Ive finally started on the teardown of my Getaway to restore and redecal the cabinet. I tore down the playfield about a year ago when i first got it but havent gotten around to doing the cab and head until now. Im starting with the head , going to get that going and then move onto the cab.
And so it begins. IMG_20160403_125252_(resized).jpgIMG_20160403_142643_(resized).jpgIMG_20150723_205606_(resized).jpg

Starting the sanding process. Have a few edges delaminating a bit . Nothing a little quality wood glue and clamps wont fix. sanded_(resized).jpg

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The edges are dinged up pretty good in some areas. I will fill with bondo, and sand back to a nice 90 degree edge.

Thanks jawjaw. It should I planning on powder coating the rails and lockdown bar and reciever red. Going to leave the legs chrome i think. It was tough to start as the machine runs flawlessly at this point but couldnt stand looking at the beat up decals anymore so its time.

Just to backtrack a bit, before removing the connectors i marked them as i went. I decided to tape them of instead of using a sharpie directly on the connectors. that way they are all nice and unmarked once i remove the tape. IMG_20160403_131553_(resized).jpg

Also picked this up today. Going to set up my bench grinder with these polishing wheels and going to give buffing and polishing up all the hardware a go. Any advice on polishing would be appreciated. The kit comes with the treated buffing wheel, spiral sewn buffing wheel, loose sewn buffing wheel, black emery, brown tripoli, white diamond, and red jewelers compounds.

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Thanks Grumpy , I'll try to make a video to post of installing the graphics once I'm at that point.

I got the head pretty much sanded down to the wood using 40 grit and then used bondo one some of the larger dings and then went over it with bondo spot putty filling in all the smaller imperfections. Going to sand all that out using 80 grit, and repeat if necessary going up too 100 grit and so on. Hoping ill be ready to prime and possibly paint this weekend. Then it is on to polishing all the parts while i wait for the paint to dry and then decals.

Sorry, meant to post a few photos.
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Thats partly what delayed me on this. I didnt want to have to stop playing it ! lol

Got a little bit more done tonight. I hate that work, family and all that stuff gets in the way of going full steam on projects like this but alas it tis what it tis ! lol I have the head fully sanded now. Went from 40 to 60, to 100, to 150, to 220 grit. Filling imperfections as i went . Going to prime hopefully tomorrow and should be able to see what i have missed (you always miss something|). Final fill and sand and then paint . Im going to do a full paint job on the entire head, even where the decals will go as i want it smooth as a babies bottom ! Goint to be using Rustoleum painters touch primer and gloss black .

Sorry, forgot to show photos again lol sanded_(resized).jpgIMG_20160407_214128_(resized).jpgIMG_20160407_214114_(resized).jpg

oops, not the right photos, already showed these . God i suck at computer stuff ! lol
Here they are.

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still not it lol |I fucking hate computers ! lol Oh well, you get the picture. Better viewing to come soon! lol

Just opened up my new toy. I have a bench grinder that i could have converted but wanted to have a dedicated buffer/polisher just for pinball. I will have it all set up tomorrow.
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|Thank you sir. Garage is a mess but the beer tastes good

Hey Mancave, the reason i am going with gloss is that the decals will adheire to the gloss paint much better than to a flat or satin paint. Im a professional decal installer (almost 30 years in the business) and i also plan on clearing the cab and head fully once the decals are applied.

Thanks for the words of encouragement ! Im sure we can all help each other in some way !

Work has been really busy so i havent done a ton tthis week but hoping to get the head fully painted and decaled by the end of this weekend now that some nice weather is coming our way. In the meantime ive been cleaning and polishing some of the hardware.

Here is my guetto splatter shield that i so handily crafted with love. Pretty impressive huh ? lol
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Some hardware in the polishing stages and bolts primed.
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Im trying to figure out if i can get away with reinstalling the ground braid with a standard staple gun ? I really dont want to go through the expense of a phnematic stapler and compresser if i can but if not, anyone know where i can source something here in Canada ? I know pinrestore has a nice one but the shipping will kill me.

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Would this stapler work ? https://www.amazon.ca/Porter-Cable-US58-22-Gauge-C-Crown-Upholstery/dp/B00004SBC3

Thanks Platypus. I just talked to a buddy of mine and he has a compresser so thats at least one thing i wouldnt have to worry about. Even if a hand stapler could work im concerned that the staples are a much thicker gauge and wider than the staples used origianlly by williams and would look funny. Any opinions ?

I will do my best to document as much as possible.

Yeah, thats what i figured. Trying to find one similar to the unicatch at pinrestore up here in Canada. The shipping from pin restore is 60.00 and after excahnge rate it would end up costing me like $200.00

Thanks! Can you point me to the correct staples ? 22 gauge, 3/8 wide and 1/4 inch long correct ?

a few more photos. Head is primed and im painting the bottom first so i can stand it up to paint the rest. I plan on clearing the head and cab once the decals are on to better prtect the decals. Anyone tried this ? Any issues found ? I think the decals should be fine as long as i go light on the first few coats of clear.

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I will be lightly sanding in between coats of black to ensure a super smooth finish.

Stapler...75.00... trip to buffalo including fuel, dinner, hotel, etc...200.00-300.00.... happy wife...priceless!! . Sounds good but she teaches yoga on the weekends and would need at least a few weeks to take the time off. I want the stapler now !! lol

Is it that one or this one which is the fine wire stapler ??
Unicatch-US2238A-Gauge-Upholstery-Stapler/dp/B0186MK2VA/ref=sr_1_2?s=miscellaneous&ie=UTF8&qid=1460428504&sr=1-2&keywords=unicatch+stapler#productDetails

https://www.amazon.ca/Unicatch-US2238A-Gauge-Upholstery-Stapler/dp/B0186MK2VA/ref=sr_1_2

Thanks. So, whats the difference between the stapler you linked to and the fine wire unicatch that i linked ? Same staples ? Its 25.00 cheaper.

Cool. Definatly going to clear !!

Awesome. Thank you sir !

So, will any 22 gauge , 3/8 staple work in the unicatch ? Just learning all about these things.

Ok, so i made a little progress over the last few days. Hoping to get more done this weekend (although i have to do more painting at my 76 year old mother in laws new condo tomorrow for a few hrs ). Damn i hate when life gets in the way of my projects !!
Got some color on the head. Im realizing that because of the fact that the back of the head cab is particle board and not plywood that it is not very smooth even after sanding.Can anyone recommend someone in the Toronto area that can screen print the back box rear yellow text ? Lots of little imperfections that i was hoping a couple of coats of paint would cover but it is not . Sooo.. im going to skim the entire back once the paint has cured a few days and then sand and recoat with paint. IMG_20160415_232311_(resized).jpg
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In the meantime , cleaning up all the head hardware. Starting to look good.
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Also moving forward with the Cabinet. What the hell have i got myself into !!!
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Playfield is now removed.
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Menace (Doug) from our amazing Canadian pinball forum (Pinball Revolution ) has graciously offered his stapler to me to borrow so ground braid reinstall should go well (we live 5 mins away from each other ) which is amazing!! Thats Doug though ! Amazing guy and probably one of the best pin repair guys you will ever meet !!

Thanks fantasygoat. I'll reach out to him.

so after a busy week at work i finally had the chance to make some progress this weekend. I got the head painted and then applied the decals. I wanted to make a video of the application but i have no idea how to make a youtube video with my blackberry. My daughter can do it on her iphone but has been out all weekend. Ill try to make one when i do the cab decals.
I trimmed the decals down to the exact size i wanted them to be before applying. Must easier than trying to trim them down once they are applied. IMG_20160424_111410_(resized).jpg
Then i taped the decal up in the exact position IMG_20160424_112936_(resized).jpg
Then, i peel back the top portion of the decal exposing the liner. IMG_20160424_113006_(resized).jpg
Carefully cut off the top piece of liner and the apply the top portion of the decal using a squeegee with some felt on it .IMG_20160424_120244_(resized).jpg
If you dont have any felt, you can use female velcro. Dont use the squeegees hard edge or you run the risk of scratching the decal.
Once you have the top down you can slowly pull down the liner and apply the rest of the decal. Dont take the liner off all at once. Pull a little at a time as you apply. The liner will actually keep the decal from sticking to the surface before too soon. IMG_20160424_113244_(resized).jpg
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Going to let the decals set up for a day or two and then im going to clear the entire head including over the decals to seal everything up.

Also disassembled the door, sanded and repainted. Polished all the hinges and hardware. Once the head is cleared i should be ready to reassemble and get going on the cabinet. Ive already started removing things from the cab to polish and tag and bag.

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Also tore apart and fully cleaned and polished the shifter assembly.
Before...IMG_20160421_201617_(resized).jpgIMG_20160421_201504_(resized).jpg

After...IMG_20160424_204251_(resized).jpgIMG_20160424_204224_(resized).jpgIMG_20160424_204215_(resized).jpg

Thanks Cosmo. Ive also been following your pinbot resto thread. Looking good bother ! So much work ahead of us ! lol

so i got more done over the last couple of days... ive done a lot of cleaning and polishing. lockdown bar receiver is looking good. I produced new decals for it. Also got the first coat of clear on the head. Also got a lot of the cab hardware out. Cleaning , tagging and bagging as i go so that once the cab is empty, everthing will be already cleaned and polished so that once the cab and head are done its just a matter of putting it all back together. So much to do !! lol

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Just pulled the power transformer . Any advice on cleaning this up ? Is it ok to paint the main housing ?
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Thanks Cosmo. Should have caught that in your resto thread. Im going to polish up the mounting hardware so its shines like chrome and then paint the housing. Should look sweet !!

Thanks!

Yeah, decals will adhere better on a gloosier surface. Glossier the better. But i do lightly sand with 1500 grit sandpaper then use a tack rag before applying the decak just to make sure it totally smooth.

Im a professional decal installer (yes, there is such a thing lol) with over 25 years experience so im completely comfortable trimming to exact size and then applying. it removes the risk of gouging the paint having to trim afterwards. Also, i do all decal installations dry.

Thanks, its all about experience and in saying that , im a pro decal guy, not a pro painter so i use rattle cans but i an very good with the spray paint. Sanding in between coats of paint and clear does give me a pretty amazing finish. Not auto finish of course but pretty darn good

Curious? Did you use bbq paint because you were worried about heat or just what you had ? It doesnt put out that much heat does it ?

Ok cool. Im petty sure any spray paint should do then,

Thanks man!. Its becoming quite the trek but should be a pretty amazing looking Getaway whens its done ! Ill do my best to document as much as i can moving forward but feel free to push me for more info as i go .

More progress made. I have all the parts finally polished and cleaned. All awaiting reinstall.
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Was planning on fixing up the old coing door but decided to purchase a nice new door for this rebuild.
old door...IMG_20160501_202217_(resized).jpg
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new door.... IMG_20160504_231712_(resized).jpgIMG_20160504_231719_(resized).jpg

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sorry, last photo is the old door lol

Transformer turned out really nice...
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finally have the cabinet completely stripped including ground braid. Now for some bondo love and sanding ...
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Thats not a flash issue with the front Getaway decal in the last photo. It is actually white from fade. Should look sooo good when redone.

I also cut off ebery single zip tie on every friggin harness and wiped down and cleaned every friggin wire by hand before putting new zip ties on !!! Its amazing how yellowed even the zip ties had become !

ebery = every lol

I also have my buddy Andrew polishing my lockdown bar, siderails and legs to a high chrome finish. He is a pretty amazing guy !. He is selling custom shooter rods on our ?Canadian site Pinball Revolution and they are pretty bloody amazing if i do say so. He only charges around 50.00 or do and you need to go check them out !

Why is that? I do wear a resperator.

Just getting back at things today. Work has been really busy. Id rather be slow and have more time to work on this project ! I said this to my wife and ... hard to believe ...but she truly thinks that working and making money and paying bills is more important than restroing a pinball machine !!! Go figure !! Sometimes i just dont get the opposite sex ?? lol
Made some time today to do some more smalll fills on the cabinet inside and out with bondo, sand, fill again and prime the outside and also do a first coat on the inside. I know a lot of guys like to keep the floor of the inside cab non painted but i like the fully painted look. Im hoping to have another coat inside done tomorrow and then start painting the outside of the cab either late this week or eraly next week . Going to the cottage this weekend for the long weekend . Need some campfire and beer love ! lol

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Another coat inside and then a few coats of black on the outside and then ready to clear. I have every other part of the machine cleaned, polished and ready to go so once i get this baby fully painted and cleared its going to be soo much fun putting it all back together. I have a good friend doing a mirror finish polish on my lockdown bar and side rails and is also doing a custom gear shifter. He wont tell me what is doing with the shooter rod but promises its going to be very cool !! The great part is that he is making a new shaft with the know uncut for it so whatever he does, I will still have the original in case someone wants it back to its original state.

Here is my buddy Andrews work on new shafts. He does great work !!
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Its funny how this started as just cleaning up the cabinet and new decaals but it has ballooned into a full blown resto! lol Its taking so long because every time I think im ready to move to the next step in regards to painting and clearing i find a minor flaw that i need to fix. Being to much of a perfectionist i guess !

Finally have the cab painted. heading to the cottage for the long weekend but should be ready to put the decals on it monday or tues and then finish by clearing the cab and start putting everything back together.
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He still needs to polish up the finished shaft to a chrome finish. He is also going to do something custom for me for as far as the shifter knob goes. Not sure yet what it will be. The good thing is that I won't have to hack off the original knob so I can always go back to the original if I decide to sell it and the person wants it to look original.

Got some work done on this project tonight. Going to be working on it all weekend i hope so should have much more to show soon.
Here is a few photos of the shifter that my friend Andrew made. It is truly amazingly cool and one of a kind !! Check out the last gear ! lol Photos suck, sorry, my blackberry is crap at taking good photos
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Still need to install the front decal and then clear everything. Had a few beers tonight so decal work is out until tomorrow ! lol Starting to repopulate the inside of the cabinet. IMG_20160527_221927_(resized).jpgIMG_20160527_221918_(resized).jpgIMG_20160527_221909_(resized).jpgIMG_20160527_221901_(resized).jpgIMG_20160527_221852_(resized).jpg

Going to do the ground braid tomorrow morning (Menace aka Doug was kind enough to lend me his stapler)and also get the front decal on. Its a tricky one as you need to line it up with the shifter plate. Side decals are on . Wanted to do a video of the install but agin my daughter wasnt around to do it and i dont know how (sorry Grumpy) but feel free to ask any questions as far as graphics install goes and i will do my best to walk you through it.

better photo of the shifter knob..
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And a little more progress.
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Thanks Grinder! If i recall.. (please correct me if i am wrong) but you are in law inforcement correct ? Knowing that makes your thumbs up that much cooler ! Its a lot of work and im not a pro but its been quite the ride so far !!

I bought the decals from classic arcades.

Thanks Paul ! Working on the ground braid at the moment . Still a ton of work left to do on it. Going to start clearing the cab later today or tomorrow morning.

Hey guys, been busy but back at it. Starting to get things back together.

Original..
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New...
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Here is my progress on the cabinet
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Aww man that sucks !! So sorry to hear that !!.

Lemons to lemonade right ?

Got the shifter back in and installed my new key mod from Mezel mods.
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Different shot of the gearshift , first photo looks odd.
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Lockdown receiver installed.
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Man i wish my crappy blackberry took better photos !! they just do not do it justice

Hey guys , its been a couple of weeks since ive been able to get back at it. I took a fall off a ladder two weeks ago and seriously messed up my knee. Couldnt even walk at all for a week. just getting back up and around.
Finally got a few more things done today. Got the boards all cleaned up and installed in the head. Just need to put the light board door back on. IMG_20160625_142909_(resized).jpg New coin door is in and looks great. Im pretty much now at the point where the cab and head are leaving the garage and heading down to the basement man cave to put everything back together but i need to wait until i can get a few friends to help as i cant lift anything yet.
Its getting there !!

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Thanks Paul, yeah, it sucks! Im also hitting 50 and we sure dont heal like we used too .

Still waiting on help from friends to bring the cabinet downstairs (much easier bringing it down head and cab seperately than together) so I can get this puppy back together. I can't wait! But I'm already thinking I'm going to go through the playfield underneath and make sure everything is perfect. I did rebuild all of the flippers and other mechs about 6mnths ago but might as well make sure while it's out of the machine. Also thinking I might tear down the top to clean and polish again even though I already did it 6mnths ago. Again, why not as its out of the machine. What do you guys think?

Thanks for asking. Slowly getting better. Going to take a few more weeks at least before I get full range of motion back but the specialist doesn't think I've done any major damage. Going to be doing physio for a bit. Should help. .

Thanks! Just delayed waiting to get my rails, legs , and lockdown bar back from a friend who is doing a high polish on them. Should be back at it very soon and will continue posting .

im still waiting on a few parts to finally finish this project. Getting a little frustrated but my buddy has been really busy and he is professionally polishing some parts for free so i cant complain i guess. Hopefully getting them soon. In the meantime i am doing some tweaking and fixing of a few things under the playfield while i have the time. One thing that soo many Getaway owners have issues with is the ramp divertor assembly. Mine has worked ok but has always had the odd weird binding issues that so many of these pins have. I realized that it was one of the few assemblies that i had not fully ripped apart and rebuilt. Upon inspection i realized that the main bracket on mine had been welded at some point. Just wont do for this restore. I ordered a new bracket , springs, plunger assenbly and coil sleeve. Fully rebuilt and adjusted and functions flawlessly now.
You can see the weld job done in some of the photos
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And here is it all shiny and new
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Almsot done fully cleaning and tweaking every single switch, coil , connector ,etc under the playfield. Completely cleaned the harness including replacing every zip tie.

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I think i have now rebuilt every mech under the playfield. This puppy should play very well for many years to come once i get er done ! lol So close i can taste it! Hoping to start showing the finishing touches within the next week or two.

Also cleaned and levelled all inserts. I had no idea how dirty the underneath of the inserts could get. All clean now.

Also replaced the playfield slider assemblies. I dont know anyone who owns a Getaway with the originals that still work properly.
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But of course !! I like beer !!

Looking for some opinions.. Im now on the list for the new Getaway playfields. The rerun should be starting early next year. Being in Canada and our shitty dollar its going to cost me around $1200.00 bucks for it. My playfield is in pretty amazing shape with almost no wear except for a little bit missing around a couple inserts which is barely noticable. Shooter lane has the typical dark wear. I know its in pretty great shape compared to most but i know a new playfield would put this machine over the top but is it really worth it ? This is not an "A" list machine and i wonder if i would really get the money back if i happened to sell it down the road. (not that i plan to any time soon but we all know what its like). Im sure i could get a decent dollar for my original playfield (guessing around $300.00). What do you guys think ?