I’ve owned this Fast Draw (my fave pin of all time) for about 30 years but lately while playing I finally noticed I must have a slight horiz. pf cupping. Maybe you own a game that long and the process creeps up on you like old age. During play it’s very hard to notice but rolling the ball down by hand from the top and using a straightedge, yup it was noticeable. So I thought I’d test the angle iron method for the first time in one spot where my square iron just barely fit thru everything, and raised it up enough with spacers on the ends so it clears the screw heads on the flipper units. It works great, testing it with just this one bar and something temporary under the center as the leverage point and the issue is fixed, balls rolls nice and true. Now I’ll make the ends sturdier by using brackets with multiple screws to spread the stress and put an adjustment bolt or whatever in the middle.

Question - do I need to worry about an angle iron shorting together say, a flipper mounting bracket AND a common wire for the GI or feature lamps that is stapled to the pf, or do I need to insulate those points?

A4FF7F36-5B07-48F8-BC0C-933ADBEABEF4 (resized).jpeg

Okay will do, right now no problem because the bar is raised slightly above that stuff, but not by much.

The holes in my bar even coincidentally mated perfectly to two of the existing pf holes for the screws that go into the rails, I mean that’s gotta be the only place on this pf where that is possible. 8()

Cork might be a bit thick, I can raise the bar up more if needed so absolutely is not contacting at those points, and wrap those areas on the bar with electrical tape to be sure. If I raise it up too much I’ll have to adjust the right flipper EOS bracket a bit.

Next is my Gtb. Poker Face, found this perfect spot for an iron right in the center, will need one on either end too because this one has a lot more severe cupping.

CD3F8696-0BFC-4566-9F9C-428D246EDCB5 (resized).jpeg

I’ll post how the Poker Face turns out.

Didn’t know that about Data East games. Many games from the 60s and 70s used the standard U-channel brackets across the top of the arch, now that I think of it they were sort of angle irons that helped keep that end of the pf straight.

Had to go with three 1/2” square bars on Poker Face, ball rolls like it’s supposed to now. I am really surprised it worked on this bad one. The top bar is less wide than the pf so the ends wouldn’t hit the wood pf rails inside the cabinet. For the center one I cut notches in the rails for their ends to fit thru. I used 2” screws that go nearly all the way thru the arch and cardholder wood, or the pf side rails. Still need to reposition the wiring bundle clip screws along the top, and I had to remove one slam switch that was in the way, big deal, who needs it.
Only other game I ever had with a bad warp was a Kings & Queens but it was bowed upwards down the middle and at the time I didn’t know how to correct it because in that case you need something to pull down on the center, not just leverage against it... but I suppose that kind is easier to correct using moisture and heat since you’d apply them on the bare wood side of the pf.
634A0891-F166-44A3-87AA-2033E366DCF7 (resized).jpeg

The first test on the Poker Face I only put in the center bar but no way was that going to correct the entire length. I was worried about the screws being able to hold with the pressure but after using them I am sure you couldn’t pull them out with a team of horses. Since it worked so well I may add one more bar to the FD and get it totally dialed and evened out. Funny thing is now I have to reacquaint myself with Poker Face because after so many years of it being warped, my brain is used to the ball following all the wrong paths.