Hi pinsiders

I was never that happy with the "fit" on the solid stainless left IJ ramp into
the whole theme going on in the WMS IJ...the only part left looking like the
other stainless forms in the prototype

So I found a spare on German ebay & took the plunge

Heres the result

STEP 1 : meticulously measure & mark out the spacing for 32 holes & locating
them all so as to not interfere with the travel

STEP 2 : drilling them out along the edge of the "ball track" with my drill press
initially boring a small "pilot hole" & then following with a 10mm bit

STEP 3 : de-bur the penetrations

STEP 4 : tig up the spots where the original welds let go

STEP 5 : de-glaze with bead blast for uniform surface finish

STEP 6 : layer in "candy orange" powder coat until happy with "depth" of colour

STEP 7 : clearcoat

STEP 8 : mylar the centre strip to prevent wear

RESULT :

the "candy" coat is awesome as it achieves both colour complexity in different light
and a "top shelf" hot rodded pin flavour

this is just one of many custom parts on my IJ, hope it serves as an example for both
inspiration & contemplation

cheers

DR

2012-10-23_23.11.28.jpg 2012-11-06_19.58.30.jpg 2012-11-06_19.58.58.jpg

Great range of responses here, thanks for taking time to post...pinside is all the better for it

My theory behind this mod is 3 fold

all other surfaces have been highly detailed in juxtaposition to the finish they ran with on this item???

Furthermore, theres so much great detail behind that ramp (which ironically blocks it out)
so the holes will serve as aperatures to let the light below blaze through in keeping
with the fantastic side art "sunrise" graphic which served as inspiration for this mod

After 2 years of running powder on my habit rails & lock down bar (2 high wear areas)
with no noticeable wear, I have, without hesitation, gone with powder on this ramp

To double up the mylar will cop any tracks & will polish up sweet......

for those interested in a game view, here's a little perspective on that which also
shows the great contrast this finish delivers in different light conditions

I am waiting on the last piece of my IJ puzzle to be powdered and would like to wait to
show the whole machine so the mods can be appreciated in context

cheers

DR

IJ_perspective.jpg