Funhouse Restoration

[ddstoys]

I can vouch for the New playfields they look and play excellently 

[pinball god]

Looks like we won't be seeing Marty on here as often as usually is. What do you reckon Marty?

BTW you might find this funny after reading your response about taking heaps of photos when taking the playfield apart. I shopped my swep1 last week and used my new video camera to record the steps. Well the first 3 or 4 things I did I recorded, paused, recorded again and so on. Great videos of what I did. Didn't noticed midway through the tear down I hit pause and then record accidentally. So when I thought I was recoding, I was actually pausing and vise versa. So when reviewing I had lots of videos of me putting the camera down and videoing a screw driver on the table etc etc. I can tell ya, when I put the playfield together, I sure as hell never forget where I put that f@#king screw driver!!! 

[Wotto]

Hey Marty I am keen to see this one progress as well.
Please keep posting plenty of pics and info.

If the playfield isn’t as bad as you first thought , and you are on a budget, could Gavin not do something for you rather than fork out big banana’s for a new repro playfield?
Just a thought.

FH is a REALLY fun game with some awesome loop shots and some difficult shots as well…..unfortunately it can get overlooked when amongst a batch of DMD games as it doesn’t ‘look’ as fun………but there is ‘something’ about it that is just way cool......it took me a while to get into it but I play it a lot these days.

[MartyJ]

Hey Marty I am keen to see this one progress as well.
Please keep posting plenty of pics and info.

If the playfield isn’t as bad as you first thought , and you are on a budget, could Gavin not do something for you rather than fork out big banana’s for a new repro playfield?
Just a thought.

FH is a REALLY fun game with some awesome loop shots and some difficult shots as well…..unfortunately it can get overlooked when amongst a batch of DMD games as it doesn’t ‘look’ as fun………but there is ‘something’ about it that is just way cool......it took me a while to get into it but I play it a lot these days.

Overall the playfield is not a write off.  If IPB weren't making playfields I'd be getting this one fixed for sure and keeping it.

Funhouse is a great game....Really looking forward to getting it up and running in my lineup.  I think FH will only go up in value and there is not the volume of them for sale like with other titles, even though there were 10,000+ made.

[johnwartjr]

My FH field looked like it had awesome potential - til it got buffed to try and clean it up some. Then, the finish started going to crap very quickly. At that point, the IPB repros were sold out, and I would've spent over 1k to acquire one, which I did not have to spend on pins.

So, the original worn field is in the game with everything polished up real nice - including original ramps that have the blasted 'hop' problem when the ball is shot onto them.

My functionally restored TAF and FH are 2 of my favorite games. I paid $300 USD each from an operator who had them in storage after coming off route 10+ years ago. I found them just in time, he was going to use them to fill a large hole on some property he had, then pile dirt on top of them. No, I'm not kidding! They were pretty nasty, but cleaned up very nicely!

[MartyJ]

Thanks John....I'm concerned with the magic eraser and even though its MUCH better than were I began I will definately start removing paint if I go any further.

My plan is to finish removing the majority of the underside components then talk to my spraypainter.  The plan is (from reading HEP resto's) to get the playfield cleared to seal it all up and then I'll address the two main areas which need touching up (the blue).  Once the touch ups are done, another thin coat of clear, block, clear, block and polish.

Again this is more for practice than anything else.  I'm ordering (hopefully) a new playfield and just waiting for confirmation.  Yep its a few $$ but the machine is more than worthy.

Re the ramp problem - I think Nick found a cheap solution for that with a homebrew McGuiver fix....And I think James mentioned the newer flaps were stronger and stopped the issue?...

[pinnies4me]

Re the ramp problem - I think Nick found a cheap solution for that with a homebrew McGuiver fix....And I think James mentioned the newer flaps were stronger and stopped the issue?...

Pinnies4me Funhouse Ramp Anti-jump Condom   (C)   TM   Patent (not) Pending -
http://aussiepinball.com/index.php?topic=103.0

[Wotto]

Re the ramp problem - I think Nick found a cheap solution for that with a homebrew McGuiver fix....And I think James mentioned the newer flaps were stronger and stopped the issue?...

Pinnies4me Funhouse Ramp Anti-jump Condom   (C)   TM   Patent (not) Pending -
http://aussiepinball.com/index.php?topic=103.0

So Nick,

Let me understand this correctly  - the balloon full of ‘stuff’ is not held down / held in place by anything other than the ramp flap screwing back down over it – correct.
Also – probably a stupid question – but do you have to remove the ENTIRE ramp and everything hanging off / around it for this?
I am still getting a little ‘bounce every now and then and wouldn’t mind trying this.


PS_ please don’t let this hijack the thread, once Nick answers  me it can go straight back on track


Cheers

[pinnies4me]

I can't recall how much you would need to remove - obviously the front tiny screws through the flap, not sure how much more to get the ramp able to be lifted enough to work under it. You then fill your balloon with the epoxy (slow dry) and screw the ramp back down exactly as it would be if fully fitted in place. This will squeeze the balloon and create the exact mold to fill the gap under the flap. Next night loosen the screws, trim the excess balloon each side and then screw back down.

[MartyJ]

No exciting photos for anyone unfortunately.  New battery holder in CPU...All looks 100% factory.  Tested the CPU to boot in HS2 last night.  Booted 5/5 times so nothing else to touch on it. 
5 new caps into driver board.  New G.I header pins installed on PCB.  Just waiting on BR's and that should hopefully finish the driver board with very little cost!.

Next - steps ramp stripped and cleaned.  Metal hardware tumbled for 24hrs going back on tonight.  I will aim to do an assembly a night so will do ball gate tonight as well.  All coils will be tested and re-sleeved at this time.

[MartyJ]

Cab work started today.  Had confirmation on decals so its ready to go.

Last time on the HS2 I used the belt sander.  Used heaps of belts and made a few divots in wood when using it.

This time I went heat gun and scraper.  Much easier and quicker too.

[MartyJ]

Decal removal completed.

Light sanding to go to remove glue residue before repairs then priming.

[Strangeways]

Good stuff Marty ! Love the throne in the corner - that's where you think of all your great ideas ?

[MartyJ]

Good stuff Marty ! Love the throne in the corner - that's where you think of all your great ideas ?

Just emergencies!

I think the previous owner (who built it) spent a lot of time in his workshop....Given the labels on the walls (ie salsa, grappa etc) LOTS of time!

I didn't want to start removing decals until I knew licenced ones were available.  Overall the cab is in good shape.  Most of the work will be on the coin door section.  The wood has gone very grainy (drink spillage most likely) so I'll need to flatten it out.

[MartyJ]

Jumping around a bit - steps ramp completed.  Overall the ramp is about 95%.  Small crack at flap - but I've got some Cliffy protectors on the way.
Also - I didn't like the way the original wires were all out to see - so I've heat shrinked them.  Pain in the arse to do, but looks a bit more tidy.
The plastic cover in the top l/h/s corner has yellowed to.  Not sure what to do with it?