Just got a 1970 Gottlieb Groovy that is very dirty. All three boards are out and on the table. While my first instinct is to disassemble everything, is there a better way to power wash or clean everything at one time -- including the switches?
Don't power wash!! Among other bad things, it will likely bend switches and push water into unwanted spots. Take it slow and clean carefully.
I used Krud Kutter on my last EM to clean everything but the playfield. That removed nicotine easily. However, I caution you to test a small area first.
My process was vacuum everything first. Then Krud Kutter (KK). Then immediately wipe area after KK with water to remove any extra KK. Then gentle wipe dry with clean cloth.
Machine looks fantastic.
I know folks disagree on this — and I would never power wash — but I always completely empty the cabinet, spray it thoroughly with a hose and then let either dry in the hot Texas sun or with fans if not sunny.
Meanwhile I also spray the bottom board and it’s contents off (usually avoid the transformer as I ca ) with a hose and then dry immediately and thoroughly, usually setting several fans toward the board for 24 hours after.
All comes out nice and clean and no issues whatsoever. Have done this on more than 20 Gotttlieb EMs.
Quoted from goldenboy232:I know folks disagree on this — and I would never power wash — but I always completely empty the cabinet, spray it thoroughly with a hose and then let either dry in the hot Texas sun or with fans if not sunny.
Meanwhile I also spray the bottom board and it’s contents off (usually avoid the transformer as I ca ) with a hose and then dry immediately and thoroughly, usually setting several fans toward the board for 24 hours after.
All comes out nice and clean and no issues whatsoever. Have done this on more than 20 Gotttlieb EMs.
We want pics of course
Quoted from dasvis:We want pics of course
ok I’ll try to take pics on this Jacks Open I’m about to clean up.
Quoted from EMsInKC:I just can't get past the idea that mixing water and electrical parts, and metal parts, is not a good idea.
I hear ya. Don’t get me wrong, I’m never soaking the parts but I spray the bottom boards off (and the empty cabs of course), and when spraying the bottom boards there is a residual amount of water that gets on the parts on the bottom. It does clean them off a bit. I fan-dry immediately and thoroughly so have never had an issue.
Here’s a recent pic of the bottom board of the Top Card I just restored — nice and dust-free from a good hosing off.
1DD56C53-29D5-4B04-8753-E5A340555347 (resized).jpegQuoted from goldenboy232:I hear ya. Don’t get me wrong, I’m never soaking the parts but I spray the bottom boards off (and the empty cabs of course), and when spraying the bottom boards there is a residual amount of water that gets on the parts on the bottom. It does clean them off a bit. I fan-dry immediately and thoroughly so have never had an issue.
Here’s a recent pic of the bottom board of the Top Card I just restored — nice and dust-free from a good hosing off.[quoted image]
wow nice
Good to hear a Williams Grand Prix has hope. When I was 'wheelin and dealin' EM's in the late 70's as they were falling out of favor to electronic gamery sold one to a fellow. Had low plays in VG condition and I shopped it fully. Couldn't get rid of it fast enough as I was 100% Gottleib. He called me a few years later when the Clinton River overflowed it's banks in SE Mi. Said his basement flooded, water came up about 6 inches on the BG and they hauled it out to the curb - if I wanted come get it. I had no idea if totally destroyed or had hope and no clue what to do with it after a flood but hated to see it go to landfill. Picked it up, brought home, hosed it off real well, flooded w WD-40 and put it in the hot Michigan sun for 2-3 days until it dried out real well. Thought I might part it out someday. Haven't touched it since. Been sitting high and dry in the loft of the barn for almost 35 yrs. Will be interesting to manually cycle all the mechanicals, add some 120v and see what happens
I cleaned up the mech board on my Grand Prix last summer using a bucket of water, some diluted super clean, and a soft bristled paint brush. It came out quite nice.
This is what I started with.
IMG_20190425_185636549 (resized).jpg
Washed everything with the soapy solution and a brush.
IMG_20190515_132932_01_01 (resized).jpg
Rinsed it all off with a bucket of warm water. You can see how much dirt came off!
IMG_20190515_132806_01_01 (resized).jpg
Then set it out in the sun all afternoon to dry.
IMG_20190515_134637_01_01 (resized).jpg
And here it is reinstalled in the freshly painted cabinet. I still did a little special cleaning on some of the switches, and stepper units after this pic was taken.
IMG_20190704_180254894_HDR (resized).jpg
If you're careful in your cleaning you won't damage anything. I was very cautious, and deliberate when using the brush.
Hope this helps.
-Paul
I also used soapy water and a brush on my bottom board. I hosed it off real good and then made a mistake I’ll share. My desire to dry off all the components ASAP led me to dry it with my leaf blower. It worked well on everything except the switches that have fish paper. It also tore up the labels. Replacing fish paper is a real pain. Next time I’ll let it dry in the sun or use a hair dryer. Cleaning the components and replacing the board helped get rid of the smell.
F20BA37C-9E33-4A12-8874-CDB2177A8303 (resized).jpeg
4441D7AE-C43C-43B3-9692-D393E6F759E0 (resized).jpegOk as promised here's a video of me cleaning the cabinet and bottom board by spraying off with the hose and then drying in the hot sun. I used a fan (as always) to help with the drying on the bottom board.
Photos of the nice dry cabinet and bottom board as well. I think I've restored 24 games over the past nearly six years and I've done this with more than half of those. I love having a clean cab and bottom-board to work from.
3C892AB9-4236-463D-827B-6BE880A82E92 (resized).jpeg77CAE473-6A6C-4322-AC05-7105F416827B (resized).jpegB6F7BA13-8787-4451-987A-36E770A834A4 (resized).jpeg
907EFD49-6F7C-4B11-B420-835BD4E291C5 (resized).jpegQuoted from redrock:A lot of ideas to consider. The boards don't smell; it's really dust, discoloration, especially the wires, and dirty contacts. Since I don't have a compressor, I don't think water would dry fast enough. Maybe I could buy a small compressor.[quoted image]
Use a hair dryer and some breezebox fans. The forced hot air from the hair dryer really helps dry things out quickly at this time of the year. Otherwise you'd have to wait for some nice hot 80 degree sunny days.
Quoted from goldenboy232:Ok as promised here's a video of me cleaning the cabinet and bottom board by spraying off with the hose and then drying in the hot sun. I used a fan (as always) to help with the drying on the bottom board.
Photos of the nice dry cabinet and bottom board as well. I think I've restored 24 games over the past nearly six years and I've done this with more than half of those. I love having a clean cab and bottom-board to work from.[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Thanks for sharing the video and images.
I found a product that can be useful but it needs modification. Adapted from auto detail. https://in.pcmag.com/consumer-electronics/111622/dusty-brush-vacuum-attachment-solves-the-pc-cleaning-problem
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