(Topic ID: 161259)

What, no love for Old Chicago?

By embryonjohn

7 years ago


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There are 146 posts in this topic. You are on page 3 of 3.
#101 7 years ago
Quoted from dasvis:

I was bummed that the OC at the NW pin show was tournament only. It's been 40 years since I played one & was looking forward to trying it out before my restore is done. Oh well, another month or two I guess..

There is one on location at Blackbird pizza in Portland if you can't wait to play it. Great game. Very Hard to crack replays on.

#102 7 years ago
Quoted from dasvis:

First test fit of CPR Old Chicago repro backglass with Gatekeepers stainless bottom channel into freshly repainted backbox, using Pinball Pimp stencil set.
Looking good!
Shot left side of yellow on cabinet this morning, just the right side to go....

Nice work dasvis. Cab looks fantastic.

A small correction. Pinsider Gatecrasher sells the backglass channel

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/backglass-lift-channel-installation-guide

Just passing this along if anyone needs for reference here.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/gatecrashers-hardware-vids-review

Carry on.

#103 7 years ago
Quoted from Captive_Ball:

Nice work dasvis. Cab looks fantastic.
A small correction. Pinsider Gatecrasher sells the backglass channel
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/backglass-lift-channel-installation-guide
Just passing this along if anyone needs for reference here.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/gatecrashers-hardware-vids-review
Carry on.

Yeah, Gatecrasher's stainless bits are the bees knees. He should branch out & make stainless nails for the siderails too!
I picked up some 10-24 stainless carriage bolts & SS wing nuts from McMaster Carr to replace the ones holding the knocker & the tilt mech board on. Also used a 10-24 SS carriage bolt to replace the thumbtack on the front of the cabinet to protect the paint from the coin return button. Had to drill a hole for it of course. Oh yeah, a 1/4-20 SS carriage bolt replaced the zinc plated steel one for the lock down lever pivot bolt (you can see the head of it just above the coin door on the right side).
Chucked them all up in my drill & polished the heads of course.

2 weeks later
#104 7 years ago

Well, after reading Rotordave's review of these playfield protectors, I went ahead & ordered one for my Old Chicago project.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/lexan-playfield-protector-install-and-review

My playfield is really nice, but the inserts are cupped. This should solve that problem w/o the hassle of clear coating. VERY fast shipping from Germany! I tracked it - it shipped on 10/17 & arrived here today 10/19.

It's all together & plays very nicely, but still have issues with the drop targets not resetting consistantly. It's either the springs, or too much slop in the linkage, which on a Bally is non-adjustable... so I ordered a new set of springs, a reset bar & side links, & fabricated a new fiber link for the solenoid. As soon as the parts arrive I will reassemble and put the playfield protector on.

Photos to follow once it's complete!

#105 7 years ago
Quoted from dasvis:

Photos to follow once it's complete!

What a tease

#106 7 years ago

Mine hardly ever reset all at once either. I thought it was the ghost of John Dillinger taking some target practice

#107 7 years ago

Pinball dreams John Dillinger stencils.
Chromed lockdown bar and other parts.
Custom paint colors.
Pics coming in a few weeks when job is done.
Painting by CPR artist Lance Foster.

This is going to look great.

#109 7 years ago
Quoted from embryonjohn:

Mine hardly ever reset all at once either. I thought it was the ghost of John Dillinger taking some target practice

Well, I will let you know if my shotgun approach works. My theory is that with so much slop in the linkage, it's not lifting the targets up far enough to give the weak springs time to effectively pull the lip of the drop target onto the edge of the playfield.
Perhaps new springs would have fixed it, but I had it pulled back out anyway, might as well do it up right.

#110 7 years ago
Quoted from BumperMcBaulhogh:

I guess there is no love for Old Chicago! Over two pages and not one mention!?! Boo!

Thanks for mentioning this. I find the history of derelict amusement parks fascinating... middle-class fantasy frozen in photos, never to return the same way again. I was too young and too far away to visit Old Chicago, alas. Biggest regret is not seeing the Krofft theme park and its life-size pinball ride. I can't believe it was never filmed... come on someone... give it up!

Nowadays, the closest thing we have is Disney and Vegas. Both fun in their own ways, but the rest of these ambitious halls of fantasy (large and small) are long gone, with shopping malls following in their footsteps.

#111 7 years ago
Quoted from dasvis:

Well, I will let you know if my shotgun approach works. My theory is that with so much slop in the linkage, it's not lifting the targets up far enough to give the weak springs time to effectively pull the lip of the drop target onto the edge of the playfield.
Perhaps new springs would have fixed it, but I had it pulled back out anyway, might as well do it up right.

My drop target repairs worked great! Clean resets every time now.

Got the playfield protector installed----
OC prefit (resized).JPGOC prefit (resized).JPG
Testing to see what needed to be removed for install
OC fitted (resized).JPGOC fitted (resized).JPG
Fitted
OC installed (resized).JPGOC installed (resized).JPG
Backings peeled & installed

Fit was great - just needed a tiny bit of trimming around two posts at the top, easily done with a new xacto blade & now it lays flat.
Looks like a deep clearcoat job at first glance, but yes, you can see the edges if you are looking for them. Did not have time to put it all back together last night, but I did roll the ball around just to see how it felt. Was really quiet & the problematic sunken inserts were no longer an issue. So far so good.

#112 7 years ago

Looks great..thanks for sharing.

1 week later
#113 7 years ago

Great job!!!

#114 7 years ago

Thanks Tom -
Hey, did you ever make it down to the Union barrel & check out the EM's they had?
If not it's too late, I heard they closed up.
There's still The coin jam - but sadly, no EM's or early SS pins there...

1 week later
#115 7 years ago

i snooze,
I lose
i guess
pissed at myself
for not getting down there sooner.

Quoted from dasvis:

Hey, did you ever make it down to the Union barrel & check out the EM's they had?
If not it's too late, I heard they closed up.

1 week later
#116 7 years ago

All most done. Shout out to Lance Foster and Pinball Dreams.

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#117 7 years ago

Just picked her up today!

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#119 7 years ago

Ah, Dillinger's been shot! Turned on my OC tonight to play and I've got a perplexing problem: when the ball drains, the score motor just runs and runs.

Investigating further, the bonus countdown is not starting... so then it does not trigger the full sequence of ball count, ball (to shooter lane) eject, drop target reset, etc. But individually all those functions seem to work if I manually trigger them.

For additional troubleshooting, I cleaned all the switches on the score motor, but that made no difference.

Oddly enough, when the ball drains and the score motor just runs and runs... my only option is to turn off the machine. When I turn it back on, it goes into an "infinite reset cycle" of resetting the drop targets, etc.

If I don't turn off the machine, and instead take off the glass and manually flick the ball back to the shooter lane, the game continues and functions as normal, without bonus and ball count, etc.

So can anyone lend a clue where to start digging deeper? I suspect the bonus count but then how is this triggered, specifically?

#120 7 years ago

After studying the behavior, and the way components tie together in the schematic, I realized that the bonus countdown actually wasn't working as expected.

I got confused because the bonus unit *IS* required to get the ball to reset, etc... so, in that sense it appeared to be functional. But in actuality, the reset/countdown solenoid was not triggering on its own. Once I realized this, I confirmed that the "stuck motor" would end if I manually stepped the bonus unit down: counting down the bonus has to happen before the target resets, outhole kick, etc occur.

This of course proved that all the relays worked. But triggering other relays actually got the bonus step down to work, too...! So clearly there's no hard-fault broken connection. So what was the problem?

The outhole bonus relay has a several switches... one of which directly controls the bonus unit step-down. This outhole bonus relay was working... but that lone switch was not making good contact. It took me an hour to finally confirm the problem was indeed limited to that switch...

...and another hour to fix the damn thing. Of course it would have to be a relay that's one of the most difficult to access... and not just that, but out of 7 switches connected to it, the defective one was the absolute hardest to reach of those! Then simply cleaning and adjusting it did not work. I could watch it make contact but no matter what, I had to press or hold it to make it fire.

So in the end I had to disassemble the stack and reverse one of the affected switch leaves to restore reliable contact points. For not having a spare switch of that size on hand, nor wanting to solder in that inaccessible spot (shoot, you'd have to disassemble the entire game just to get enough slack out of the wires in that spot, arrgh)... I was pretty pleased to at least be able to improvise that far.

So now, the game works as it did before!

#121 7 years ago

Switch tension is critical for sure. I am currently fighting a similar issue on my OC as well. Is it just me, or is mine the only machine where the idiot assembling it put half of the switch stack contacts in upside down?
I thought that was only an issue on early Williams SS pins.

#122 7 years ago

Most (if not all?) of the switches on my OC are backwards too. I guess the B/W plants were sharing drugs as well as tech back then...

3 weeks later
#123 7 years ago

My house is too full (according to all of the nonpinball fans in my house) and I'm going to have to part with some machines. I'm going to have to let my Old Chicago go. I love it, but can't fit it. the playfield is in great condition and the backglass is perfect. the machine works and the components look like they have seen very little wear. This machine was stored safely for 20-30 years before I rescued it and dusted it off. PM me if you are interested. I'm in Colorado.

#124 7 years ago
Quoted from canoncitypb:

My house is too full (according to all of the nonpinball fans in my house) and I'm going to have to part with some machines. I'm going to have to let my Old Chicago go. I love it, but can't fit it. the playfield is in great condition and the backglass is perfect. the machine works and the components look like they have seen very little wear. This machine was stored safely for 20-30 years before I rescued it and dusted it off. PM me if you are interested. I'm in Colorado.

Bump for a cool pin!

#125 7 years ago
Quoted from canoncitypb:

My house is too full (according to all of the nonpinball fans in my house) and I'm going to have to part with some machines. I'm going to have to let my Old Chicago go. I love it, but can't fit it. the playfield is in great condition and the backglass is perfect. the machine works and the components look like they have seen very little wear. This machine was stored safely for 20-30 years before I rescued it and dusted it off. PM me if you are interested. I'm in Colorado.

Quoted from dasvis:

Bump for a cool pin!

Always so far away....another bump

#126 7 years ago

I dig OC a lot. There used to be one in our regular tournaments and it was a great tourny machine. Get several bonus lights lit, hit the collect saucer, dead bounce from left to right, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat.... I miss it.

#127 7 years ago

Got mine on the way to Expo in October, 20 miles from the show in downtown Chicago. New rubber, ball and playfield protector and that was it. $350...yes I got lucky.

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#128 7 years ago
Quoted from pinzrfun:

Got mine on the way to Expo in October, 20 miles from the show in downtown Chicago. New rubber, ball and playfield protector and that was it. $350...yes I got lucky.

You stole that pin!

1 month later
#129 7 years ago

pasted_image OC (resized).pngpasted_image OC (resized).png

#130 7 years ago

NICE!
Is that the original apron on there, or is it a decal kit? The pink really pops, mine are all faded & I am concerned that the decals available are crap.

#131 7 years ago

Very nice, indeed!

#132 7 years ago

Did OC have yellowed pop bumper caps from the factory? Or did they fade over time? Seems like every original OC that I've found has yellowish pop caps matching the playfield color.

I think it looks better with new white caps, bodies, and skirts.

#133 7 years ago

Beautiful restoration! That's a real showpiece you've got there.

On another note, I have a mint OLD CHICAGO backglass if someone is looking for one.

#134 7 years ago
Quoted from dasvis:

NICE!
Is that the original apron on there, or is it a decal kit? The pink really pops, mine are all faded & I am concerned that the decals available are crap.

Yes, original apron. I have a decal but did not use it.

Much thanks Lance Foster for all the hard work!

It is beautiful.

#135 7 years ago
Quoted from wolftownjeff:

Yes, original apron. I have a decal but did not use it.
Much thanks Lance Foster for all the hard work!
It is beautiful.

All the chrome work was done by Woody of Pinball Plating. Looks wonderful Woody. Thanks!

1 week later
#136 7 years ago
Quoted from NicoVolta:

Did OC have yellowed pop bumper caps from the factory? Or did they fade over time?

NicoVolta I think they yellowed over time. When I got mine they all had the "playfield matching" look, but to slightly varying degrees. That variance plus other clues from careful inspection when I removed them, indicated to me that they were originally white and not an off-white / yellow.

Regardless, it looks much better after replacing them. I need to do the skirts and bodies too; oddly enough those are mostly un-yellowed but they're brittle from age.

1 month later
#137 7 years ago

Long shot, but has anyone here replaced or upgraded their apron, and have a good original to part with? Mine is badly faded on one side and missing part of the screening (and Bally Man's legs!) on the other.... so if there's an "upgrade" available I might be interested.

I guess plastics too, while I'm asking? Left side ones primarily.

FWIW I shared this at the Louisville show a couple weeks ago and it played without a hitch the entire time. Neat to see the EMs getting love in a row of SS machines.

OC (resized).jpgOC (resized).jpg

#138 7 years ago
Quoted from goingincirclez:

Long shot, but has anyone here replaced or upgraded their apron, and have a good original to part with? Mine is badly faded on one side and missing part of the screening (and Bally Man's legs!) on the other.... so if there's an "upgrade" available I might be interested.
I guess plastics too, while I'm asking? Left side ones primarily.
FWIW I shared this at the Louisville show a couple weeks ago and it played without a hitch the entire time. Neat to see the EMs getting love in a row of SS machines.

CPR has complete plastics sets available. Apron is a tough one. At one point in time, Pinball Rescue was making apron decals, but once that ass @ PPS started putting his hand out for a cut of the profits they discontinued production of Bally & Williams products. There is a group of guys making repro Bally aprons, but they have not announced Old Chicago as one they will be working on (yet).

#139 7 years ago

Hmm, I'd wondered about the decal situation as I've heard passing mention in other threads but never about OC. I thought about making my own but then I still need a good reference pic or scan.

As for the CPR sets, those are indeed beautiful... but pricier than I'm willing to spend since I don't need a full set, just a few on the left side. I'd really rather spend on a stencil kit to repaint the cab before I spring for CPR plastics. I figure someone out there pickier than I has replaced originals that were still better than mine. Or maybe not... don't know if I don't ask!

4 years later
#140 2 years ago
Quoted from embryonjohn:

Sure does toughen it up a little. Needed something to balance out all that purple, pink and sea foam green.

[quoted image][quoted image]

Very cool cabinet artwork on this Old Chicago. I love the imagery of the car at the coin door and on the sides of the cabinet.

6 months later
#141 2 years ago

Found this in my archive. My only ever tie game in 35 or so years of pinball. And we both rolled it!

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#142 2 years ago

Sadly I missed out on a locally listed Old Chicago last week. Still keeping my eye out for one.

10 months later
#143 1 year ago

Working to get a unit back to working condition

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#144 1 year ago

Should clean up nicely and will be well worth it!

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#145 1 year ago
Quoted from pinzrfun:

Got mine on the way to Expo in October, 20 miles from the show in downtown Chicago. New rubber, ball and playfield protector and that was it. $350...yes I got lucky.

[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from pinzrfun:

Should clean up nicely and will be well worth it!
[quoted image]

Been thinking about that playfield protector for the cupped inserts. Can see it on your playfield. Does well?

#146 1 year ago

Getting ready for triple thick

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