Another machine I've just started for a member on AP ! (See, being a member does have it's benefits -
)
BackgroundThis machine is was brought into the country by Childs in the infamous 80's Container, and it was bought by a member here. While accessing the machine on his behalf, I noticed that the playfield was protected by a layer of dirt and mylar. Under that dirt would have to be a really great playfield. The boards were EXTRA clean. I have retored TWO Galaxy machines before and they are FAST and FUN pinballs. Having a Galaxy next to a Meteor for a short time was great fun !
ConditionPlayfield - 8/10 - No wear ! Looks FILTHY - But it will come up nice. One of the signs for me that this machine was well looked after and had low plays was the two return lanes (plastics) were intact. They are ALWAYS broken.
Cabinet - 7/10 - A couple of scuff marks, and some areas that will need attention, but as with all Stern's - NO FADE !
Backglass - 7/10 - Typical Stern backglass - the ink layer is TOO THIN, which leads to the cracking effect. Better than the two backglasses on the machines I owned.
Electronics - 10/10 - Cleanest set of boards I've ever seen on a pinball. No corrosion, no repairs.
ObjectveTo have fun ! To restore this machine to the best condition possible. Parts are hard to get, but I think I have enough to work with !
The BeginningThe cabinet is waaaay up the back of the garage, behind some other pins - But the head is easily accessible over the other side of the garage. So I will start there. As I go along, I'll remove the lower cabinet from it's hiding spot.
The HeadEasily accessible in the garage, so I started on it. I previously removed the soldenoid Driver and the displays for repair and upgrades. I found the key to the head stuck to the dirt on the bottom of the head - good start. The paintwork was excellent - colors vibrant, and they will come up really nice. A couple of nasty scratches caught my attention.
Some filth, and a little bit of corrosion. amazingly, the battery did not leak !
Stripped - Everything out ! In the end, I removed the grills and groundstraps. There had some signs of corrosion,
A quick vacuum, and then some compressed air, and we can see things starting to look better. Then, I clean with Nifti, and I left it out in the sun for a few hours.
The top corner was shaved off. I looked terrible, and even though it was not totally visible from the player's point of view - I didn't want to leave it like that. To makes things hard, it is chipboard - a smooth surface, and very weak underneath. This wood expands when wet. The idea of replacing the wood was to big a job just for the corner - but I did think about it.
But in the end - I thought I would try painting over it. Like I said - it is not really noticeable from eye level, and I would have to repaint the entire head if I replaced the wood. Time to mask up the parts I don't want to paint.
After two coats of paint - it looks MUCH better.
All the hardware was bathed in Ranex, and the screws were buffed. No stone unturned. All the old staples were removed. Everything was cleaned and refitted. The grills were cleaned with a wire brush, undercoated and painted black. Even the braid was cleaned with Ranex, and re stapled
The wiring was washed in a bucket of warm water with nifti and then rinsed and left on the fence (in the sun for an hour). I then used to compressor to remove any water from the connectors. All the wire clips were cleaned and refitted.
After all that work, the head is done and put aside until needed. It looks much better !
