I'm behind on my Restoration threads for many reasons, so I'm playing a bit of "catch up" with some work I've been doing. I particularly like Whirlwind, and this is the second I've done in 18 months. This game is reserved for a collector who has a couple of other titles I need to get cracking on as well. The game was recently "shopped", so it is dealer standard. But not good enough to put my name on it, so it needs the full treatment without going too deep into a restoration. It is a solid base game.
Condition ReportCabinet - 7/10 - Structurally fine. There are some sections where there appears to be planking from storage in a warm area. I will touch up the areas. The back panel needs attention.
Playfield - 8/10 - Factory mylar that has been installed well after the game had been on location. There is ball swirl under the mylar and some inserts raised. Common on SYS9 / 11
Electrical / Electronic - 9/10 - Very clean boards. Electrical parts are very good as well.
BEFORE picturesThis is one of the first games started in the new building, so excuse the mess. Lots have changed since. The game works fine except the Power Supply needed repairs. I ended up replacing the components in the HV section.
You can just see the ball swirl in the orange sections. now the scope of this project is a "reconditioning", so the mylar will stay, but i will address the raised inserts.
Outholes are not smashed - so that's a sign that the game was not beat to death.
The ramps have me stumped. They are perfect. No damage, no cracks and perfectly clean. They are thicker than original, so it is quite possible they are PinballInc Ramps.
There is evidence of surface corrosion. A thin powder like deposit on metal parts. Easily removed when the components are disassembled.
Cabinet is completely stripped. Vacuumed and washed completely.
ALL moving parts are removed and inspected. This is a common step missed during a standard "shop job". They look fine, but only after removal and inspection will we find issues..
Here's a broken bushing. It was fine until I looked closely and found a hairline crack which broke under a small amount of pressure..
Here are the SIX pop bumper assemblies stripped, degreased, cleaned and tumbled. The ONLY way to have these working perfectly is to spend the time removing and disassembling. There is ALWAYS a problem with the assemblies..
Rebuilt with new coil sleeves. Metal yokes replaced where required.
Playfield is completely stripped. "Stripped" is a very loose term these days. This is a literally "stripped" playfield. No screws, posts or pop bumpers. EVERYTHING is removed. A really nice playfield is revealed.
This thread will be a short thread as the game is already being tested - but there's heaps more to come !
