After reading the posts on this subject, I picked up some SC rails from Paul Drabik last weekend. At usual, Paul was a pleasure to deal with. When I got the rails home and unpacked them, I could see the excellent fit and finish, with obvious attention to detail.

The pictures and comments that others have posted served as a good reference for me. Having said that, here are some additional observations and notes on my installation experience.

I've seen mention of some people removing the playfield from the game, in order to install the rails. I didn't find that necessary, using the method outlined below.

I used a pair of clamps with rubber pads to set and hold the rails. When I added the first clamp at one end of the rail, I looked at the other end and could see the playfield had a bow of around 5/16". Not bad, but not something I wanted to leave as-is.

Clamping that other end brought the playfield flush with the rail. When clamping, only pick spots with a wood rail, leaving some clearance around the screw holes. I hope this is obvious, but don't clamp on any playfield plastics.

Before going any further, triple-check placement of the rail and make sure the spot labelled for the short screw is actually below a spot where no wood rail is above it. It is marked but verify everything, as this is an installation that you want to get right the first time.

If you are experienced with wood projects and hand drills, I recommend pre-drilling the holes with a 3/32" drill bit, using masking tape 3/4" from the tip of the bit, to act as a depth gauge. Do one hole at a time, then install and tighten the screw before moving on to the next hole.

Do the short screw last, and make sure not to drill that hole as deep!

YOU MUST DRILL STRAIGHT. Any side-to-side angle may cause the screw to poke out! If you are not handy, get help from someone who is.

Use a nut driver to start the screw and follow-up with a small rachet, especially in hard-to-reach spots. Fully tighten, but don't over-do it.

When all done and lowering the playfield, check to see if the playfield fully seats in the lock bar. If it doesn't, one of the plastic cable-management loops on the left-side wall of the cabinet may be in the way. Unscrew it and let it hang, then try again. If the playfield sits well, you can either screw the loop in a lower spot in the cabinet or just leave it unattached.

This is a highly recommended item to add to your game and one that should be done earlier rather than later, as the playfield bowing will likely get worse over time, without the rails.

Minor critique: It would be good if the left-side rail, which has an indentation for the adjustable outlane post, extended that indentation a bit, to accommodate any post setting. I'm sure a bit of work with a Dremel could fix that.

Steve