(Topic ID: 178803)

Why Not? A Viking Restoration (almost done)

By Whysnow

7 years ago


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  • Latest reply 6 years ago by MikeS
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14
#1 7 years ago

I have been asked to share my current project on here. I going to ask up front that you please be respectful with your comments. I am far from a pro like some of the other guys here, but I learn and adapt new things for each game I work on. This will be by far my most challenging project to date, but I honestly am SUPER excited to be picking away at it and bringing this game back to life.

I will try my best to keep up with this but documenting can be a real pain and honestly most photos I take are for me to do things and not really so much for documenting.

I will also compile costs as I go and share when I get the chance as I track it and honestly I will never sell this game and will have way more into it than it will ever be worth.

Base game is a non working Viking. I bought it in a combo deal with a Bally Mystic. The Viking was valued at $600. Game was sold as not working and pretty rough but has a primo backglass and largely complete.

Pictures of the starting PF for now.

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#2 7 years ago

I picked the game up 9 months ago from MN when I went up for a Phish concert. I immediately started sourcing parts and it took about 6 months to get what I needed.

#1 and most important was a restorable NOS pf. It had a few issues but after a $700 touchup and clearcoat job from Neo it is ready to rock.

You will notice right away that the pf is not drilled or dimpled except for the major holes. Uggh, talk about challenging...

It is a beauty, but will add significant work.

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#3 7 years ago

Running total:
Base game $600
Traded a restorable Congo pf for the base Viking NOS pf $500 value
Clearcoat job $700

$1800 in and just getting started, lol.

I actually started off by getting the base game running. Had a little batter damage and needed the bridge rectifier board replaced and all connectors repinned

There goes another $90

total so far: $1890

#5 7 years ago

To give you a quick idea of the extra work that goes into a base pf without drill/dimple.
You have to measure out all the holes 5 times, make them and drill once.

Start with this.

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#6 7 years ago

and this

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#7 7 years ago

to go to this.

That took 90 minutes alone for that small section

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#10 7 years ago
Quoted from Taxman:

The playfield is sweet. Was it an NOS that needed slight touch ups and clear coat?
That playfield is a start to a very pretty game. Show the back glass also. Looking forward to seeing this done.

I will get to backglass pics as things progress. For now the focus will be pretty boring as I pick away on the top side measuring and hole drilling. This is a time consuming part and need precise measurement.

Quoted from Methos:

Ran into some problems with the boards Hilton, so make sure you follow the grounding mods on these boards.

what are the recommended grounding mods? I am honestly thinking of going 100% altek. I want to do LEDs for all lights so the alltek lamp board seems like the best way. The current MPU has passablie repair for now but honestly I plan to bring this to MGC if it is done in time and I doubt it would hold up to the full weekend of play so might as well just do the full set.

I have the 7 digit displays to put in, just arrived today

#12 7 years ago
Quoted from bam10:

Use either tracing paper or wax paper to mark your holes.

Yes, I use tracing paper, but measuring is key also as things are not 100% spot on with current holes on the NOS pf. I have found to be precise and make sure the game flows great, I will be making subtle adjustments.

#14 7 years ago

I got 1 more small section done tonight.

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#16 7 years ago

and then spent some time with the needle files cleaning out the pop bumper holes so parts will fit and also cleaning out extra clearcoat from star rollover.

tedious task but needs to be done.

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#17 7 years ago

waiting on some parts so tonight I took apart the coin door and started to prep parts which will be heading off for powder coat.

Anyone ever powder a Bally door? Any tips?
Should I not do the coin reject button or start game button?
What about the hinge that hold the front coin assembly on the door?
What about the hinge that hold the door on the frame?

#20 7 years ago
Quoted from BrianBannon:

the old beatup KISS playfield was destroyed in the process

Viking pfs dont seem to be very common, hence why I want this one to be salvageable.

#21 7 years ago
Quoted from Skins:

I did it all on the coin door for my Flash Gordon. Detailed pics start on post 154 https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/another-flash-gordon-reimagined/page/4#post-3499606

thx

so any issues with tolerances on hinges, start or coin reject buttons?

I will be sending stuff off to powder, so I assume I just need to tell them to prep and plug all screw holes?
Anything else I should instruct them to do/no do?

#23 7 years ago

great tips and really appreciated.

I am going to try a new local place so a bit nervous.

#25 7 years ago

Thanks Mike.

Still in the nervous I have jumped in this deep phase on this one. Every drill on the new pf is nerve wracking.

Taking all the parts to the local powder coater on Monday. Nervous about that also.

A fun job to tackle but expecting it to get a bit more fun once I get a bit further. I have some fun ideas for powder coat so hoping thise can get pulled off.

#27 7 years ago
Quoted from brenna98:

Polish that stuff with the original stainless.
Do the coin bezels (the metal parts that hold in the plastic inserts) black.
That way you have some contrast. stainless door trim, Black door, stainless start button bezel, black coin bezels
Then you need black legs too..
Maybe leave the side rails and lock-down stainless if they polish up nice.

wont be visible stainless left on the game, but appreciate the input. I was more so concerned about tolerances and fitmit post powder.
I do have some ideas for contrast but need to see what the capabilities of the new local powder guy are.

#30 7 years ago

not a fan of that look, but appreciate the thoughts.

#32 7 years ago
Quoted from Methos:

I would probably replace all of the light sockets on the PF as well. Those old ones suck big time.

yup, I am replacing 100% of light sockets in the entire game.

#34 7 years ago
Quoted from brenna98:

I rebuild the solenoid driver per Vid's guide.

link for this? thanks

#37 7 years ago
Quoted from vdojaq:

Thank goodness that something good finally came out of anyone attending a Phish concert!

please refer to the first post

Quoted from Whysnow:

I going to ask up front that you please be respectful with your comments.

#38 7 years ago

Did not grab a photo last night but I have the coin door completely stripped and all parts ready for taking to the powder coat guy next week.

I am planning on doing the following parts in powder:
Coin door and frame
Shooter housing
Shoot rod pull/handle
side rails (new)
legs
Lock down bar
H channel that holds at back of cab for pf glass

It there anything else I am missing?
Thought about doing the service prop bar also just for fun.
Thought about doing the lift channel for backglass but guessing the glass would not fit in it due to tight tolegances already, so that will stay as chrome?

#43 7 years ago
Quoted from Skins:

Lift channel works powder coated. I did mine.

thanks for the tip! much appreciated!

#45 7 years ago
Quoted from jwilson:

keep in mind when you're powdercoating that it's non-conductive, so you need to leave some stuff uncoated so it can be grounded properly.

thanks for the reminder

#49 7 years ago

Yeah, my plan for this one is to go alltek. It just comes down to me wanting it to have a better shot at making it through MGC weekend.

I have plenty of other games from this era that can use these boards.

#50 7 years ago

pretty productive day. Got the top half of the topside pretty much done.

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#51 7 years ago

Ideally the pf would have been drilled and dimpled, lol.
Aside form that, I ideally would have drilled and dimpled the new pf prior to clear. That was just not in the books for me.

What that means is that every single hole needs to be determined and drilled and then over drilled just the top to get through the clear. For example you need to counter sink the pop screws. It takes a steady hand and a SHARP bit to make sure you dont crack the clearcoat as you go.

You need to countersink also in order to prevent the clear from cracking away when you screw in posts (the screw can lift the wood and the fracture the top clear which is very durable but can crack easy with that sort of force)

See photos for examples of counter sink.

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#52 7 years ago

I do have a few question and hoping another viking open can grab me a few photos to confirm.

1. Is this nail supposed to be here? It is just behind the ball guide that directs to the left saucer.

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#53 7 years ago

2. is this the correct post to go in front of the spinner? I assume it is and then has a t-nut and lock nut on the bottom to hold it solid.

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#54 7 years ago

3. is this the correct post at the top left saucer? I think I will change it to a through post like the one in front of spinner to make it more solid, but would like confirmation this is supposed to go right there.

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#55 7 years ago

Figured out #1, 2, and 3.

New question

I could really use some help from a viking owner. I am working on a full pf swap and my new pf is not drilled/dimpled.

Specifically, can someone please verify the hole positions for the nudge backs. My old pf has two positions drilled and seems to have spent its time in the upper hole (of the two drilled) based on fade.

I dont want to screw this one up since the nudge back and angle/geometry is obviously pretty important.

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#59 7 years ago
Quoted from BrianBannon:

Entirely up to you how you want to do it. That is an operator adjustment. IME, type of rubber you use will have more to do with how easy the ball bounces up and settles in the inlane than this setting. Not just the rubber on the outlane guides, but also the rubber on the inlane guides and slingshots. Rubber nowadays is thicker than that used years ago and makes it just a bit harder for a good landing into the inlane. FYI, my Vikings use the top post hole.

Thx. I was hoping that was the case. Much appreciated.

#60 7 years ago

so things are groovin nicely in viking land.

Topside now complete except for ball trough, but all the stressful pf visible holes are done.
starting to feel good...

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#61 7 years ago

and then reality punches you in the junk while you remember you still have a while shitload to do.

bottom side coming ...

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#63 7 years ago
Quoted from 20eyes:

Change out all those stupid switch caps now while you have all the wiring accessible.

please elaborate?

is it best practice to replace something or upgrade or ?

#65 7 years ago

I did notice that all 4 pop bumper spoon switches have a cap and for each one the disc one has a leg cut.

Game worked fine before.

Can someone please explain the purpose of these and why someone intentionally clipped a leg on each?

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#66 7 years ago
Quoted from chuckwurt:

Looks Great! This game looks like so much fun! I need to find one to play soon.

come to the midwest gaming classic to play mine! and vote for me for best solidstate

#68 7 years ago

thanks! Sounds like a good idea to replace.

Unfortunately the pinwiki link to the mouser part shows and no longer available.
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Xicon/140-50U5-473M-RC/?qs=SY6bF4iPirSU1%2FCfh9Rvfw%3D%3D

any idea on where I can order some?

#71 7 years ago
Quoted from chuckwurt:

Maybe next year. Hard to go anywhere between 1/15 and 4/15 for us nerd CPAs!

you are always welcome to come play if you are ever in the area (and I am not in the middle of a restore which means the game room is a tornado zone, lol.)

#72 7 years ago

thanks!

much appreciated! Will be much easier to replace now rather than later

#74 7 years ago
Quoted from Methos:

The pops in this game gave me a rough time. Also - when you get everything back on, it is likely that stuff will be touching each other. I had a lot of fixes and adjustments to do because everything is so close under the pf.

yeah, crap is crammed super tight on this one! Thanks for the tip. I will try to be careful when swapping the bottom side.

Hope you are bringing something else to MGC

#76 7 years ago
Quoted from BrianBannon:

Yes, I agree. Where things are tight, there are some metal pieces that are really close to each other. I had a switch problem on my first Viking swap and it turned out to be the braid slightly touching one of the metal switch rollover tabs by the inlanes. That was nearly ten years ago and I still remember the fun I had chasing it down, ha!

I am planning to do away with ground braid on this one and follow the HEP method of wiring with insulated wire.
Just looking at the bottomside of the current pf, I am amazed it has not had more issues as things are poorly placed.

Hopefully using insulated wire will allow me to reroute thinsg and clean it up a bit.

#77 7 years ago

I have cleaned up my apron the best I can and would like something better.

Curious if anyone can point me in the direction of some apron decals for Viking? I see that some places used to make them but appear to have since been shut down.

I know the full aprons are being remade but I am looking fr something now and ounds like viking is a ways out. I also am thinking about doing a custom color on the apron but I dont have the skill to reproduce some of the tight lettering.

#79 7 years ago

You guys are not helping keep my enthusiasm high, lol.

#81 7 years ago
Quoted from trilogybeer:

Those apron decals looked like shit anyways. If you can't wait for the repros Try to find a nice original Bally one even if it is from a diferent game . Sometimes different color schemes work well with games they weren't originally made for .

thanks for the tip. Guessing somebody has a silk screen? Know anyone that would be willing/ able to make me a silkscreen Doug?

I think just the text is all that really needs to be done. I would be happy to share it around the group if we found one to get made. I also would be happy to pay for it to get made.

#83 7 years ago

very nice!

I am going to see what I can find for local silkscreen. Would be happy to pay for the screen set up fee, as this same design could be used for numerous games.

#85 7 years ago
Quoted from trilogybeer:

Brenna98 is making reproduction Bally aprons , so he already has the screens . You should PM him and see if he can silkscreen one for you if he doesn't have the reproductions ready to go . Although I would assume he would want to screen multiples at the same time , setting everything up to screen one apron would be a pain .I would honestly just find a nice original and put it in the game untill Brenna has the repros ready and buy one of those from him .

thanks. Unfortunately, sounds like Viking is a long way off in his list.
Also, unfortunately nu hunt has thus far turned up empty handed for a replacement viking Apron.

If anyone stumbles acrossed one, please let me know. I have emails out to a few local screen printers to see about getitng screeens made for me (similar to how merfeldma made the backbox warning screens.)

#87 7 years ago
Quoted from trilogybeer:

What I am suggesting is that you find a decent apron from a different game that has a color scheme that works with viking . For example I put a star trek apron in my lost world because the colors work with the colors on lost world .
Getting the screens made is the easy part of trying to do this . You will need to make a jig that will not only hold your screens in place but also hold your apron in place and be adjustable so you can get the registration of your second color perfect . This is not comparable screening a single color on a backbox . Not trying to discourage you , just want to make sure that you understand what will be involved with attempting somthing like this . It will not be easy to make the 2 colors line up perfectly on an object shaped like an apron without the proper equiptment .

thanks for the heads up Doug. My problem is that I would like a custom base color on my apron and possibly custom drawing/lettering colors also. I appreciate the concern of getting this done properly. If I were to get proper screens made, do you think you would be able to lend a hand with proper jig construction and screening? I would then atleast have the screens for us to use for the future.

#90 7 years ago
Quoted from trilogybeer:

Ah ok, I thought you were wanting just a really nice original one , that is why I was suggesting one from a different game. This could have held you over untill Brenna has the repro viking ones ready . I am pretty buried in projects right now but let me know what you had in mind and I will see if there is a way I can be of some help .

thx doug. I will keep you posted.

#91 7 years ago
Quoted from KrustyBurger:

Wow - your restoration is coming along nicely! I always like to see these older pins come back to life. Nice work!

thanks very much. it is a labor of love but honestly this is one of my favorite parts about the hobby.

Alone time with an old game and bringing it back to better than new condition. I enjoy the struggles and the learning process. I find that the more challenging the more I cuss, but also the more fun it is in the end.

#92 7 years ago

Had a few hours tonight. I got all the switch levels moved over post cleaning and started on the GI string. I definitely like this methid of no ground braid. I am replacing the sockets anyway so might as well make the improvements over factory. Note the color correct matching as I am a dork like that.

I actually like this portion. Somewhat cathartic. Just pick away at it, one section at a time.

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#93 7 years ago

You will still need a unicatch long nose stapler as you will want to tack down the flushmount sockets.

Picked up this nice new air compressor today also (had some Menards rebates and this was a great excuse as it really is super quite; so much that the dogs dont even mind it running in the house)
60psi works well in this case.

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#95 7 years ago
Quoted from Catalyze:

If you are desiring a custom color scheme or design apron, have you checked with a good pinstriper? I have a pinstriper that has done some incredible reproductions of unavailable parts as well as custom designs. He has saved my butt many times over the years.

good tip. I have an option in the works currently and just waiting to hear from a buddy, but I think things will be taken care of.

#97 7 years ago
Quoted from mof:

What made you choose to go insulated wire over thick 1/8" ground braid? I really like the looks of ground braid myself...
-mof

This game in particular has everything SUPER tight and I am honestly surprised it has not had issues previously. I found 2 areas where switch/ lamp and GI were within mm of touching. The insulated wire is clean, and safe. It take a bit mnore time, but will also allow me to clean up a pretty poorly routed GI and lamp ground circuit.

#98 7 years ago

finally got an evening to work again.

All the controlled lights are in and ground wired.
Getting close to flipping the wire harness post clean up.

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#99 7 years ago

Always a good idea to check fit of mechs, esp if you are changing any like I am with the flippers (I will be upgrading them a bit; following the vid guide... thx vid)

While I have been working on the bottom I have been keeping my thumblers busy with mechs.

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#101 7 years ago
Quoted from Methos:

That's a big ass tumbler.

lol. yup. Can fit 2 flipper mechs in it I like it because of that and it is VERY quite. The dogs dont like the vibratory so this works better.

I ran out of flitz so am using some turtle wax metal polish.

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#103 7 years ago
#106 7 years ago
Quoted from BrianBannon:

Of course, just switching to the previous generation of Bally flipper assembly would be cheaper and simpler Just need two plungers and links, 2 return springs, a left and right lever arm and that is it. Started doing this change to my classic Bally games back about 12 years ago on the advice of Duncan Brown, nary a problem with this change in dozens of pins.

yeah, I know. Just felt like upgrading to this style and give it a shot.

#110 7 years ago
Quoted from LoveNeverDiesGuy:

Have you noticed any difference with that stuff? Flitz all day for me and I've never tried anything else.

not much difference but I have ordered some more flitz. This was just something to try so I could keep moving.
I think flitz helps with a slightly better sheen on the metal/ maybe just a little more cut?

#111 7 years ago
Quoted from TomGWI:

Looking good Hilton. Viking is a great game. Keep up the good work.

thanks buddy. Chuggin along so I can hopefully have it ready for MGC.

#112 7 years ago
Quoted from Ronnie1114:

Looks good!!! Only ever played one Viking and while it had a clear coated playfield and had been restored, the flippers were so weak that you couldn't hit much. Hope I can play a better example sometime.

come to MGC and play this one

#113 7 years ago

The fun part has come. Wiring harness comes off tonight and gets cleaned.

A few tips follow.

1. Wiring harness has memory. use it to your advantage when re wiring stuff. I like to use a big sheet of cardboard to transport to the tub and lay on once clean (after blowing out with air) to dry. Keeping things in there general position makes things easier on reassembly.

2. Zip tie leaf stacks together.

3. take LOTS of photos, but also just spend the extra 30 min to label all the wires on controlled lamps. Trust me that it is really nice to do the work up front rather than not be sure what color a wire is in a photo.

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#114 7 years ago

I dont know why ANYONE would not take the time to clean a wiring harness when doing a swap. Honestly it takes only a little extra effort and the amount of funk you remove from it is AMAZING.

The joy of working on the back end with clean hands and easy soldering combined with how clean the game will stay for so long afterwards is well worth the effort. Just trust me on this one if you are considering it.

For cleaner I love LAs Totally Awesome Orange Oxygen. I grab it at the dollar store for a buck and it really works AWESOME!

#116 7 years ago

Just checking, is this documentation actually worth it to people?

I know I am no BK or HEP, but not sure if this is valuable and honestly it takes extra time so if it is not then no reason to do it.

If it is then let me nkow if there are other things you want to see. I am not great at remembering to document but happy to do so to add value content.

#122 7 years ago

ok, thanks for the feedback.

I will keep at it. If there is anything in particular that people want to see then just ask. If there is anything you want to see in more detail, then also ask. I never know what people find interesting or worth while.

#124 7 years ago

With the help of a great pinsider, we were able to get new spinner decals professionally made.

I must note that a friend in MN was kind enough to make me a hand done one. I then got a message from someone very capable and willing to work together to make a professional done example. I found a local company able to do 3mil vinyl with a gloss laminated on top of that and get the entire thing kiss cut.

I figured no reason to only print 2 sets so we got a sheet made. I obviously cant sell these since they are licensed, but I am happy to help out other viking owners if you just cover shipping costs.

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#125 7 years ago

sorry for the fuzzy photos. My old camera is well... old. They look crisp and super nice in person.

#127 7 years ago
Quoted from Friengineer:

Do you fill your tumbler with media then or how does that type of tumbler work with pinball parts?

same is a vibratory.

walnut, some flitz, add some parts (not too many), and let her run.

#128 7 years ago

I am here just working away. It does not appear as much is done, but a tone of work on the bottom side.
The entire harness is cleaned, dried (blown out with compressor), left out to dry a few more days, and now on the new pf.
It takes a long time but all mechs have to be aligned just right and holes drilled (man it sure would have been nice to have dimples).

I now have all the bottom drilled and all the switch and light matrix done. All new light sockets which should be nice. I take my time and reroute wires to be cleaner and make sure nothing is shorting out. I take extra time to heat shrink on pop lights and other areas where things are tight.

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#129 7 years ago

for flipper mechs you want to make sure the bushing is dead nuts center of the hole. Easy trick is to wrap electrical tape around the bushing and then it self centers. Be SURE not to stretch the tape when doing this. You want an even distance.

New flipper mechs can be aligned in any manner/ orientation. Just be sure the correct one on the correct side. Also be careful there are no shorts. Things are REALLY tight and MANY areas where you could easily short stuff out.

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#130 7 years ago

nice and centered; just 4 screws in the photo as I was checking alignment still. All 8 will go in later.

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#131 7 years ago

Now I am just working mech by mech on cleaning, tumbling, rebuilding.

I will soon flip over to working on the cabinet. My first stencil job.

#134 7 years ago
Quoted from Bryan_Kelly:

I can't get past the pink coil wrappers.

Coils are not done, but I may just make them all pink for you BK

this is how the williams mechs came from Pblife. I was very surprised they were pink labels, but that was the availability.

#135 7 years ago
Quoted from dasvis:

If you are using Pinpimp stencils no worries. Good product!

I am using pinball pimp stencils.

#137 7 years ago
Quoted from jibmums:

Looks so much neater without the ground braid and staples. Could you use 1-terminal bases and solder the wire to the bracket, or I assume that was the whole point of using 2-terminal bases?

Thanks. I am very happy with the choice to use 2 lug sockets and the lack of ground braid. I will repeat this for all future early ss restorations.

you could use the standard 1 lug and solder to bracket but this is cleaner and easier since the bracket is thinker (takes more heat and also acts as a heat sink.)

#139 7 years ago
Quoted from jibmums:

Should have also asked before, what gauge wire are you using for this?

18 gauge.

Same as the rest of the game. If you hunt on amazon you can find nice little kits of 18 gauge braided (dont get solid core) where you can buy 8 or 12 colors (I think it is important to use color correct) in 25 or 50ft rolls. It is very handy to have and frech new wire is a joy to solder with.

control wire is 22 gauge, but no reason not to use 18 gauge for everything I did with common ground.

#140 7 years ago

I am here. Just slowly working at picking away on rebuilding mechs.

I am sure a vibratory tumbler is quicker, but i still like the size and quietness of mine.

Pop mech pre-tumble and post tumble

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#141 7 years ago

Here is a trick I learn and use regularly. Order coil sleeves in bulk a long length.

Then use a small copper pipe cutter to cut to size.
tip, use an old plunger inside the sleeve to make it rigid and easy to cut.
tip, be sure to sane the cut end a little to deburr it (right is deburred).

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#142 7 years ago

just down to rebuilding the drop target mechs and then the bottom side will be done!

Hope to finish it up the drops by Friday. Busy on Wed with local tournament/meet up so hopefully 1 mech on thurs and 1 on Fri.

Then onto cabinet tear down if I get a weekend day.

#144 7 years ago
Quoted from mof:

Do you think the tumbler stripped off all the protective zinc plating?

-mof

nope, just dull from what i can tell.

do you think it has? Should I re-plate these? or spray a thin clear to protect?

I have never had rust appear on any previous restorations with tumbled parts so I assume the zinc coating is still intact, just knocked down? granted, this is the oldest game I will have restored and the coating is not the same as WPC stuff I have done.

If anyone with experience wants to shime in, please let me know.

#146 7 years ago
Quoted from Methos:

And I need a set of those decals

spinner decals? If so, I have a few left.

#147 7 years ago

Bottom side is all done now and took the pf and put it in the back room while I start working on the cab prep.

1 thing I forgot to mention earlier is some mechs I opted to do connectors to make for ease of removal later on if needed. Since this game is going to MGC it is Murphys law that a drop target will bust while at the show.

This is a simple way to be able to remove the entire mech in the future. Crappy pic but you get the idea. this is something I stole from Gottlieb. They did some VERY smart things back in the day and I find that I like to adapt their thinking in ways when doing a restore.

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#148 7 years ago

Main cab is all stripped and will hopefully be getting some good weather this week so I can make some headway.

(I do sanding and painting in the garage but only heat a portion of the work space so the possible 50deg temps will be a big help this week.)

One tip for those still learning like myself. I use a point and shoot olympus 1030sw camera to take lots of photos. A big help is I also shoot some video as I tear down. You can then play back the video frame by frame when reassembling. It is a great way to just quickly get tons of footage from all sorts of angles and has saved me in the past when I forget exactly how something goes .

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#149 7 years ago

Did not make as much progress as I would have liked this weekend, but i did bick up a vector and a jpist yesterday

image (resized).jpegimage (resized).jpeg

#150 7 years ago

backbox all stripped out and light board stripped out.

Tempting to cut corners at this stage and not pull apart the light board to just make it more white essentially... but dont do that. Remind yourself that you are OCD and want better than new. (also, you want to replace the light sockets anyway and would be pissed at yourself once all done if you skipped the light board)

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#151 7 years ago

I could really use some help at this stage. I want all new backbox info cards (see photos)

The old ones are beat up and yellowed. I am hoping someone has these already made (even if not for Viking but a similar era Bally as the files would be easier to modify than starting form scratch)

Anyone have any ideas or assistance?

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#153 7 years ago
Quoted from setzkor:

Some of those are definitely at pinballrebel. Go to the backbox cards section... Some are missing...
http://www.pinballrebel.com/pinball/cards/Backbox_cards.htm

AWESOME!

I looked all over that website!

Any idea on if I can message the owner of that sight and send them scans of the missing cards/ will they use them to remake new ones?

#155 7 years ago

Will do mark

#157 7 years ago

Thanks. That looks great!

I have zero computer skills unfortunately and don't have gimp or photo shop.

#162 7 years ago
Quoted from Ballypalooza:

Whysnow,
I too have been working on a Viking restoration for a while. Please...... I need a set of the spinner decals. Please,please!!
Take a look at the worn out spinner. I can't put it on this playfield.

always a 1 upper in the group.

Must have been nice to have an already drilled and dimpled pf.

Please refrain from posting photos in this thread of your Viking restoration. The entire point was to document a single restoration.

#164 7 years ago
Quoted from meSz:

Milton go to http://www.pinballrebel.com/pinball/cards/ and scroll down you will see all the back box cards for Viking! If there are cards not on the site you can scan them and send them to Peter and he will make them and put them on that site for you to download! If you go to a local print place (i.e. Kinkos, FedEx etc.) just tell them you want them printed out on cardstock paper and cut to size! They will look exactly like what you have but new of course!
This is what I did for my BOPP when I restored it!

thanks for the tip.
It is Hilton BTW. Milton is Clay's pet name for me. I cant tell you why he gave it to me, but I can tell you he cried at the end of the ordeal.

#166 7 years ago
Quoted from meSz:

Apologies Hilton as I know it's Hilton just fat fingered it!! Honestly I didn't know Clay called you Milton!!
Printing them out on the cardstock is cheap and the fact that they (I went to a FedEx print place) cut mine all to size was nice. Unless you have a paper cutter you'll probably wont be able to to cut them with scissors without them looking like some second graded did them!

thanks

Yeah we have one of those Fedex/kinkos places just around the corner. cheers

-7
#168 7 years ago
Quoted from Bryan_Kelly:

Are we a little touchy this morning? Have you had your coffee yet? The guy politely asks for spinner decals, posts a couple pics and you pretty much tell him to F off??

nope, not touchy at all.

I make these restoration threads as a way to document my restoration and share with others (hopefully they learn from what I do and also my mistakes so we all get better as we go). I see no reason for anyone to come blast multiple pics in here of their restoration. Comes off as a 1-upper to me. There is a time and a place. This thread is not the place to start posting multiple photos of other Viking restorations. I am proud of the work I do and even though I have more to learn, I dont appreciate someone coming in my thread to show off how much nicer their restoration looks.

The user could have simply posted a single photo of his spinner or not even posted at all and instead just send me a message to request new decals.

I hope you can see the difference Bryan.

#170 7 years ago
Quoted from Ballypalooza:

My sincere apologies. I didn't mean to come off that way at all. I know how brutal it is to find parts for the restoration. The only reason for the pics was to show that I had need for the decals and wasn't someone that just wanted a free set for a resto later on. If we are still good.... I will send you my info. Thanks for your help.

any guy that puts that much work into a Viking is all good in my book!

#172 7 years ago
Quoted from Bryan_Kelly:

Sorry, man, but I don't. I didn't see his post that way at all.

that is the goofy thing about using only text as communication. Intent is hard to read.

Either way, this issue is over and the poster appologized/clarified their intent.

#175 7 years ago

Making headway on cabinent prep and base coat.

Sorry, not a whole lot of picture taking at this stage. Mainly because the garage area for prep gets super dusty so i leave the camera inside and the paint booth I made means there is paint so again camera stays inside. I work and then dont document.

Lessons learned in cab work thus far.

1. It is nearly impossible to get a perfectly prepped and super smooth cab with wood grain gone. I have prepped and sanded back 3 x now as I have not been happy once I get the first coat of base on and realize I need more bondo/glaze.

I think I am finally there and have a decent 1st coat of base on and just waiting 2 days before the enxt coat.

2. Rattle can REALLY does require atleast 48hrs between coats to recoat/top coat. I learned this the hard way and tried to shoot a final top coat on the light board after ~30 hours. It turned to major crackle finish and meant I needed to sand all the way back down to wood and start over. What a mess!!! I am now waiting over 48hrs between coats on everything.

Luckily I have the light board done now and will be able to start on reassembly on it in the next day or 2, which is nice as it gives me things to do while waiting on cab coats to dry out.

Picked up powder stuff yesterday. Looks nice. It is not the exact look I was striving for, but that is the risk of trying out a new powdercoat/local guy. He does nice work and is well priced but he is not really an artist and more of a get it done guy. I will use him in the future for standard stuff, but nothing I want to get crazy with. I will continue the hunt for a more artistic guy that is willing to put forth the effort and experiment.

#176 7 years ago

light board start

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#177 7 years ago

stripped, painted (6 coats cause it crinkled after #3 due to not enough time between coats so I sanded down and started over.)

My mistake... learn from it when you do one

All new sockets. Ground braid swapped out and man I really like it better this way.

so bright and white!

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#178 7 years ago

I often draw silly little maps just to make stuff easier for me to put back together without having to look at photos.

here is an example

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-1
#179 7 years ago

Just got done putting what should be the final base coat on the cab (fingers crossed).

I will be waiting 4 days not before the next coat goes down (cant risk crinkle when spraying the cab since decals form pinball pimp are 1 time use)

Here is the cab design I am shooting towards. It wont be exact but you get the idea.

Among car buddies we would call this 'murdering' out the game.

royal (resized).jpgroyal (resized).jpg

#181 7 years ago
Quoted from Bryan_Kelly:

I think the mistake you made was waiting a couple of days between paint coats. Once I've got something primed, I'll wait a couple days to sand. Once I paint, it's three coats all about 5 minutes apart. The first two are relatively light with the last one being a bit heavier to get perfect coverage.

Thanks for the tip. The issue I had with the light board is the paint just kept soaking into the grain of the plywood. I did like you said with 2 light and then one heavy. Then 2 days later i put on a top coat to try and cover the remaining grain effect/seapage (can said to either top coat 10-60 min or 48 hours later) and that is when I got the crinkle. Sanded down the crinkle after 2 more days, then waited another day and did 2 top coats to finally get where I was happy.

How long to you wait between layers on a stencil job?
I finished the last base coat today and am thinking 4 days minimum before I stencil and do the red.

Do you put on the stencil and then light and (220?) the area that will be getting paint to help give it some traction?

thanks for any tips!

#183 7 years ago
Quoted from trilogybeer:

Use Scotchbrite pads to scuff the areas getting painted. Clean and use a tack rag . Since you are going over black base you will want to put down some white or light gray before your stencil colors , orange will not cover black very well.

thanks doug.

Should I use a grey primer over the black as a base before the red (that will be the next color)?

Just to make sure I have this right:
1. Let base dry for a while (I am planning 4 days)
2. Apply stencil and pull mask
3. Scotchbrite the areas to be painted (which specific color/pad is best?) and tack clotch
4. Spray a light colored base and let dry for ??? min
5. Spray a couple light coats of red and then a heavier top coat and let set for ??? min
6. pull stencil

Curious on the timing of things as the pinball pimp instructions seems t show the quicker you pull stencil post spray, then better

#185 7 years ago
Quoted from trilogybeer:

If you plan on clear coating the cabinet you can scuff the whole thing before stenciling . If not just scuff the areas getting stenciled after the stencil is applied . Use a gray scotchbrite . Gray or white paint , and go right over with the orange or red . Times will vary based on the paint you are using and the conditions they are used in . Colder temp means more time between coats . But typically it is 5 -10 minutes between coats , light coats remember. Heavy coats will resault in the crackle that you have had problems with already . After last coat 5 -10 minutes remove stencil .

thanks Doug! I really appreciate the tips!

#186 7 years ago

Surprised not to get any comments about my non-traditional color combination.

Maybe everyone hates it but under the threat of the purge everyone is being nice and just not saying anything?

#189 7 years ago

coin door mostly back together

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1 week later
#190 7 years ago

a bit of a delay in your regular scheduled program while I let the base cab dry a bit more and I was a bit busy with Aliens this past week.

Got around to the first stencil layer today.

Not perfect but also not too shabby for my first attempt at this.

I will now let this dry till next weekend before the final stencil layer is done.

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#191 7 years ago

looking for advice from those with experience...

will purple cover the red? or do I need to laydown more grey primer before doing the purple last coat?

also, should I lightly knock down the edges on the red before doing the purple? What is best method to safely knock down? I assume this would also then require a top clear coat after all done with colors; tips on top coat to use?

#192 7 years ago
Quoted from Whysnow:

looking for advice from those with experience...
will purple cover the red? or do I need to laydown more grey primer before doing the purple last coat?
also, should I lightly knock down the edges on the red before doing the purple? What is best method to safely knock down? I assume this would also then require a top clear coat after all done with colors; tips on top coat to use?

any advice form those with more knowledge than I?

#196 7 years ago

thanks doug!

thanks eh97ac!

much appreciated

#197 7 years ago

Everybody likes head

image (resized).jpegimage (resized).jpeg

#201 7 years ago

thx guys!

I should have knocked down the red better first, but I honestly like the edge as it gives the art some more feel. I will scothbrite the whole thing and top coat in a semi-gloss clear to finish it off.

Hoping to get the main cab done on Sunday. It is really getting crunch time to get this put back together for MGC; yikes!

#203 7 years ago
Quoted from Methos:

Do you have a clear booth set up?

I have a space in the garage that is a temporary spray booth. It gets the job done but is less than ideal.

#204 7 years ago

wife and house guests were sleeping in this AM.

I managed to get some stuff done!

I am stoked with how this color combination turned out.
Now time to dry and then get some clear on later in the week.

Excited to start cab assembly by next weekend!!!!

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2 weeks later
#205 7 years ago

Cab reassembly started

image (resized).jpegimage (resized).jpeg

#206 7 years ago

Made some good headway today.

Fired her up and all lights work. Still have to finish up flipppers, plastic install, new displays, finish up alltek board install, plus all the likely tweaking and adjusting but feels good to be to the stage of pf back in cab and cab largely assembled!!

image (resized).jpegimage (resized).jpeg

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#208 7 years ago

thanks.

Got another day in of work and things are almost finished.
Amazingly, the only issue to address was a single flakey connector once it was all put back together.

I still have a few things to address, but I am 98% done.

I need to adjust spinner and put on nylon washers once they arrive from PBR.
I am trying to make my current apron look better, but really hoping that Brenna and the reproduction aprons come through in time for MGC. (I plan to put on a Skatball repro for now, but I have a buddy working on custom apron decals so I can finish my original apron to match the rest of the game)
I need to also fine tune and play test a ton to make sure it is ready for MGC.

Last thing is I need to find some nice custom apron cards (Anyone know of any good ones to share?)

Now time for some glamour shots.

#209 7 years ago

pics

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#210 7 years ago

more

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#211 7 years ago

Worth mention, that this game will likely be used in MGC Clock Chaos event and then out on the floor for the duration of the event.

Please give it a few plays and then cast a vote if you think it deserves it for best in show.
There is some stiff competition for SS restorations, and I am hoping this is a nice enough example combined with being a somewhat odd one to go crazy on restoring; and that will bring we some votes.

i hope everyone enjoys it

#212 7 years ago

messing around with my apron now that I got the comfort thanks to merfeldma (sp?) and Brenna (sp?) that my reprodcution one is coming before MGC.

Hoping to get it all buttoned up this weekend and start playinga bunch of games to work out any bugs.

#215 7 years ago
Quoted from cosmokramer:

Great job Hilton...I know its a pain in the ass but more photos during some of these processes would have been fun to see.
Do you have a final tally on $ and hours spent?

I will get around to that at some point. just no time between Aliens, Dialed In, getting ready for MGC, Aerosmith launch, Aliens launch, and oh yes I have that normal job thing also, lol.

I have all the numbers but need to organize them.

In short, WAY TOO DAMN MUCH, lol.

I knew that going in to it.

1 week later
#216 6 years ago

Feels good.

Thx for all that played it and chatted about it!

image (resized).jpegimage (resized).jpeg

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