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Wanted 1961 Williams EM 'Ten Spot' - what's out there and what do I have to make!

Phil Lee

Site Supporter
Joined
Oct 28, 2017
Messages
256
Location
Bristol
Alias
Bill Froog
Ten Spot is coming back to life, but there are a few bits I need - and this being the oldest machine I've yet tackled, unsure if bits are available? I knew who to ask...

Legs - though I'm unsure of part no.s for these, the first Williams machine to go 'square' - I'm guessing non ribbed early Bally/Williams will be ok - once back in stock at Pinball Mania.

The lockdown bar is missing a big 'lumpy' nudging end piece. (Early lockdown with long bolts to lock down) I'm guessing that this is something I may have to engineer back by mirroring the remaining one. Tricky - maybe casting some Al?

Coils -these are 50v, I'm guessing rarer - are there sources in the UK? (Needing Flipper x1 FL 25 930 31 600, scoredrum x1 DU26 1350, bell A2 26 1350.) Prefer not to start winding coils, but at a pinch...

Bells: arrived with spaces where 2 bells should be - nothing but cut wires.. I have the large/small bells, but need all the assemblies - brackets / hardware (knockers) and one coil (mentioned above) - one of the bell coils was used for a score reel I reckon.

There's one broken single sided rollover guide plastic. Guessing I can cut down a 2 sided one..

Things like rebound rubber, levellers etc standard are out there.. but the above?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can point me in the right direction.


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All parts should be available as there was enough machines manufactured back in the day. That said, it really helps to know part numbers and/or ask the right people (EM specialists).

I'd get in touch with Pete at the pinball parlour https://www.pinballparlour.co.uk/ and Dave at Pinball Daze @PinballDaze

I would also wade through pinball resource website and ask for items not listed on their (they really like part numbers). pbresource.com

Also try pin parts Australia I wasn't sure if they have older stuff, so had a quick look and found this: https://www.pinballspareparts.com.au/cabinet/lock-bars/lb-08.html not sure if it's the same as you're missing.

Good Luck with the search and restoration!
 
All parts should be available as there was enough machines manufactured back in the day. That said, it really helps to know part numbers and/or ask the right people (EM specialists).

I'd get in touch with Pete at the pinball parlour https://www.pinballparlour.co.uk/ and Dave at Pinball Daze @PinballDaze

I would also wade through pinball resource website and ask for items not listed on their (they really like part numbers). pbresource.com

Also try pin parts Australia I wasn't sure if they have older stuff, so had a quick look and found this: https://www.pinballspareparts.com.au/cabinet/lock-bars/lb-08.html not sure if it's the same as you're missing.

Good Luck with the search and restoration!
Fantastic pointers, many thanks.

I have found the WMS 1962 Parts Catalogue for parts references - just realised cab parts are in pricelist at back!

Thank you again, fingers crossed..

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i want to see a video of it when its finished
I'm sure that can be arranged!
Gluing inserts back in tomorrow, luckily didn't need much retouching.
Promising leads for bits being followed up alongsides a pinparts order, should bring the machine fully back to life!
Watch this space!


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So, I got around to putting a small video together of the now playable Ten Spot. Along with a few pics..
Quality of video squashed to upload - but gives a general idea of a game on this rather funky EM..

P1070682.JPG

A part exchange for my Zaccaria Future World. The FW was my first machine off the dreaded ebay - a 1st Gen steep learning curve that did the opposite of putting me off over the year or so of rebuilding it required - hard to see it go - but the challenge of a project always holds more fun for my twisted brain..

Great fun - my earliest machine (yet), which arrived with no bells (or assemblies), legs and a number of coils missing. Some wire twisted between various lines meant that a few lights lit - once I dared plug it in (after all the initial checks).

Half of the inserts were so loose that they fell out of the playfield while moving it around - pretty much every mechanism was jammed with original grease gone solid and a large proportion of the cab paint had flaked off.. the playfield wasn't too bad - a few patches needed some work - and the backglass (plastic) was very delicate - flakiness fixed and quite a bit of retouching done.

Took most of a month to go through it all - taking each board out and methodically cleaning contacts, bearings, mechanisms with smears of teflon tlc. Took a fortnight with the schematic to get fully functional - with a slight question mark that doesn't affect anything when on free play. (Also operates correctly for the princely sum of 2p). Had to re-engineer a few items - such as pieces of score reel mechanism reconditioned with bits and bobs from around the place..

Inserts were leveled, fixed and playfield lacquered with Krylon to protect the bits of retouching, mainly around the pop bumpers / inserts. Put some flat paint to spruce up the cab a little (not yet finished) while preserving all areas of original paint. All the bits of metal that fitted in my tumbler were polished, all the plastics flattened (slingshot plastics were both so warped that they caught the switches and locked the score drum!)

P1070685.JPG

Thanks to a few members here, I half manufactured, half bodged some bell assemblies (sounds, yes!) and fitted missing coils via Marco (2 flippers, yes!). Rusty 31" legs off gumtree, wire brushed up pretty well and flipper kit to give it the love it deserved.

Still a few bits to do - I bodged a ball push knob, but will improve that - one of the alloy palm-rest corners on this old-style lockdown bar was missing - I've carved a beech replacement and hope to use that to cast a new one to fit.. and I ran out of comets - more in the post - so there are some GI incandescents still and some ghosting is obvious in the video on the non-comet LEDs. (I was going to go full incandescent - but testing I smashed 2 bulbs in an hour behind the swinging target - so figure the leds are more resilient - and definitely wont spread shards of glass across the deck.. The inserts definitely benefit from the comets - all cleaned but yellowed with age.. Back door is a bit of ply - with both new locks to tweak to get snug.

P1070683.JPG

Interesting to note that it has an original badge on the front indicating original supplier.

Sadly I get a bit over excited - it would have been a good machine to do a full shop log on - but although I have many interim closeups of pieces, I was far too keen to think of this until half way though.. Apologies, as I know I like reading such - and I'm sure I could have used it to pick up some good hints and tips along the way..

Hopefully next time I will do a more step by step guide - I'm only half a dozen machines in, but starting to develop a methodology that seems to work - and I like finding solutions - that may help others..

P1070681.JPG

A fab machine - older than me (just) - but probably more lively and definitely more fun! lol..


P1070686.JPG

Thanks to all for various pointers, parts and pinballinfo inspiration..

Phil.

 
that looks great well done
Thanks for the prompt to shoot a video.. though I seem only to be able to view on the computer, not on my 'phone, which is a bit weird.. is it just me?!
In any case - an enjoyable machine to get going with a simple, but highly effective theme. Got to love EM 'rulesets', lol.
[emoji16]

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I made a knob for the ball lift plunger on my '63 Skill Pool from a drawer knob that I got from Homebase.
Great job on the machine.
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I made a knob for the ball lift plunger on my '63 Skill Pool from a drawer knob that I got from Homebase.
Great job on the machine.View attachment 137938
Thanks for the tip!
I already drilled out a knob off a dead cabinet to hopefully suit and will fit shortly, unless I find better.. Not as good a match as yours, but better than the wooden one I put on initially.. Thanks for that!
Great minds think alike!

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now you have finished that would you like another project ?
you know i had picked up a zaccaria shoting the rapids when i came to yours and really want to get it working.
i would drop it off to you so you can perform your magic on it
cheers Russell
 
now you have finished that would you like another project ?
you know i had picked up a zaccaria shoting the rapids when i came to yours and really want to get it working.
i would drop it off to you so you can perform your magic on it
cheers Russell
Only had a brief look at that one in your van. Lovely artwork and a rather gorgeous machine as I recall, but weren't there some bits missing?
Those 1st Gen. Zacc's are a bit of a trial, electronically, it has to be said - depending on the motherboard and if damaged or no; but I still have all the 'Leon' test rigs around from the Future World, so that's a good start.. ;)
Can you message me with an appraisal of what's there - and what isn't, and there may be a delay while I move some stuff around to make a bit of room!
Bits are probably tricky to find, but I'm happy to have a look and hopefully get the basic machine running at least.


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I Fitted better LEDs and the machine is looking and playing beautiful. Simple, but addictive - i'm loving it.. Testament to the designers..
However - there is an issue with the lamps behind the swinging target.. I think I mentioned that I swapped for LEDs after a couple of instances of glass across playfield.. the flippers are enough to bounce hard enough to kill bulbs if you miss the target. Thought LEDs would be more resilient, but broke 2 today..
So had to find a solution - thought I'd post here for anyone with similar issue.. I took some photos, but it's kind of obvious enough...
Simply spacered the bulb holders down under playfield by approx 6mm. (Started at 3mm, but same issue) - longer screws needed and I used rubber spacers to bring lamps down. Play obviously not affected, lamps still operate fine - but nothing has broken since!

Luckily I did strip the comets down and fixed the snapped internal leads, so managed to rescue them also! Win!

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