1 - Great deal --- read this, it is your bible to EM pinball restoration - http://www.pinrepair.com/em/
2 - Take them apart & clean rebuild, with new coil sleeves, clean & adjust switches -USE NO LUBRICANT OF ANY KIND!
3 - See #2 - NO SPRAY LUBE!!!
4 - Use no water based cleaners, see Vid's guide https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cleaning-and-waxing-pinball-machines-vids-guide
5 - If the cab is really bad, I would strip it, fix any loose joints, & repaint to factory specs
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cabinet-restoration-vids-guide
Pinball pimp makes great stencils for the Aquarius - http://pinballpimpstencils.com/?page_id=1442

FYI the buzzing form the coin door is likely the coin lockout mechanism. That’s fairly common. You can either put up with it or take it apart and clean it and replace the springs which may help some or disconnect the coil since it is home use if you don’t care about using coins in it.

Dave

dasvis above mentions cleaning and adjusting switches. That would be the first thing I would try with the slingshots. The switch contacts need to be cleaned with small file make for that purpose and adjusted so there is a small gap when the rubber ring is around the posts. Takes a bit of trial and error and is much easier to do with the right tool but with sling switches I find a small fine bladed screwdriver can work if gently applied from the top. Not optimal but if you don’t have the tool it will do.

Dave

Click on this link below to my you tube page. There I have some general information for a 1st time pinball owner that could help you out.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1KO137wpu6iiZVaMXjH_YQ/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=1

For the sticking pop bumper, also check the pop bumper relays and their switches. If two pop bumpers share one relay, all the switches on that pop bumper relay need to be adjusted to the same gap and they all need to open and close at the exact same time. If the gaps aren't the same, then one of the pop bumpers will occasionally or always stick in the down position...

Mu buddy Chris(singlezero) has one and I love it.if you're in Ont and get bored of it lmk.

Ted

...and welcome to the hobby DanDaMan !

Fun game, good game to cut your teeth on, not too complicated. Post a couple of pics and we can better comment on whether to repaint or leave original.

Welcome to the addiction @DanDaMan! Better make more room....pins tend to multiply!

Repainting wouldn't necessarily 'de value' it. Some people call it 'patina' and like the history the outside of a cab shows...depending on how bad it is and how much $ you want to put into it. Its all about how YOU like it....

Welcome to the hobby. And yes pins multiply. My first turned into 5 in 6 months. My semi nubi advice. Work on the mechanical problems. Then decide if you like it enough to do the cosmetic work. And listen to all the people above this post who really know what they are doing.

Yes , get it playing, see if its a near term keeper or a long term keeper. Generally you are not going to recoop all your investment from a full up restore. But if you love the gameplay and want to make it nice, go for it.

dandaman i saw that game for sale last week in saskatchewan if im correct? it was listed for 400 CDN. you probably wouldnt find another pin for that kind of money again. i own the same game and enjoy it. get through the mecahnical issues. that the game starts resets and plays is good because those are the hardest issues to rectify being new to the hobby.

i did see a project aquarius go fro 450CDN about 6 months ago in the toronto area. So that gives you an idea it was a deal . But if you are wanting to do all that work and restoration into it , do it for the love of doing it and that you enjoy the game . it starts adding up ... quickly.

That lock bracket on the coin door looks like a real knee cracker!

Cabinet looks good... is that electrical tape on the playfield?

All in all, a great deal, and a great first pin!

A classic wear area - under the kick-out holes. Underneath probably looks a little worse than the kick-out on the right. Let's wait for other opinions on what to do about it...

it is going to lift paint. if you attempt, I'd heat it up with a hair dryer.

But yea your cab is a nice original, no serious reason to repaint.

The cabinet does not look too bad. I would give it a clean (I use Krud Kutter) & then ponder whether you really wish to do a full repaint.

As far as operations are concerned be very careful that you do not tackle more than one concern at a time-so easy otherwise to cause additional problems. Based on what you have said concentrate on the slingshots and pops initially. There is a plethora of info available in pinrepair and pinwiki sites to help you on these two areas. Start small and when you gather confidence go bigger.

Overall you got a great deal.

Overload on questions...

one answer
http://www.pbresource.com/ is your 1 stop shop for gottlieb EMs including bulbs

The best way I put games on free play is with an alligator jumper on the credit wheel to keep the start circt closed. You'll see pvc coated wires on the credit wheel contacts...jumper these two

If you dont have a cir diagram you can get one from the place above.

playfield touchups is a real art, sometimes best left to the professionals.

there is a relay on the door that will normally reject coins if the game is off. These get fried and tend to buzz. For folks that dont bother with coin chutes then we disconnect these relays. If you want the chutes to work this coil will need replacing.

Get to know the M N L scoring relays in the head, these drive the reels. They usually need their contacts cleaned up or you'll run into erratic scoring issues (as you have observed). I usually manually close/pulse these relays when i first get a game to see what mait is required on the relays (clean contacts) or the reels such as 9s rollover.

Nice buy! Personally I'd happily leave that cab as original in my collection, just clean it up and polish best I can.

Have to agree. Looks much nicer in pics than I was originally anticipating...I would be leaving that all original (cabinet and playfield), clean it up/wax nicely and just enjoy it. Looks like a nice machine for the price...and got delivery included!

As for the coindoor noise, if it is the coin rejector coil, I would simply add the coil to my shopping list for when I place an order and fix it right once. If it is not going to be fixed, and just disconnected, be sure to not just leave the wires laying around to short out (tape/nut off at least). Also, don't go ripping it all out as the next person (should you choose to sell it down the road) may be happy to do the repair. I see enough doors hacked apart etc...makes it much harder to put back right later on....

Congrats DanDaMan on first pinball.

Enjoy It!

Had to verify from IPDB:
"Four flipper-shaped plastics at top of playfield are used as stationary ball guides."

I've never seen this before, is it unique? Unique enough for IPDB to call it out specifically as a note...

Check out Universe.

Central Park and Hurdy Gurdy has fixed flippers at top...

OK, I guess I need to get out more

I'll stop highjacking DanDaMan 's thread and we can get back to admiring his new pin.

First time seeing pop bumper skirts trimmed to fit close to posts, did Gottlieb do this for other machines?

Gigi

For some 50's pins, the skirts are trimmed to clear posts too.

With regard to 4 - the credit unit is located directly behind the credit display in the backbox. While the pin is unplugged, you can manipulate the two solenoids by hand to add and subtract credits. Observe the action of the switches on the side of the credit unit in relation to the credits displayed. You can compare the switch positions to the photos here:

http://pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=EM_Repair#Gottlieb.C2.AE_Credit_Unit_.28Drum_type.29_Switch_States_Explained