Spirit of 76 Restoration Complete! (with pics).

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

About a year ago, I decided to embark on restoring my Spirit of 76, and
recently completed the last stage....a cabinet repaint.

I want to thank everyone on RGP who has contributed invaluable advice
and tips that have helped to make my ground-up restoration possible.

Special thanks goes out to Clay Harrell for his guidance, and of course
the Marvin 3M site. I can safely say that, without all of the fantastic
inforamtion available on the site, I never would have dreamed of taking
on a project such as this.

I created a photo essay of the various stages of my restoration here:

http://usergallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/Spirit-of-76-Restoration?page=1

Please have a look, and let me know what you think.

Dave

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Nice! SO76 is the best em imho!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Super, looks great, worthy project. Makes me want to fire it up!

GRY

"Cayle George" <caylegeorge@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1122938991.206696.150580@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Nice! SO76 is the best em imho!
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Thanks for the kind words, guys.

Cayle, what can I say...I agree!

Ceegary, I've been playing the game non-stop since I finished it. No
trailer queens here
If you're ever in Toronto, you're welcome to stop by for few games!

Dave

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

billb, you made me laugh out loud with your post! Thanks!

To answer your question, I regrained the front of the coin door using
wet/dry 60 grit sandpaper, followed by 120 and 220 grit. Some people
sand wet, but I did mine dry.

Remove anything that protrudes such as the coin return button, start
button, lock, etc. and sand in the direction of the "grain" of the
stainless steel. In my case, this was up and down for the main part of
the door.

The upper piece where the coin slots are was done side to side, again
removing the inserts that stick out so you have a completely flat
surface to work with.

Once sanded to my liking, I wiped it all down with mineral spirits and
then cleaned it with a non-streaking glass cleaner like Bon Ami. This
is all I use for regular cleaning as well.

I'd recommend you don't use any sort of metal polish after sanding. I
tried this initially and it made the door too much like chrome, and I
had to re-sand it all over again to restore the grain.

Funny you mention Out of Sight. That pin is on my "must have" list as
well!

Dave

 

[BillB]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

> billb, you made me laugh out loud with your post! Thanks!
>

Cool! I went back and read it and laughed myself. 2 birds with one post.

> To answer your question, I regrained the front of the coin door using
> wet/dry 60 grit sandpaper, followed by 120 and 220 grit. Some people
> sand wet, but I did mine dry.
>

60 grit sounds scary, I fear taking off too much metal. I suppose you did
it by hand with a block sander. But I'll try it on some scrap for fun.

> I'd recommend you don't use any sort of metal polish after sanding. I
> tried this initially and it made the door too much like chrome, and I
> had to re-sand it all over again to restore the grain.
>

that's the trouble. if you look at the side rails, they DO have a polished
look yet they also have a grain to them. I've found this exceedingly hard
to recreate yet it can't be all that hard because hard means expensive and
the makers weren't into expensive.



> Funny you mention Out of Sight. That pin is on my "must have" list as
> well!
>


Now that was a great game. I realize that by today's standards it would be
a non starter, but you have to remember this was the 70's and that game was
PURE pinball. No fancy gimmicks, just pop bumpers and drop targets.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Yes, I did sand it by hand with a sanding block. As far as grit, it all
depends on how rough the coin door is to begin with.

Mine was bad enough that I NEEDED to remove some metal to get to a
clean layer if you will. If your's isn't that bad, try starting with
100 or 120. Once you start, you'll quickly determine if it's enough
grit.

Also, it very much depends on how much pressure you use. I prefer light
pressure, letting the sandpaper do the work.

If you look at some of the other photos, the coin door does have a
polished look, yet it hasn't been polished. In the last picture, look
at the reflection of the white key fob and the coin return button. It
really does come out looking like you said....a polished look with a
grain to it.

Dave


billb wrote:
> > billb, you made me laugh out loud with your post! Thanks!
> >
>
> Cool! I went back and read it and laughed myself. 2 birds with one post.
>
> > To answer your question, I regrained the front of the coin door using
> > wet/dry 60 grit sandpaper, followed by 120 and 220 grit. Some people
> > sand wet, but I did mine dry.
> >
>
> 60 grit sounds scary, I fear taking off too much metal. I suppose you did
> it by hand with a block sander. But I'll try it on some scrap for fun.
>
> > I'd recommend you don't use any sort of metal polish after sanding. I
> > tried this initially and it made the door too much like chrome, and I
> > had to re-sand it all over again to restore the grain.
> >
>
> that's the trouble. if you look at the side rails, they DO have a polished
> look yet they also have a grain to them. I've found this exceedingly hard
> to recreate yet it can't be all that hard because hard means expensive and
> the makers weren't into expensive.
>
>
>
> > Funny you mention Out of Sight. That pin is on my "must have" list as
> > well!
> >
>
>
> Now that was a great game. I realize that by today's standards it would be
> a non starter, but you have to remember this was the 70's and that game was
> PURE pinball. No fancy gimmicks, just pop bumpers and drop targets.

 

[BillB]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

and that playfield was pretty excellent too.

how about some before pictures.

--
billb http://www.themeatrix.com/
Every man has his price except the honest man. You get him for
nothing.IITYWYBAD
"You work three jobs? . Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is
fantastic that you're doing that." -George W. Bush, to a divorced mother of
three, Omaha, Nebraska, Feb. 4, 2005

"

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

sniff sniff, it makes you weep, looks brand new, and I rmember what
they look like. Yep SO76 is a great game, jsut like its brother fast
Draw which I have. I played them both alot as a kid. Spirit has a
place close to my heart too, thnaks for saving one!

.................................................................

Ctsteps5

owner of
71 Bally Expressway, 72 Williams Superstar,
74 Williams Star Pool, 75 Gottlieb Fast Draw.

Moderator of EM Pinball Group
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/empinbalmachines/
billb wrote:
> and that playfield was pretty excellent too.
>
> how about some before pictures.
>
> --
> billb http://www.themeatrix.com/
> Every man has his price except the honest man. You get him for
> nothing.IITYWYBAD
> "You work three jobs? . Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is
> fantastic that you're doing that." -George W. Bush, to a divorced mother of
> three, Omaha, Nebraska, Feb. 4, 2005
>
> "

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

"Before" photos now added.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera at the time, so the pics shown
were taken by the person who sold me the game.

Dave

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

A fantastic restoration!

Well done!


"dmp65" <davepauk@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1122937980.966199.237430@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> About a year ago, I decided to embark on restoring my Spirit of 76, and
> recently completed the last stage....a cabinet repaint.
>
> I want to thank everyone on RGP who has contributed invaluable advice
> and tips that have helped to make my ground-up restoration possible.
>
> Special thanks goes out to Clay Harrell for his guidance, and of course
> the Marvin 3M site. I can safely say that, without all of the fantastic
> inforamtion available on the site, I never would have dreamed of taking
> on a project such as this.
>
> I created a photo essay of the various stages of my restoration here:
>
>
http://usergallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/Spirit-of-76-Restoration?page=1
>
> Please have a look, and let me know what you think.
>
> Dave
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Dave, did you seal the acrylic touch-ups with anything?

GRY

"dmp65" <davepauk@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1122987545.352045.273760@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
> "Before" photos now added.
>
> Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera at the time, so the pics shown
> were taken by the person who sold me the game.
>
> Dave
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Ceegary,

I spot-varathaned the acrylic touch-ups.

The method I used was to first perfectly level the playfield, load up a
small artist's brush with semigloss varathane, then lightly touch the
tip to the middle of the repair.

What happens when you do this is the Varathane pools inside the touchup
and self-levels itself up against the the ridges of the worn area or
"divot".

I only had to do this twice to get the Varathane level with the rest of
the playfield surface. After that, I lightly sanded with 600 grit
(really, I didn't need to) and followed up with Novus 2 & wax.

In person, you really have to get up close or have light reflecting off
the playfield at just the right angle to actually see the touchups. I
did those repairs last fall and they've held up great after many, many
games

Hope that helps.

Dave

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

That looks fantastic!!! You did an excellent job! I still remember
playing SOF76 when I was a kid. In fact, I think it is the first
pinball machine I ever played. Still have to get one someday.

Jim
--
flipper [at] pa [dot] net


dmp65 wrote:
> About a year ago, I decided to embark on restoring my Spirit of 76, and
> recently completed the last stage....a cabinet repaint.
>
> I want to thank everyone on RGP who has contributed invaluable advice
> and tips that have helped to make my ground-up restoration possible.
>
> Special thanks goes out to Clay Harrell for his guidance, and of course
> the Marvin 3M site. I can safely say that, without all of the fantastic
> inforamtion available on the site, I never would have dreamed of taking
> on a project such as this.
>
> I created a photo essay of the various stages of my restoration here:
>
> http://usergallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/Spirit-of-76-Restoration?page=1
>
> Please have a look, and let me know what you think.
>
> Dave

 

[salty]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

I'm embarking on a similar restoration... I'm curious how you got the
rails off without damaging them.

-Jonathan (Salty)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Damn, that's one hell of a nice job, Dave. Thanks for taking the time
to share.

Bryan (CARGPB14) http://usergallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/bspins

"Warning! Achtung! Run away, Run away!: BK restorations may emit a
shower of sparks or flames or both. Keep a safe distance (like four
city blocks). Never return to a restoration once lit. Hot hot hot!"

(Sig line compliments of Clive at the Coin-Op Cauldron.)



dmp65 wrote:
> About a year ago, I decided to embark on restoring my Spirit of 76, and
> recently completed the last stage....a cabinet repaint.
>
> I want to thank everyone on RGP who has contributed invaluable advice
> and tips that have helped to make my ground-up restoration possible.
>
> Special thanks goes out to Clay Harrell for his guidance, and of course
> the Marvin 3M site. I can safely say that, without all of the fantastic
> inforamtion available on the site, I never would have dreamed of taking
> on a project such as this.
>
> I created a photo essay of the various stages of my restoration here:
>
> http://usergallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/Spirit-of-76-Restoration?page=1
>
> Please have a look, and let me know what you think.
>
> Dave

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Salty,

I didn't remove the rails. They were taped off.

Dave

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Thanks again for the kind words, guys. I simply couldn't have done it
without the help I've received from this group.

I really appreciate the feedback. The game means a lot to me and I
tried to be as meticulous as possible with every step of the
restoration.

Dave

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

I have fond memories of this game. When I was young my great grandpa
would take me to the local cafe to get a hamburger...he would always
find a a little change so I could play that game....

Seeing those photos made me relive a moment or two. I could almost
smell the burgers and see his smile

Thanks

dmp65 wrote:

> "Before" photos now added.
>
> Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera at the time, so the pics shown
> were taken by the person who sold me the game.
>
> Dave
>

--
Ken In Texas
http://www.pinballrebel.com
Custom Pinball Cards, Jukeboxes, Drive In's

"Never ask a man if he's from Texas.
If he is, he'll tell you on his own.
If he ain't, no need to embarrass him."

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Absolutely fantastic restoration. Great pics, lots of very good tips.
Thanks for sharing with the group.

Heck, you could probably make a Genesis look good.

Congratulations!


Keep Pinball Alive!