Gottlieb Solar Ride Restore

[Strangeways]

Gottlieb Solar Ride Restore

Another System 1 restore. This is a game I worked on 4 years ago. Since sold to a collector in Ballarat. This could be the last of the "historical" restores, as I will be starting a "realtime" restore soon.


Background

This was another of the machines that was left over from the route days. It was in storage for around 15 years. It was complete, and it looks like it was pulled off site due to a CPU board problem with the switch matrix.

Condition

Playfield - 7/10. Mylar installed. Very dirty, but there were patches of mylar raised that were hiding a VERY nice and colorful playfield.
Backglass - 7/10. Not bad, no flaking, but more of a "Cracking" effect from the heat of the globes.
Electronics - 3/10. Corrosion on the CPU board, Power supply 5V cap was really ugly.
Cabinet - 7/10. Sides are ok, but the front of the cab has had some serious paint flaking

Objective

Have the machine restored to the best condition possible. The playfield has potential and the cabinet did not require a repaint. Since it is a Gottlieb, I will source as much as I can from PBR. All the moving parts would be rebuilt. It should look like an 8 - 9/10, but mechanically and electronically be perfect.

That objective was met - The new owner has never called for a service call !

Initial Pictures

Here are the "before" pictures of the game as it sat for at least 3 years. Playfield looks very good, thanks to Dad for laying contact in the old days. Plastics and targets are good and original. Regardless, I will be replacing the Bumper bodies, targets and lane guides as a minimum.





No playfield glass, the playfield seems to be in fairly good condition. No wear at all - Great start.





Cabinet


Time to strip the cabinet. Every assembly and screw are removed, and the cabinet is initially vacuumed and then washed with water and nifti. A hard bruch is used for the inside of the cab, the outside is done with an old paintbrush. Paint from the front of the cabinet did flake off, but the condition of the paint on the sides was fine. I really didn't want to repaint the cabinet, and I don't do things in "halves", so to just repaint the front section was not going to happen. The front was dirty - as can be seen here;





The sides were not bad at all.








Playfield


With the playfield out and on the patented "playfield stand", I can work on it at night, and the cabinet during the day.Looks dirty and worn. Little did I know what was "in store" during the strip down !





 

[pinnies4me]

Ahhhh, System 1, love 'em!

[Pinfan]

Shit Nino, was it that long ago ! 

 Seesh time travels fast... I remember this restore. This come up a treat... Was awesome to play too ! 

I hope i didn't give to much away... 

[Mr Pinbologist]

Im going to love seeing how this one turns out since i have one of these!!

Actually my Solar ride is one of the ones im looking at and thinking i could've done better restoring it, so its on the list to be redone.. especially the cabinet paint

[Strangeways]

Mylar removal

Well - Not really "mylar" as we know it today. This is in fact "contact" - the exact adhesive used to cover schoolbooks. It is thinner, and has far less adhesive properties than the mylar used today. Over time, contact shrinks, and when that happens, the edges slowly curl upwards. Dirt usually finds its way under the lifting mylar. This machine was sitting without a playfield glass for well over 10 years. That could be why the contact was so "loose". Read on !

I keep referring to the infamous Solar Ride, as the contact was removed in 20 minutes. Yes 20 minutes, not 20 hours. Was it because of the fact there was no playfield glass ? It was stored in a building and not in direct sunlight.  Removal was simple - No hair dryer, no chemicals. Just my fingers and and exacto knife. How did this happen ? I tried a test spot, and the mylar was hard - the adhesive was useless, and offerred little resistance, and NO paint lift.

Here's a typical mylared section - dirt, lift and breaks galore !




Top section - Look at the filth around the posts. Again - Typical.





Same section after the mylar was removed - The mylar was hard and same off easily in sections. Underneath was a pristine playfield





Look at those HUGE sections pealing off leasily - by hand !





How goods that !





Wait until you see the playfield AFTER the removal and cleaning process !

[Strangeways]

No - it is not a replacement playfield - It is the same one ! 

After the contact was removed, I cleaned the residue with shellite (bunnings), and proceeded to clean with Novus 2 and then Meguiars Carnuaba paste wax. Not too much to say here - other then the more hours you put in, the better the outcome !























Very pleased at this stage 

[ajlaird]

A tremendous result given the starting point - if only all were that easy, hey?

[Mr Pinbologist]

F##k me swingin'... that looks great!!  makes mine look like crap!!

i cant believe how good that came up.

Me thinks im gonna redo my solar ride PF as well

[ddstoys]

As always Nino great job so far looking forward to seeing the end result

[ktm450]

That PF came up a treat   

[Strangeways]

Playfield


I bought as much as I needed from PBR, as I was so pleased with the condition of the playfield I thought I had a good "base" that justified extra expenditure. So I bought new bumper parts, targets, lane guides as well as rubbers etc. As with all moving parts in my work, everything is rebuilt. This eliminates potential problems and give the machine the TLC it deserves !

Here's the rebuilt Target bank;




A quick progress picture as I reassemble the playfield ;





Bumper parts on "Back Order" - But I was really pleased with the playfield;






Backglass


Not too bad - except for what appears to be some fade and crackling within the score display windows. The head was cleaned, and attached to the body.








Displays were all recharged using Clay's guide (I've cheated as the game is already up and working)








I guess this machine was retired as it developed a problem with the switch matrix not working. Some switches were not registering. I troubleshooted the issue for hours - changing the switch matrix diodes, connectors etc. So I removed all the corrosion, and replaced quite a few components - as the MPU was dead initially. It was a shame - as I almost "got away" with having a system one with a working boardset.





Here's a close up of the work I did - Which was all in vain as the Rockwell "spider chip" was faulty. Lucky I have since obtained a few "non working" system one boards to cannibalize parts from !




Coin door


Remove all the parts, a quick clean and re assemble;





New shooter rod assembly as the old one was simply too rusted and tired. I ALWAYS install new flipper cab switches. They make a HUGE difference from the old pitted switch contacts.




Next Update - Playfield complete !

 

[ajlaird]

Mmmm, shiny!

The attention to detail is what separates you guys out from the rest of the pack. Certainly is impressive.

[illawarra_steelers]

Nice one mate  (as usual)

Nobody seems to rate this game as a player - something I never understood as it rocks!

What did you think of the way the game played?

[Mr Pinbologist]

MAN that is lookin good. i cant believe the condition of that playfield. My own solar ride had heaps of wear around the bumpers from the non ahesive mylar circles that these things had on them under the bumper bodies.

I was going to do a post on my own solar ride resto but i dont think il bother now.. ..well maybe i will at a later date.. after i've redone the playfield

fussy bastard arent i?? 

[Strangeways]

Nice one mate  (as usual)

Nobody seems to rate this game as a player - something I never understood as it rocks!

What did you think of the way the game played?

Given time - This game is a really cool system 1. The target bank and double flipper action is a ton of fun. I guess it is not rated by collectors because it does not have a theme perhaps ?

I enjoyed it immensely, but it was never going to be a keeper. Its all about the "journey" for me. It was sold to a collector in Ballarat.