need to add a modern plastic connector though. You might have luck asking around for an original wiring harness (I know I have one from a parted game,not sure the style). I also polish the PBR parts with something like Blue Magic to help bring up the shine a bit more.
we will find out this afternoon if they fit... i'm starting to wind down my "busy time" at work, so i'm gonna scoot out early and mess around with it...
strike plate is flush, except one tiny area that is slightly raised...
yea, the front of the cabinet is pretty gouged already... i have it offset enough now (plus the new door came with beer seal that offsets it as well)...
good point on the harness... i was having coffee and blueskying when i thought of that, i have a (probably bad) habit of overthinking things to try and make them easier to maintain/deal with in the future... i'll do it the "right" way, i suppose... i'll also hunt around for one that might be "complete"...
more polishing... oh nooooooooooooes.... i just LOVE to polish... 
and the answer is.... no... they do not fit... 
the actual chute part is the same... but the mounts attached to the chutes are at slightly different locations... see pics below, old model on top in each pic... the old ones ones have the mount attached just slightly further down the chute. allowing the front of the chute to protrude just slightly further through the cabinet... this would be workable (although not ideal), but the end of the chute then doesn't line up with the coin mech, which is a show stopper...
unless i come across someone between now and then who has one sitting around in theirs parts pile, i'll hopefully find one at a-town...
Quoted from ccotenj:^^^
the only "problem" is that i'm gonna have to order a new shooter rod now, as it's dadgummed ugly next to all that shiny new metal...
Remove your shooter rod, chuck it into a drill, spin it and press it into a 3M scotchbrite pad.
Wax it and reassemble.
Better than new! 
Quoted from jkmboler:Remove your shooter rod, chuck it into a drill, spin it and press it into a 3M scotchbrite pad.
Wax it and reassemble.
Better than new!
cool, thanks for the tip...
a green one?
then everything will be nice and shiny...
Like stashyboy said, "use steel wool, even sandpaper if needed. Depends on how deep the scratches are on the end"
I usually use a red 3M scotchbrite pad. Just press it into the pad and you will get a nice machine turned finish.
Quoted from Pin-it:Sounds like a pay to play get the highest score feature. ^
Coin door looking good. ^^^
Now for the fun part, wiring.
it gets better.... now whenever the 500 point relay is activated, the ball count unit resets...
remind me again why i like em's? 
Quoted from ccotenj:^^^
cool... i will buff my rod when i get home today...
the rod buffing techniques worked really well... 
came out nice and shiny... thanks for the tips on that guys...
Quoted from ccotenj:remind me again why i like em's?
Sounds like a glutton for punishment ,least thats what i tell myself.
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Presque Isle, WI
Winnipeg, MB
