Count me in!

Finding this is a challenging game so far. . . but the more I play it the more I like it. Been awhile since I had seen the movies. . . almost forgot about ol' Meathead. Anyone besides me hungry for a hotdog while playing??

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Ill be honest, I did not read all 14 pages (but I had in the past -- just cannot remember) what is the farthest contraband you have reached from the warehouse? Tonight I had my right flipper backhand down and just kept flipping the ball back in -- received a game credit after getting the USS Nimitz and the last one I was hit was some kind of cow (could not read the exact description quick enough). . .
Along the way (maybe not exact order and maybe missing a couple) is C4-Explosive, Copper Pinball, Contraband Amunition, Spying Equipment, Infrared Goggles, Secret Viruses (one of my favorites), Police Scanner, Contraband Ivory, Cuban Cigars, Contraband Guns, Contraband Knives, Stolen Jewelry, Computer Code, Computer Software, Passports, Stolen Painting, Tekken Statues, USS Nimitz, Cow. There were a couple others after the Stolen Painting but it was the first time I saw them and cannot remember everything. . .

Added over 7 years ago: Forgot about contraband computer chips and plutonium. After the Nimitz (had another good game today -- did not get a new game credit for the Nimitz this time though) is Dinosaur DNA, Then the Statues, Cow, Body Armor, and the last one I hit was Doggie DNA.
Finally knocked out all the preprogrammed high scores. . . now if I could only get more than one arrest in crime wave. . .

Ive done it once or twice. . . I seem to remember it being a safe house award?? Similar to the Bank Robber/Warehouse Raid/Super Loops/etc. I also saw a new graphic on the DMD of Meathead digging up an extra ball recently. . . never seen that one before.

Finally chasing down the bad optos for the magnet.
DH is the wife's favorite machine but its been a pain avoiding the magnet and then waiting for the coils to cycle thru when the machine cannot find the ball when you do catch it. I would have tackled the job a lot sooner but the problem area is down below just about everything else in the machine. At least this gives me a good excuse for some upgrades. . . . placed orders at Titan, Comet, and Marcos today.

Dirty Harry lives up to its name; my hands looked like I was working in a coal mine after taking all the bits out. The ball launch smashed the snot out of the magnet and opto framework -- possibly a reason why they stopped registering. Ive since modified the shooting lane so the ball leaves with a little less velocity and at a better angle. Will have to post some after shots once everything is all cleaned up.

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New parts arrived. One of the much needed bits was a new magnet core; the ball was a bit rough on the original.

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A lot of cleaning, installation of new silicone bands from Titan, LEDs from Comet, and misc. parts (magnet core, optos, etc.) from Marcos and I was able to get things back together.

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Love the working magnet. I cannot believe how much more life the ball has with the new bands -- the pop bumpers are actually popping now that the ball bounces back into them. Having GI bulbs that are not all burnt out has made a huge difference as well. Pictures are OK, but it looks so much better in person.

Thanks to the Pinside Archives for helping me answer a couple real time questions. I liked the game before, but now it is at another level.

Harry is underrated in my opinion, glad to have one in the game room.

I found a similar issue with my machine. When I took everything apart to replace the magnet optos I found the ball gave a beating to the magnet core as well.

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It an also take a chunk out of your playfield if it goes on long enough.

Its not very technical, but secured a slight downward deflecting piece of cardboard at the end of the shooter lane to: 1. Take a bit of velocity out of the ball and 2. direct it slightly downward away from the metal bracket in your picture.

So far (several months) the fancy piece of cardboard has fixed the problem.

Usually from the ball launch -- the ball tends to take a downward trajectory out of the shooter lane and pummels the magnet/opto bracket in that general area.

Soooo I had a bit of free time today to work on some other machines while the clear coat is curing on Paragon. One of the things that has bothered me on Dirty Harry is a broken stand up target, probably due to a foam deficiency.

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Replacements are not available that I could find (perhaps someone can enlighten me?) so I took action today on an idea that came to me a couple weeks ago. Started with pulling the target from under the playfield -- of course this one does not have a quick disconnect. I may progress to desoldering but will leave it attached to the harness for now.

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Drilled out one of the rivets holding the switch together, this allowed me to twist the target and get access to the target rivet.

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Drilled the target rivet to free the plastic.

So what is my fix? I had pulled a couple of the other targets awhile back so I could measure/make some new decals. I had them at work and while cleaning at the office I came across a box of old rabies tags from several years ago (its ok, I work in a veterinary clinic ). I was looking at the red hydrant tag. . . looked at the target. . . can you see where I am going here?

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A few minutes at the grinding wheel and I have something that looks rather close to the plastic original.

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Dont think its the same tag? Here is a pic of the front with the writing. I whited out my address/phone number as I don't need any crank calls.

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Matching the new target up to the new decals. . . looks close.

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Resting the damaged target over the potential replacement. A little to take off here and there around the curve at the top but not bad. A hole will be drilled using the original as a guide.

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This was my stopping point for today. I need to order some new rivets before I can proceed.

Don't go pulling your pooches credentials just yet for your own fix -- I have no idea how this will work. I figured the aluminum tag is softer (like the plastic is) than the metal ball, but I am not sure how likely it is to bend. The thickness is near identical to the original plastic target so it is rather stout. I will post back once I've installed and refoamed with some follow up details.

I completely understand what you are saying and I have my reservations as well. . .
The way I see it there are no vulnerable plastics behind this target and I plan on putting the decal over the aluminum to absorb some of the impact (decal has just a bit of thickness to it). It is an experiment for sure, but I like taking a chance on something new now and again.

As promised a couple installed pictures. I chose to cover the rivet with the decal.

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Things seem to be holding up after a dozen or so games and some targeted hits. If I make another run of the decals I may make the white lines more pronounced so you can actually see them while playing.

Not saying it cannot be done, but I don't think my gun rotates to an optimal angle to shoot the ball up the right ramp.

With the force the ball has coming out of the gun I'd be worried about cracking my ramp plastic too.

I give a three second count from when the gun begins its upward rotation and can typically hit the left ramp nine out of ten times.

Its also the super jackpot, so why not go for it instead of those measly regular jackpots?