I would rebuild the each flipper including fine tuning in the end of stoke switch, before using hot coils. The flipper mech design used by Gottlieb from this era is one of the better ones and normally after a correct flipper rebuild they will be powerful enough for the serious player.

If you do end up rebuilding first make sure you add 3 extra holes in the plastic bushing where the flipper return spring gets screwed into the underside of the playfield. This will give you an advantage to getting just the right flipper return tension that is an important part of fine tuning your flipper rebuild for max flipper power.

If you interested, I wrote a procedure on rebuilding Gottlieb flippers It is here on pinside in a posting.

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Got a link to the article?

Flippers are the most important part of a game so any tips are always appreciated!

I also have a video somewhere of rebuilding Gottlieb EM flippers on a disc.

Installing new parts on flippers, pop bumpers, sling shots or any other
moving mech parts is a must if you want to own a EM game and have it
play like factory new. You will not need to switch over onto high tap
on the transformer or use yellow dot (hot )coils if you rebuild your mech moving parts correctly. It
takes time and knowledge to get the best power out of rebuilding any
mech moving part. After rebuilding 5 or 6 games you will learn new ways
to make your EM game play more powerful and quicker.

Make sure you check to see if the flipper return spring that gets screwed to the
flipper bushing isn't to tight or
binding. Sometimes I drill a extra screw holes in the flipper bushing
so you can adjust the tension on the spring better which in turn will
give you the correct snap back to the normal position after the flipper
is pulled in. You can also check to see if the flipper isn't binding
against the bushing where the flipper rod passes through on the top of
the playfield, also remember to check to see if the plastic flipper
isn't dragging on the playfield too (dragging flippers will wear the
playfield wood out). There should be a tiny bit of play on the flipper
when you pull it up and down after you have completed attaching the
flipper rod to the flipper hub ( the flipper hub has either 1 or 2
small screws that tighten to the flippper rod).

Also re-check the EOS switch for proper gap. The EOS switch should
remain closed until the flipper reaches it's full stroke then open.The
EOS switch must be set correctly or the flipper will be weak no matter
if everything else throughout the flipper rebuild is perfect. Setting
the EOS switch correctly is very important and sometimes must be
adjusted many times to find the adjustment that will give you the most
power to your flipper. Check adjustment and clean flipper switches on
the side cabinet again.

There is also a adjustment you can make on the flipper coil too. Loosen
the 4 small screws that hold the flipper coil to the flipper playfield
bracket. Then pull the flipper coil back and forth (with the metal
plunger and fiber link positioned inside the plastic coil sleeve) until
it sits all the way back against the coil stop bracket (as far as it
can go... away from the link and plunger). Now with the game turn on
press the flipper button on the side of the cabinet and move the coil
around (up and down or side to side) a tiny bit to make sure that the
metal plunger is centered pressing against the coil stop making it nice
and quite and free from buzzing. Then tighten all 4 screws again making
sure everything on the entire flipper assembly is correct and feels
comfortable. This process will give you a full swing of the flipper
increasing it's power to hit the ball harder.

You must also change the plastic flipper coil sleeve, polish the metal
flipper plunger or replace with new one, metal flipper rod, etc.

Sometimes this proceedure is easier to do with a extra set of hands, so
if you are trying this out for the first or second time you might want
to ask a friend to help you out by holding parts of the flipper
assembly while you tighten or make adjustments when necesssary and
always do one at a time so you can look at the other if you need to.

Take the time out to try this proceedure..you will be amazed how much
better your flippers work.

I always use plastic washers under vulnerable plastics in the path of the hot flipper coils. I use the 7/8 size.

Has any body else noticed the replacement two inch flipper shafts PBResource sells sit higher on the the bushing and don't extend enough below it for the pawl to be mounted correctly? I believe it is because of that little ledge that is built in on the top of the new shaft. So what I do is test fit it and usually trim the top of the bushing to lower it down into the correct position. Still nice that they are available though.

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I have found orange dot (A5141B) coils a great balance between standard & yellow dot coils where you need to propel ball to the top of the pf. I placed 2 orange dots on the centre flippers & standard on the outer flippers on my Pro Football machine & found they performed well with no adverse consequences.

That's the posting.

Is there any way I can post the video I made here on pinside from my dvd?

After a rebuild with new parts along with correct settings I found yellow dot coils and high tap to be the secret to great play. I wouldn't be afraid of those orange dots.

If you already have the Orange Dot Flipper Coils put them in and see how you like them. Personally I put them in all my games for the extra zip and have never broken a drop target or plastic in 5 years of using them.

Now if only someone could talk Steve at PBR into making Orange Dot Coils for Pop Bumpers as he only has the Yellow Dots which are too powerful for some applications.

The orange dot coils actually work pretty well for some of the 70's Gottlieb multiplayers that were know to have weak flippers (even after a rebuild). If you try them and think they are just a tad too strong, you can always "back them off" a tad by increasing the tension on the return spring (move the anchor end of the spring to the next hole on the plastic bushing) or by adjusting the EOS switch to open just a little earlier.

Yes, you can increase the tension on the flipper return spring by changing the anchor point (screw hole in the white plastic bushing underneath the PF) to wind up the spring a bit. That also makes the flipper snap back more crisply to rest position.

That and the EOS adjustment can make noticeable change in the effective flipper "power".

This is what I did & recommend it. Orange dots for the lowest two flippers, standard for the outer two.

Most of the time I don't need hot coils but Pro-Football benefited even after doing an exhaustive rebuild and tweaking of the flipper mechs/switches/etc.

I just put orange dots on my Vulcan. What a difference. Plays great. I would try them just make sure plastics aren't real tight so there is a little give. I put a new set of plastics on mine so I was Leary but have had no problems.

I put orange dot flipper coils in all of my Gottleib restores. They are just more fun that way & that's what it's all about.

Why not just high tap the transformer?

I like the pop bumpers & slingshots as they are on standard tap.

Hi-tap increases the power of all solenoids, not just the flippers. Steppers, reels, etc. will experience more wear. Also, the pops and slings might become too powerful.

I prefer to use custom coils whenever possible to dial everything in, using standard tap. Most games benefit from a little tweaking.