Some folks have asked me to document my progress. I have been working on the game for the past three weeks so initial thread will be a flood, that I will revise and edit to beef out.

Whirlwind is one of the first pins that I have ever played that I got hooked on (Monster Bash being the other). I had been on the lookout for the last five years or so, but they were always a bit out of my price range. Last month a got a text from a friend asking me if I knew of anyone looking for a Whirlwind. He had found one while looking at a lot of vintage cars. The price and was right so I jumped at the chance. Plus I got to spend some quality time with a good friend surrounded by two amazing vintage car collections.

Upon initial inspection PF was filthy, spinner disc decals were shot, broken plastics and god knows what else was lurking in the darkness. Add in the almost always needed flipper rebuilds and this was going to be a top to bottom strip and clean.

I have torn down quite a few machines in my day, some have even gotten put back together. Prior to any restoration I review a bunch of old threads and see if there are any new ones with new tips/tricks. Below is a list that I consulted for this restoration, I will add to it as the project continues.

Useful Links



The Gold Standard: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-ultimate-playfield-restoration

Mof’s PF Guide: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/playfield-swap-guide

My Guide On Dimpling PF: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/nerdygrrls-guide-on-what-to-do-if-your-new-pf-isnt-dimpled

Solid WW PF Swap Thread: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ww-restore-something-old-something-new

Detailed WW Restoration W/ Rebuild Documentation: http://www.enteryourinitials.com/2017/03/07/whirlwind-repair-service-log-1/

*Vid’s Guide To Harness Cleaning: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cleaning-playfield-harnesses-vids-guide

* Use Caution, see page () for my results

Thread Glossary

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When I got home I did a more thorough assessment of the game and started to do some interweb searches for replacement bits. I had lucked out with the timing of my purchase as CPR had many of the needed parts available so I wouldn’t have to scour the dark web for replacement slingshot plastics. Since this was going to need a full, labor intensive strip, including various rebuilds and since I did not have a to trade a kidney for my slings I decided to pull the trigger and get the complete CPR combo (PF, plastics, and BG). My first time doing so and a big splurge for me. 



Also In The Works:

Drop Target Rebuilds
Pop Bumper Rebuilds
Flipper Rebuilds
New Standup Targets
New Springs All Around

*New Ramps

*Not Planned

One of the best parts of doing these swaps is learning new things about the machine that you picked up. I hadn’t known that in the original run, the boy with the vid cam was wearing a cubs hat. Being a huge Cubs fan, I took a look at my original translate and sure enough I had a game from one of the original runs. You could see that the Williams logo on my translate was just a sticker. I gently pulled it off and yay!



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With my CPR kit ordered, it was time to start breaking down the PF. Remember boys and girls take lots of pics and when you think that you have taken enough take more. No real method to the madness, I just start at bottom and work my way up.



I have worked on my fair share of System 11 pins and I must say this PF breakdown was a PIA. So much locktite and hard to get at posts, it was by far the most time consuming and difficult breakdown I have done. It validated the purchase of the CPR PF for me, I would have hated to have spent this much time breaking it down just to put everything back on an old and dirty PF. 



Oh, more broken bits that had not been factored into the project budget (shakes fist at sky).

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Now that everything has been removed, let’s get started cleaning. This will be the first restoration that I have done where I have access to an ultrasonic cleaner. I get chills just thinking about it. Exciting times here at case da nerdygrrl

No matter how many times you have done a shop job, PF swap, or restoration you can all, but guarantee there will be some sort of hiccup along the way. 

I have always used simple green to clean my posts and things. The only issues I have ever had with it were on the pan head screws so I leave them out and soak everything else overnight to get off the grime before tumbling.

As I mentioned I had access to an ultrasonic cleaner so I used that instead of doing the overnight soak. After just twenty minutes all my bits started to turn grey from some sort of reaction to the simple green. This will eventually work its way out in the tumbler, but it takes 4-5x longer and never really gets back to normal. The bottom pic is after three days in the tumbler. I ended up doing another 2 and still not happy with the finish. *sigh*

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So one of the new tricks I noticed while doing my research was Vid’s guide to harness cleaning: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cleaning-playfield-harnesses-vids-guide



I have thrown harnesses in the dishwasher before, but in his guide he mentions tossing entire mechanisms in there. What a great time saver…or is it.



I got mixed results and in the end, I am not sure I would put anything other than the harnesses and ball guides in the dishwasher. Perhaps it’s because my washer is newer, maybe my water is hotter or has a different mineral content, but I lost a lot of chrome running my bits through, some other metals were permanently discolored and others pitted. You can see the damage on the pop bumper brackets in the washer rack as well as the disc housing. Below are a couple of pics of what the kicker assmeblies looked like out of wash and brackets after a good tumbling and buffing.

Use with caution. Results may vary.

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My CPR swag arrived, and there is just no comparison. My old PF was ok, but again, given everything the game needed to be functional (rebuilds, strip, new targets, decals, etc) and the time spent to do the work, it only made sense to get a new PF.

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Today is my bday and I had taken a couple of days off to work on this. On Monday I started to work on the PF side of things (drilling, clearing, countersinking, etc). I had hoped to have it prepared and ready for initial installing this week. Like I said above, no matter how many games you have worked on, there will be hiccups.

This is my first CPR PF swap and it did not start out smoothly: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/help-with-cpr-pf-filled-in-holes-chipping-like-crazy

After a lot of freaking out and some input from friends I ditched the brad points (for now) and went with a little more heat, the dremel and finally the drill bits. I think this was 99.9% user error. I hadn't used heat when testing the diameter and probably didn't use enough when drilling the first hole and that resulted in the cracked clear.

As folks have mentioned in that thread, if you are going to do a swap, get Kruzman's kit.

Update: While at Harbor Freight I found the lovely kit of diamond bits for $8. They're sure to help out!

Major success time to move to the next stage. Huzzah…..wait what the …..!@#* word !@#* word !@#* word You have to be !@#* kidding me

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Ever watch a movie and miss the big glaring thing that was in front of you the entire time? That’s where we are now. My celebration was cut short as I moved onto the next step, drilling out the dimples, only to discover that the only areas that had been pre-drilled were for the through and throughs. None of the topside areas for anything that have a wood screw base were dimpled. None were marked. 



I know in runs past they have been dimpled and marked. Their website main pic shows a dimpled PF, but the gallery pics do not. I emailed CPR to see if this lack of dimpling was intentional or if I got a dud. I am still waiting to hear back, but some other folks from the Whirlwind Club told me their PF’s are the same. 



Sadly, this is not something I planned for. This is a big hurdle for me. It adds a lot of time to the project and quite honestly not something that I am sure I can pull off. There are over 50 locations that will have to be pinpointed and then drilled by hand. 

I had hoped to sell my old PF to recoup some of the costs from this project, but it looks like I may have to use it as a guide to mark the new PF. 


First pic is of the first CPR run and the thumbnail they use on their site. The second is my PF.

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So this is where it stands now, the PF is on hold until I hear back from CPR. I will start the flipper and other rebuilds while I wait.

Current Mood:

No, the three wire rails had been dimpled and as small as they were are visible. This was just a skipped step.

Thanks for all of the tips and examples guys. A lot of this is just shock and trying to readjust and a lot is not being confident enough in my abilities to do this with tracing paper. I don't have the steadiest of hands so the tracing and then drilling 50+ spots without a guide is a little nerve racking. Had I known, I definitely would have passed. That being said what's done is done and I need to move forward with this. Hoping to hit up the local art supply store for either frisket or tracing paper today.

It's a long weekend here so hoping to get some rebuilds done and address some wiring issues that are present. It seems like previous owners or tech were/was not very good at re-pinning connectors

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Thanks!

Yeah, my SoF tear down and "swap" was a breeze compared to this. I almost dropped you a line to pick your brain from when you did the Taxi. I'll definitely let you know about the PF.

Definitely not, the pre-soak was for the tumbler. I usually do an overnight soak in SG before tossing the bits in the tumbler, been doing it for years without issue. This restoration I had access to an ultrasonic so used that. I suspect you are correct about length, though some buddies of mine that also do restorations have been having issues with SG lately. Perhaps they changed the formula. Anyway live and learn and document for others.

I was already pretty excited about everything in the queue for this weekend and then my ramp set from Marco came in AND I got this lovely HF gift card for my b-day. Who needs diamonds and shoes when you can have poorly crafted tools

I'm pretty pumped about the card as I lent out a bunch of my tools I use for these jobs and didn't get them back. Now I can pickup a buffing wheel so make everything really shine.

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This is a very abbreviated guide. I plan on doing a more thorough, learn from my mistakes guide in the next few days.

Time to get frisket with it. I had some “help” on the template today. She doesn’t let her blindness get in the way of her pinball fixin.

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Tools needed: Blue Painters tape to hold plastic in place, calipers, T square, bolt guide, 3/32 bits, ruler, marker or pen that can write on plastic.

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I am lucky enough to live in a college saturated area. As a result we have a great little art supply store in town and I got these 25” x 40” sheets of clear “frisket” to create a template. They don’t quite go down to the bottom, but they were better than nothing.

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At first I lined up and leveled the top and then marked my sides. This turns out does not work as we shall see. After finding my old and new pinball machines did not line up I went back and marked major landmarks.

I did my best to trace out the white areas and the major holes. I am posting this without knowing if my method worked and my marks are ok. I did my best, but I am still pretty upset about the topside not being dimpled. I really hate that I have to experiment on a $750 PF.

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Instead of marking the holes in pen as others have done, I drilled them out. I used a 3/32 bit and my handy dandy bolt guide. I would line the guide up over existing mark (hole size #3) and then drill through the plastic to create a template. All in all it took about thirty minutes to do. Super easy.

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As I noted, at first I marked the sides and top, as well as a few smaller landmarks, but when trying to line up the template on the new PF there were some issues. After taking a walk, drinking a beer and reflecting on my poor life choices I removed the frisket and went back to the old PF and marked some larger landmarks. Fingers crossed this works…

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We will use a 3/32 drill bit to “dimple”. I know some folks like to use the 7/64 for the #6 hex heads, but I went with 3/32. I can always go up if needed. Again, I will use the #3 hole in the bolt guide as a guide to lineup the drill bit. This really helps if you have shaky hands like me and makes lining the drill bit up a breeze. It really helps to cut back on slippage.

Before we drill we are going to heat. I have a heat gun, but hate it. For me, nothing beats my Revlon. As my granddad always said, “you’ve got to have the right tools…”

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So after a stressful session, we have a 99.9% topside drilled PF. I really hope this is right. I measured with the calipers as best I could. There is a reason why Williams and others did these with templates and CNC machines. They really shouldn't be done free hand by amateurs.

There are still another four or so through and through's that will need to be drilled out. I will use my old PF as a guide as well as a drill press to do those to help insure they are straight.

That's pretty much it for today. Hoping to get the bottom side template done tomorrow.

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Major thanks for the kind words. The bottom side I could live with. It's the stress of the topside that was getting to me. Oddly enough the bottom side is dimpled, they just didn't do the top.

I emailed CPR on Monday and Tuesday and I still haven't heard back from them about it. This is really something that should be done with their template to make sure the marks are based on the same data points. I'm glad it's over, let's just hope that it works and that I didn't make any mistakes.

Thanks, we shall see if it lines up correctly. Many guides and other bits that really need to be lined up perfectly.

Brave, stupid, reckless I wasn't sure what else to do. In hindsight there are some things I would have done differently. Especially in areas with ball guides. We shall see how this turns out and then maybe make a new thread about how to turn your CPR into swiss cheese. I say with some sarcasm.

On the first run of Whirlwinds the topside was dimpled. Most of their PF's have the dimpling, which isn't great, but a solid enough guide. For some reason this run did not. I emailed them twice about it last week and did not hear back either time. I am very curious as to wether or not this was a mistake or intentional. It's been over five months since the run, so I am guessing others have had the same problem.

Sunday Funday: Drill Baby Drill.

With the top side "dimpled", let's countersink the pop bumper screws.

There are many useful guides out there, @swampfire's has been my go to on this. A lot of great WW info: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ww-restore-something-old-something-new

There are several ways to go about this. Some countersink with a drill, some whack with a hammer and others pull the nail though from the backside by tightening. Concerned about cracking the clear, I decided to go the countersink route.

Tools needed: Countersink Bit Slightly Larger Than Nail Head, Drill, and of course your handy heat source (hair dryer or heatgun).

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The nails I picked up from Pinballlife had 1/4" heads so I went with this handy little 5/16 bit by Kobalt. It has a smaller bit for piloting and then the larger bit to countersink.

To get your depth set correctly, simply insert bit into old nail hole and mark the bit. You can use a sharpie, tape, etc.

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Before drilling on your new PF remember to heat the clear first and then as best as you can center the pilot bit in preexisting hole and carefully drill.

Some Before and Afters:

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I would take this thread thus far with a grain of salt. I plan on doing a recap when all is said and done. I am sure there are many errors that we can all learn from. That being said, I am not sure about re-sealing the pop nails. I think that Kruzman kit you recommend in my other thread would allow for that.

I dropped them another line today. I am hoping they write back and clarify what happened with these.

Not sure what I am going to tackle today. I didn't have much time to work on the game yesterday so I am a bit behind in my schedule. That being said, I thought it would be fun to think about something other than the PF.

I've been thinking of swapping out the yellow pops and red flasher domes with blue. I hate the way the red flashers look and thought it might be nice to try and incorporate some more blue on the PF. I really dug the Blue Moon BSD. I wouldn't go crazy with blue LED's, but just a few plastic changes. The yellow gives it a nice contrast, so I am a little hesitant that going blue may just mute everything. I would to hear everyone's thoughts.

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Update: Kevin from CPR got back to me. The lack of dimpling was not intentional. It was a missed step in the CNC process. There is not a lot that they can do for me given they only have lesser "quality" bronze PF's available, but he did offer me a bit of a refund for the troubles.

Knowing that this impacts more PF's than just my own, and it's something that other WW folks are going to have to deal with, I wrote up a far more detailed orientated post about how to go about template making, dimpling, etc. I am hoping to save others from the mistakes I made and make the process a bit easier. I need to take some more detailed photos and then I'll post it in a separate thread. Hoping to have it finished by the weekend.

Snow day here yesterday, so I was able to get some work done. I took a break from PF prep to give my nerves, brain and liver a break. I decided to work on some easy cosmetic stuff and got most of the brackets polished, new coil wrappers printed and applied, drops stickers applied and rebuilt...

Today will be a bit more of the same. The tumbler is going, the ultrasonic is doing it's thing, and I am slowly working through adding new coil wrappers, sleeves and spring to all of the mechanisms. I'm also waiting on some fun new bits that should be arriving in today's mail.

I've notice the pics in this thread are a bit of a train wreck with sizing, etc. From here on in I'll try only shooting in square ad if that's not possible keeping it in a similar orientation.

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Sweet! Thanks for the tip!

I am sorry to hear that. Looking at the pics in the WW club from when this run came out and the responses from those that contacted me, it seems like this was pretty prevalent on this run.

Kevin's response to my question re grading and lack of dimples, "That is indeed odd. Grading is based on print quality results, after the 12 layers go down and are clearcoated. So primarily an "appearance quality" scoring. We never looked at dimples, as they should be there automatically on every playfield. After all, they are cut by the CNC machine, same program every time.

If there are no topside dimples, possibly the bit broke, or the CNC machine lost grab of the tool for that board. The dimples are the last step in the program. So it is possible."

I wish you the best of luck with the PF. Hopefully they are taking care of the dimpling while it is there. If not, I would be happy to talk you through it. Now that I have done it once, I know what I did wrong and how to improve.

A very special thank you to @docquest. He was kind enough to send me some of his leftover translucent pop bumper bodies from his Ash vs Evil Dead retheme: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ash-vs-evil-dead-retheme-project-from-diners-to-deadites

I was on the fence, but after seeing them in person and on the PF I am stoked. I ordered the remaining two yellows I needed from @zitt's shop: http://pinball-mods.com/oscom/game-specific-products-star-trek-the-next-generation-pop-bumper-body-p-42.html?utm_source=pinside&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=BumpBody&utm_content=p42

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More topside prep on the agenda today. My PF was missing three through holes for posts so I need to get those done and as my plastic template didn't make it to the bottom of the PF I will need to tackle the under apron dimpling as well.

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When I asked for dimpling advice for my playfield a few local guys that I trust recommended lining up and clamping the playfields together. I didn't want to do this for two reasons: I wanted to re-sell my old PF to recoup some costs so I didn't want to turn it into swiss cheese and I didn't want to risk cracking the clear as this method doesn't allow you to preheat before drilling.

That being said, this *method does work well for drilling out the through holes as you can pre-heat. It's a pretty straight forward method, apply loose clamps, line up, tighten, heat drill, rinse repeat.

*There is a bit of prep work that needs to be done to the backside of your old PF before doing this. I have written up a more detailed set of instructions that I plan on posting later today. I just didn't want to bog down this thread with them.

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For the under apron dimpling I decided to drill through the old PF with a 1/16 bit. I don't feel like there are enough holes to harm the resale value. To make sure I didn't drill too deep into the unheated clear I marked the bit for the recessed and non recessed locations. I will go back over these as I have for the earlier dimpling using some heat and a 3/32 bit.

With this all dimpling and most posts have been drilled. I may have to go back and widen the new through holes I made. If that’s the case I'll probably snag a drill guide as I don’t trust myself to drill straight.

Next on deck prepping the back side. I am really hoping to be able to start test fitting things today.

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Thanks! Between the PF and all of the riveting that needs to get done there is a lot to learn on this project. I'm pretty happy with the progress. I really want to start test fitting so I can see where I may have made mistakes.

I wasn't happy, but I do understand that things happen. Like I stated I probably wouldn't have purchased it had I known. That being said, I did, and I kind of navigated my way through it with a lot of help from the community. It's done now, and will hopefully be ok.

Kevin did get back to me and offered what he could to make it right.

Installed the T-Nuts on the underside and created a template for it as well. In hindsight, I should have installed the T-Nuts AFTER I checked the underside dimples so the template would lay flat. Live and learn.

Not a lot to installing T-Nuts, you just need a hammer and a dowel of similar size. That being said, as swampfire mentions in his WW thread you will have to, "drill out the holes for the 25 larger T-nuts (#8's) with a 7/32" bit. The holes drilled by CPR are a bit too small (at least for the T-nuts I had on hand). You want the shaft to go into the hole without having to hammer it. There's no benefit to having the shaft super-snug in the hole; it'll pull tight once you drive the bolts in."

Swampfire's Thread. https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ww-restore-something-old-something-new

My Thread On Template Making, Drilling and Dimpling: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/nerdygrrls-guide-on-what-to-do-if-your-new-pf-isnt-dimpled

Not sure if I will get to test fitting today, but I sure am closer than I was this morning.

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I'm sorry to hear that. I suspect this will impact quite a few PF's as this was a programming error on the CNC side of things. This is going to end up one of three ways: If they have multiple CNC's it could mean some ended dimpled and some did not, if they have only one CNC and break up the runs some may be dimpled and some maybe not, if they only have one CNC and do the run straight through none of the PF's will be dimpled.

I did a more thorough write up on how to do the dimpling using the clamped and template method. I will finish adding photos today or tomorrow. If I can do this and be fairly successful, y'all can do it: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/nerdygrrls-guide-on-what-to-do-if-your-new-pf-isnt-dimpled

I'm starting to work on the underside dimpling and decided to document just how much deviation there is between the two PF’s. I can line up my template in ten seconds on the old PF, but cannot get it to line up on the new one at all. There is just no amount of tweaking that can align top and bottom landmarks. I had the same issues when I did the topside dimpling. I ended up having to dimple the bottom half of the PF below the holes for the spinner discs first and then realign and dimple the top half.

As this is my first swap of this kind I don't know how normal all of this is. In reality, I don't think it matters much as long as the landmarks that you are dimpling for are lined up.

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When this first happened on the topside I thought it was sloppiness or an error on my part, as when I laid the old PF over the new things seem to line up relatively well. After hitting this snag I decided to lay the new PF over the old and then was able to see this was not sloppiness on my part. There are just very real differences between the two PF's.

Again, in *theory this should be fine just as long as we make sure our dimples are in the correct location relative to their landmark.

*Just an untested theory based on nothing more than some feels

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I was thinking the same thing since they have the digital file. It's definitely something that they could convert and email to folks.

Thanks, I really love them. I decided to swap out the red flasher domes for yellow as well. I think it should look pretty good. Worst case I just toss the red back on there.

Definitely, I don't expect screening to be exact which is one of the reasons not to line your template up off of artwork. It's not so much the screening on these as the actual cutting. I posted the pics so you can see the wood of the bottom PF sticking out underneath. I can't line up the cuts between the two PF's at all. I can only do half at a time (above spinner discs/below spinner discs).

I lined up my template and marked my dimples in pen. I did this so I would have some understanding of the layout of my old PF versus the new one. In reality, I won't have a good understanding of things until I start the layout process.

There was some slight deviation, but it appears to be on the same scale so I think I am A-OK

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With the bottom side dimpling/marking complete, we are on to the last step of prep. As CPR notes on their website, dust (sawdust) or other debris can fall into the inserts. Now is the best time to tackle that. CPR recommends an air compressor which I have, but I also have a downstairs neighbor that is ready to kill me because of the amount of tools I have been using as of late. I went with a can of compressed air, which works fine, just be mindful that it can produce condensation when it gets too cold which is not ideal in removing dust. A computer keyboard vacuum thing will work too.

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It's not the easiest thing to tackle, but if you ever find yourself doing a PF teardown, cleaning your inserts with rubbing alcohol alcohol and a q-tip does wonders to brighten them up. You wouldn't believe the amount of carbon buildup they get in them over the years. It significantly reduces brightness, especially for those using incandescents. These were pretty clean, but I cave them a quick wiping just to be on the safe side.

I never really thought about it until a friend called me to come and look at his arcade monitor. It was incredibly dim and he was worried that it needed a cap kit or a rejuvenation. I removed the top bezel to discover an inch of dust build up on top of the monitor glass. We gave it a good cleaning and the monitor looked like new.

I had better pics, but can't find them, the q-tip below was after a couple of wipes of an insert from my SoF restoration. IIRC this was the second or so q-tip for that insert. Ick.

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This was a programming error. It should have been programmed into the CNC and wasn't. There is not much that can be done if it is not caught before being cleared which it wasn't. If you try and run it through now you risk cracking the clear. It's fixable with some patience and definitely not worth throwing an entire run of PF's out.

Mistakes will happen. It's how they are addressed that matters. For me, as annoying and frustrating as this was, I am happy with how CPR resolved it. Others may choose to go a different route.

TBF even Williams didn't do this 100%. Take off any number of sling or other plastics and you can see straight from factory errors.

They offered a partial refund. It helped to cover the costs of the supplies that I needed to finish the job.

Starting the day feeling like I am about to take over the world. My PF is now "factory" and then some. Meaning, that finally I get to start tackling the re-population.

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With my SoF I started with the underside first: Braiding -> Lamps -> Switch Line -> Coil Line and then moved to topside population in cabinet.
While depopulating this PF I found many topside nuts were inaccessible while the bottom side was populated. So for this job I am going to start re-populating topside first. At least those fixtures that are bolted underneath.

Before I start repopulating, I am going to give the PF another look over to make sure I am not missing any other major holes. I would hate to start populating just to have to strip everything off again. This can get dizzying, but just break up the PF's into sections. You can do top half-bottom half, quadrants, etc. I scoped out all of the white sections first and then did a quadrant check against my old PF.

I am also going to do any hammering that remains left undone. My t-nuts are installed, but I still have to install pop bumper nails and wire rails. It's best to hammer any bits in while the PF is still flat.

Metal ball guides make up a good bulk of the bolted topside bits. As we are all aware of these guides end up will ball streaks, mushroomed, and even gouged. Therefore it's imperative that we give them a good look over before re-installing as we don't want nicked balls.

While looking over my guides I found a particularly nasty little fellow whose wear went well beyond a ball line to full on gouged. I was about to post a WTB or Anyone Make Repros thread, but decided to give a Dremel with a grinding attachment a try. Sadly I did not have a grinding wheel attachment, which I am sure would have given better results, but I am happy with how it worked out.

Essentially I hit it with the stone attachment, then sanded with 120, then 220, then a "green scrubbie" attachment, then a little metal polish.

I know others mention waxing these guides and that is something I am on the fence about, but will give this guy a couple of coats for added protection.

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Those are great! A lot of folks also like these from Harbor Freight too: https://www.harborfreight.com/4-in-400-grit-abrasive-ball-61183.html

Thanks guys, the grinding stone and follow through worked fine enough for me. Still an oh, so slight "wave", but it should play just fine. TBH, I wasn't going to re-grain these, but shamed myself into it after cleaning up this guy.

Now, that's just cray. Ain't nobody got time for that

So I started repopulating and just as I feared hit a snag with the dimpling that I did. I can't stress this enough, before drilling up top, especially in the areas with the ball guides, TEST FIT FIRST. These need to be pretty exact.

These guides need to go down to the edge of the switch cutout. Make sure that you don't over run it. My mistake was in the layout for the ramp flat "pivot". My marks were a wee bit off and they creep up over the route.

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And even though I double checked, I missed a non drilled post hole. This makes four through posts that were not drilled out on the PF. There are a couple of ways I can tackle this, de-populate, clamp, drill or measure and drill with a guide.

It's late, I'm cranky, and I've been at this the good part of the day so I am going to walk away. Tomorrow, I'll figure out which course of attack I will take on this.

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Started off the day where I left off yesterday. I decided to tackle the lack of through post first and much to my amazement while measuring the location I noted a faint discoloration. It had been drilled, but screened and cleared over. That was a huge relief!

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Now for the headachey part of re-aligning the ball guides for new dimples. First I took the guide with the ramp pivot and lined it up to the routed target edge and routed bit for pivot arm. Marked my new locations and drilled. Easy.

The next ball guide's placement is once again based on routed target boundary, but also a post with double rubber. Given this fact it is essential to make sure you have installed the rubbers prior to determining pilot hole location.

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With that little hiccup out of the way we should be smooooth sailing...or should we. Next on deck a little trouble of the CNC making. As I continued along attempting to install the rest of the ball guides I hit two somewhat significant snags the first of which was noted by @swampfire's PF swap thread from four years ago (post #14): https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ww-restore-something-old-something-new#post-2056706

On the top of the PF behind the three pop bumpers there is a convergence of two ball guides and a post at the tip. The CNC was just a hair off on these. swampfire drilled a new hole post to solve his problem. I am going to give this some thought before I move forward.

I might be able to just give the guide a little bend or maybe install a different post.

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The other area of issue is with the smaller ball guide in the red pop area. Again, I want to give it some thought before proceeding, not sure how to go forward on this. I know there is some flex in the guide, but I think given how far off these are it may stress the rivets too much to install as is.

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Thanks, in hindsight I would recommend "dimpling" the ball guides areas with a pen before physically dimpling. There is just too much up there that need to align perfectly.

During my last trip to Harbor Freight, I picked up a couple of items that have come in very handy during the PF re-population. I grabbed this set of diamond bits that have been amazing with removing the clear around holes and widening some of the pre-dilled holes. At $8 I can't recommend them enough. There is a wide selection of sizes and shapes.

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I also snagged a pair of these textured latex gloves. As many of you know removing metal posts can be a bit of a pain. In the past I have used dish gloves and vice grips to hold the post still while I remove/replace the nut on the underside. These gloves have made it a breeze. No vice grips needed. They were $1.99 and kick arse!

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Picking up where we left off the other day. I decided to tackle the interior ball guide that hugs the top left red bumper. If you have ever stripped your Whirlwind you may notice that this guide was literally jammed in there. I had to forcefully remove mine from the old PF and it didn't go without a major fight, taking a chunk of the old PF with it.

When you line up the guide with the old PF, it's pretty clear to see the holes are off about .12-.15 on each side. This results in having to force the guide in place which means stress on the rivets and stress on your PF.

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When I lined the guide up on my new PF I found it was even further off the mark than the old PF. Wanting to prevent a repeat of what happened with the old PF I posted a thread on how to best tackle this. I figured I had three options: Bend the guide, slot/enlarge the holes, or repro the guide and move the mounting brackets.

Thread: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/advice-on-how-to-install-ball-guide-pilot-holes-off-the-mark

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The community consensus was that giving the guide a bit of a bend would not impact game play at all so I decided to go that route. I also enlarged the holes a bit with my handy diamond tip dremel bits to help reduce stress.

Unfortunately during test fitting, I nicked some more paint and clear. I can't stress enough how fragile this stuff is. I now understand why folks send these out to be re-cleared. If I had the cash I would break this back down and send it out. This is the third time this has happened just from the bolt clipping the clear on the way out.

Take great care when test fitting. If you sucked at the game Operation this may not be for you Make sure you are heating the area prior. I was so cautious when removing the guide, I flexed it to make sure I was in the clear and just caught the edge at the last second.

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I still have the traffic jam up top to contend with. The three bits are pretty close to fitting and I am sure if I wanted to slot the post hole I could get it all to work.

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Before I do that I wanted to give these a try. This post has a slightly smaller base and others who have run into this issue recommended them. Tracking from Marco states they should be here tomorrow.

Link:http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/02-4195

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I was wondering the same thing about the grinder and have also been thinking ahead to that flipper/guide situation too. I know that will definitely need to be addressed. After doing this swap I understand why so many rubbers break on this machine. There were so many guides that were off the mark. It's like when they did the math, they did it w/o taking the rubbers into consideration.

I bought the set of nine from pinbits. I wanted to place an order for some of the discs, but am having trouble with their checkout system.

Definitely and keep in mind that the top section of the post, the flat part that is riveted measures .21 inches whereas the post itself is only .15. You don't have to enlarge all the way down, just enough to accommodate the flat part. Even then, be extremely cautious when installing and removing.

There is some clear that you can buy from the auto parts store or Kruzman that comes in a little tube. This may be worth grabbing to seal the areas that you have enlarged.

My Marco order arrived and the smaller does make the fit a little easier. Even with it there will need to be some finagling. That being said the base measures .23 inches and the current hole is .18. It doesn't leave a lot of room, and I am not sure if over time it wouldn't dig into the PF. I put a washer down, but it stuck out and got in the way of ball movement. I am going to have to sleep on this.

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And once again while removing the guides paint chipped. I've had dozens of machines cleared and non I and have never seen anything like this. Is this normal? Is this just because the paint was not allowed to cure properly? I don't know how anyone would be able to get through a swap without massive amounts of chips.

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They are fairly enlarged. In this case the guide has three posts so you have to get them all aligned so no one is resisting. I am going incredibly slow and gently with these. I am not whipping them out. I am treating them exactly like a game of operation. The tiniest bump and boom. Instead of a buzzer I get paint chips.

Perhaps I have unrealistic expectations. When I got my last PF back from Neo once I drilled I could test fit all I wanted and never saw anything like this. I've helped other friends with their PF swaps and never had this happen. Maybe we were just the outliers and got really lucky. This is all just very new and frustrating.

I am going to hit the auto store tomorrow to get a tube of clear and fit this chip back in place. I'm starting to wonder if I should break it down and send the PF out to be re-cleared/beefed up. I still have so much farther to go and the way this stuff reacting it doesn't make me too hopeful that I will get through without more casualties.

Thanks. It's definitely a source of frustration and concern. I understand that structurally these are areas of weakness, but the fact that my fingernail can chip it makes me wonder.

I think that may be the best route for the traffic jam and where the ball guide and top flipper meet as well. I think Williams messed up and didn't account for the rubbers being installed when they laid this out. Far too many areas where the guides dig right into the rubbers.

Thanks. Now that I have the dimpling done and know how to improve upon it I feel pretty ok. I'm going to tweak and revise my dimpling thread a bit. I think by the time you guys start on yours it should be pretty bullet proof ad should make the process a lot easier for y'all.

I got some more swag in yesterday. Major thanks to Freeplay40 for making these kick arse repro ramp flaps.

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I stopped working on it to kind of take some space and decide if I should send it out to be re-cleared. This pushed the budget for me and I don't really have another $600 to put into the PF, but may have to. I'm going to head out to a friend's place next week that has couple of their PF's to try and get a sense of if this is normal or not.

Hopefully I will be updating again soon.

Thanks for the added input Swampfire. I was thinking about getting back on the horse this weekend. We shall see. Every time I look at it I think that it should go back out to be cleared.

Let's pickup where we left off, with those dang ball guides...I decided the best way to address that traffic jam at the top was to take a little off (each end) of the inner guide. It ran into the post at the top and the rubber and post at the bottom. A little time on the bench grinder and some love with finer grain dremel bits and all was well.

I decided to just bend the guide around the top right pop. It too runs into rubbers down below, and perhaps should have been shaved a bit as well, but I decided to leave it. Only time will tell.

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Next up I decide to tackle the pops. First step is to install the *nails, there are a variety of methods, some just whap them in with a hammer and some pull them in from the underside by tightening. Both have their drawbacks.

I decide to give them a few taps with a hammer and that dang tool whose name I am blanking on. After I had them in a bit I applied the washer and nut and tightened until the nail was just under the PF surface. The one downside in this method is that it does tork the nails quite a bit and breaks can occur.

With the nails installed (hopefully my knuckles will be healed by spring) we can go ahead and install the base, spring, skirt and bodies.

*Remember we have already prepped the PF for these. If you haven't prepped the PF you are going to need to to that first.

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Thanks, I needed to walk away for a while. The PF was super frustrating to work with.

While assessing some of the parts I realized that I have a busted 5647-12133-13 mircoswitch. The switch doesn't consistently pop back out. It looks like this part is pretty unobtanium. Does anyone know of a good substitute that I can use in its place?

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I did run some tests and can get it to go around every few shots. It's not smooth.

While some of these ran into rubbers the placement of the posts and guides pretty much line up with my old one. There is not much you can do with this PF in relation to them. It's pretty obvious when Williams laid out this game they did not take into actual size of things with rubbers installed. Almost every post-guide combo are off the exact side of post or flipper rubbers. This game was littered with broken rubbers as a result.

Exactly, this was supposed to be a fun reward for the crappy fall I had. At this point I just want to finish and be done with it.

Restorations bring me more joy than playing. I love doing this stuff. This has just been a salty one. I host an annual Easter BBQ every year and I am hoping to have this squared away by then. Fingers crossed those micros from Australia can get here in time.

I ran into another little hiccup, I am going to try and grind a little off the guide and slide the post back a bit. This is another small area that has a lot going on so not too may options.

My goal for today was to get the rest of the guides and GI harness back on, but I think I need to dial that expectation back a bit. I'll probably be able to get the rest of the guides sorted, but may have to hold off on the harness until tomorrow.

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Some pretty great info on to DIY that microswitch

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/replacement-for-williams-5647-12133-13-mircoswitch-whirlwind#post-4268133

I did not like the forstner bits on this clear. It was super temperamental and chipped like crazy. I used standard bits. I did a tutorial on how to dimple, it is linked above. I would make a template and then mark your dimples with a marker, then test fit your guides, etc before doing any drilling. There was a ton of variation between my old PF and this one so my dimples weren't 100%.

Yeah, not much you can do about international shipping. AU is up there too. I decided to grab four micros to make it "worth" the cost. I figured they may come in handy down the road for myself or another member.

Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate what CPR does and I get there are different variations between PF's and other hiccups that come up along the way. That being said EVERYTHING that you just stated is basic quality control. I work for a vinyl toy designer. Every step of the design and production process we check and verify.

I don't know how you send out 50+ PF's that lack dimpling or have a screwed up shooter lane. Maybe on your first run, you make a mistake, like a shooter lane and it doesn't become apparent until folks start installing, but address that on round two. Each step in the process should be checked and verified. Do random pulls to make sure everything checks out.

I decided to tweak that top junction a bit more. I created a couple of slots and slid the post towards the top a bit more and the ball guide towards the bottom of the PF. There is now a much smoother transition.

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Thanks for the heads up above. I double checked my photo and realized that the post was centered a bit more. I had to dremel out the PF a bit, there was no other way around it.

I'm sorry to hear this. Did they at least offer you a partial refund?

I think there are about five folks in the same boat in this thread alone. People don't populate right away, many not for years. I'm sure there are plenty more that just haven't realized yet.

I dropped them a couple of emails asking about the clear and never heard back. Then I just gave up and realized it was what it was.

Another snow-ish day here today. I'm hoping to finish up the wiring harness and maybe switch harness (we shall see). I went to install the cellar scoops last night and forgot what length hex screw they had used. The thickness of the metal is in between a lamp socket and a coil bracket. The longer screw doesn't go through the PF, but it's kind of up there. Anybody know? Is there any other trick to lining up the scoops that I should be aware of?

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I got the lighting harness back on. General rule of thumb is to look over each socket/connection before reinstalling and reflow/beef up any weak solder points. These wires tend to be a bit brittle so chances are you will end up with some breaks from the removing and re-installing process.

I repair any breaks post installation, I just find it easier to locate connections that way. Once installed I give it another look to see how things shook out. I tape any broken wires and their attach point with tape and label 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, etc, etc etc.

I didn't tighten these too much, nor did I install bulbs. This was just to get the layout down, I will go back over my pics and double/triple check all of my placement, then fix and breaks and reflow anything else that loosened up, finally I will install bulbs and tighten down.

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I had hoped to finish this harness up and start on the switch harness today, but on top of this I am also in the middle of a bathroom demolition. Today I accidentally applied dawn dish soap to my toothbrush instead of toothpaste. As a result I am kind of thinking I should finish that drywall today

Thanks, it was really all of the unforeseen issues that got to me. Perhaps my expectations of the product were too high. Now that I have worked out all of the topside issues, it is smooth sailing. To be fair, a good bit of these hiccups were a result of Williams inaccurate measurements.

This was how mine originally looked, but given the way the holes were drilled I had to grind a little off and then slide up and back. I couldn't get it to fit otherwise.

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See how it goes with the slots, I also gave it a slight bend. If that doesn't worn take a shave off with the grinder. That entire area was a hot mess.

Congrats on finishing and thanks for the info, I greatly appreciate it.

Got the drywall in the bathroom hung and taped. Yes, I know the frame for the window should have been removed, but the shower wall is actually installed over the window frame out of frame. Got to love old homes that aren't square and have decades of shotty repairs.

With that out of the way (for now) it's time to get back to this salty lass. I double and tripled checked my lighting harness placement and everything checks out A-OK. I am debating installing the PF in the cab now and running the light test. I think I can probably hold off and do a test cycle after I install the switch harness.

We have another big storm coming in tonight so tomorrow will be another work on the PF day. I still need to get the pop bumper lights situated (ick) and I am hoping to get that switch harness in place and maybe run a test cycle.

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