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(Topic ID: 202599)

Lightning Ball EM Value?

By Pin_Crazed

6 years ago

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6 posts
4 Pinsiders participating
Latest reply 6 years ago by Pin_Crazed
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#1 6 years ago

FYA

Pin_Crazed

Inactive member

Unknown City, MN

12y 56,650 2,080 10 71

I picked up a Lightning Ball this weekend, overall it looks complete, not a bad machine for 60 years old. Can anyone give me an idea of value? BG decent with some flaking, play field looks good, it needs some sling plastics and a good shop, don't know if it works as I have not turned it on yet, owner said it did 10 years ago when it was last played.

It seems there are not many of them out there. Is it worth trying to fix up or is it best as a parts machine? Just wondering what I should consider doing with it, thanks!

#2 6 years ago

FUN

fredsmythson

Pinside member

Austin, TX

8y 55,650 1,189 33

Lightning Ball has a retail value of around $1200 if the machine has good cosmetics. Private party value would be around $800 with good cosmetics. It sounds like the machine you have would need a simple cosmetic restoration, so I would try to fix up the machine. You wouldn't make much money parting out this machine, since woodrail parts are not in great demand. Fix up the machine and enjoy playing it...

#3 6 years ago

WTF

SirScott

Pinside member

Dearborn, MI

11y 66,800 1,470 24

OP
Quoted from Pin_Crazed:
...don't know if it works as I have not turned it on yet, owner said it did 10 years ago when it was last played.

Count on it not working. If a seller claims that it worked X number of years ago when it was last plugged in, then it doesn't work.

#4 6 years ago

FYA

Pin_Crazed

Inactive member

Unknown City, MN

12y 56,650 2,080 10 71

Thank you for the replies!

It looks like it should clean up nice, cab is not roached but has expected patina. I don't expect it to work, but knowing that it did when he owned it at lease gives us a history. He said he has not turned it on in about 10 years. Any do's or dont's I should be aware of? I would like to get this girl running, be neat to see it alive again.

I appreciate the feedback, thanks!

#5 6 years ago

???

Mopar

Pinside+ Member

Unknown

7y 80,050 4,178

OP
Quoted from Pin_Crazed:
Any do's or dont's I should be aware of?

I'm mostly metal rail, but do have some wood rails including a Lightning Ball.
Having worked when parked 10 years back, at least you know it must be complete..
I always totally go through a machine before plugging in. Clean and lube up the
step-ups, motor wiper boards, clean contacts, ect.
This past weekend while working on a Baseball machine, a resistor coil for the
strength of the bat was burned out. It was pretty evident what happened. The bat
mech was gummed and wouldn't move, and must be someone at one time just
plugged it in and pushed the bat button. I've seen things like this on other machines
quite a few times also..
But then again, Friends have told me that they plugged a machine in, and it basically
worked, but I image those machines most likely hadn't sat for 10 years..

2 weeks later

#6 6 years ago

FYA

Pin_Crazed

Inactive member

Unknown City, MN

12y 56,650 2,080 10 71

Thank you for the recommendations, I appreciate it as I know little about EM's.

Sadly, I just do not have the space or time to give this machine the love it needs. I just have too much going on at the moment, if any pinsiders are interested in this machine let me know. Backglass has some flaking but looks decent overall, looks to be 100% complete, one insert on the left is missing, here are a few pictures:

20171203_111716 (resized).jpg

20171203_111726 (resized).jpg

20171203_111638 (resized).jpg

20171203_111759 (resized).jpg

20171203_111732 (resized).jpg

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