Possibly sacrilege

[Install3balls]

Hi Guys

Do machines still get broken for parts or is that now highly frowned upon ?

Used too back in the day but only the really bad junk, nowadays it seems any old crap goes on eBay ?

MM

 

[stevebm1]

I as many others have broken up machines in the past and sold them for parts,if I had had a crystal ball then and saw how much even wrecked machines go for now,I doubt I would have done it

 

[Install3balls]

I as many others have broken up machines in the past and sold them for parts,if I had had a crystal ball then and saw how much even wrecked machines go for now,I doubt I would have done it

I think I’d have done no different than I did tbh

I’ve Saved many a tidy machine with the boards out of a wrecker plus the usual hardware, legs, doors, glass, plastics etc

Probably different now as those who remember most of the stuff was obsolete to us

Does anyone remember the large data east DMD screens ? I scrapped a HOOK because cherry only had the small ones and you could find unobtainium easier, I scrapped a JM to build another as the x y axis was screwed on one and there were no spares

Getting guilt now

MM

 

[kev a]

The availability of repro parts and the huge amount of info on the web must have made games much easier to save now too.

 

[Fantazia2]

I think these days most machines are worth more than the sum of their individual parts, just look at that guy scratch building a TZ, will be interesting to see his final bill for the build.

 

[Install3balls]

I’ve never been one to be outspoken as many will attest to

That doesn’t make any sense to me ?

I love pinball and I get the build your own I’ve done it twice but from good sold donor machines……made a beaut and an ok from two ok ones

But have the earlier bread and butter machines become so scarce now ?

No disrespect intended to anyone but BBBB has a white playfield (someone thought that through) and I see baywatch and DP for sale now they used to be the “scrappers”

MM

 

[s000m]

The Roadshow I bought would I'd of thought be a great candidate for the 'just strip it and bin it'. Much of the parts are rusted and require replating or just right out replacement.
That all said I snapped it up as you just don't get project pins often so for me it was ideal.

 

[Install3balls]

I was gonna suggest it appears there are three of us doing Roadshow at the mo and mebbe club up on parts etc

Your right though 20yrs ago that would have bee parted out and used as a go cart

Printer mate of my high glossed and laminated if you need some ? But I fear you’re a way off ……your sort it

MM

 

[Pick Holder]

Machines get sold off as projects generally.

You always need a machine for parts, those assemblies you can not buy etc. People now are restoring machines that never got restored before back in the 'old days'. I think a lot of folks now realise how good the 90s DMD games are, and how much they are loaded with mechs etc.

I have sold some utter dogs of machines over the last few years. But always told the buyers the faults/issues and where they had come from.

A lot of non pinball people who have/had machines bought them - used them for a few months and then left them in a garage or shed. This now happens less and less as people think these rust buckets can be worth HLD money. They get me or another engineer out first of all and think we can cure a battery leaked CPU board in with the call out charge and put a magic cloth over the playfield and it will be worth thousands. As most on here know - it is not that easy.

You are pretty well guaranteed to have to pay £2K for a shed of a Bally/Williams DMD.

I remember holding my head in my hands saying to myself 'what the hell have I done' when I bought MM for £2K.

 

[cmrl9]

I think this boils down to the fun aspect of restoring. It's great to get a pin back into action and factory fresh, the cost sometimes is secondary.
Also the rarity factor due to age now changes things, it's nice to get a machine going from r hopefully another 30 years

 

[cmrl9]

Machines get sold off as projects generally.

You always need a machine for parts, those assemblies you can not buy etc. People now are restoring machines that never got restored before back in the 'old days'. I think a lot of folks now realise how good the 90s DMD games are, and how much they are loaded with mechs etc.

I have sold some utter dogs of machines over the last few years. But always told the buyers the faults/issues and where they had come from.

A lot of non pinball people who have/had machines bought them - used them for a few months and then left them in a garage or shed. This now happens less and less as people think these rust buckets can be worth HLD money. They get me or another engineer out first of all and think we can cure a battery leaked CPU board in with the call out charge and put a magic cloth over the playfield and it will be worth thousands. As most on here know - it is not that easy.

You are pretty well guaranteed to have to pay £2K for a shed of a Bally/Williams DMD.

I remember holding my head in my hands saying to myself 'what the hell have I done' when I bought MM for £2K.

Yeh, there definitely a misunderstanding with people who have never done it before, the 2020 guns and roses im restoring from the filth box it was has still taken around 30 to 40 hours. At UK minimum wage that's nearly £500 in labour and at a more sensible rate of £30, £1,200, definitely a labour of love.

And the work done to it doesn't make it worth much more than it's value, but it does make it play and look great

 

[cmrl9]

Yeh, there definitely a misunderstanding with people who have never done it before, the 2020 guns and roses im restoring from the filth box it was has still taken around 30 to 40 hours. At UK minimum wage that's nearly £500 in labour and at a more sensible rate of £30, £1,200, definitely a labour of love.

And the work done to it doesn't make it worth much more than it's value, but it does make it play and look great

And that's a machine that just needs a good **"" clean

 

[Install3balls]

Machines get sold off as projects generally.

You always need a machine for parts, those assemblies you can not buy etc. People now are restoring machines that never got restored before back in the 'old days'. I think a lot of folks now realise how good the 90s DMD games are, and how much they are loaded with mechs etc.

I have sold some utter dogs of machines over the last few years. But always told the buyers the faults/issues and where they had come from.

A lot of non pinball people who have/had machines bought them - used them for a few months and then left them in a garage or shed. This now happens less and less as people think these rust buckets can be worth HLD money. They get me or another engineer out first of all and think we can cure a battery leaked CPU board in with the call out charge and put a magic cloth over the playfield and it will be worth thousands. As most on here know - it is not that easy.

You are pretty well guaranteed to have to pay £2K for a shed of a Bally/Williams DMD.

I remember holding my head in my hands saying to myself 'what the hell have I done' when I bought MM for £2K.

I thought I was needed sanctioning paying £1400 for a RFM with a monitor guarantee

So mebbe just wait until the non pinball people with their magic engineers with magic cloths and limitless pockets realise maybe it was a bad move ?

From what I’ve seen machines are still being found in revolting condition

MM

 

[cmrl9]

Rebuilding mechs, polishing metal 180 hours +

 

[cmrl9]

In labour I put at £30 an Hour, working out at £5,400 to fully restore the salt metal damaged LOTR I owned and that's excluding the cab, admittedly I've become faster so perhaps £4,200 pound.

 

[Install3balls]

Rebuilding mechs, polishing metal 180 hours +

Phew glad you told me !!

MM

 

[cmrl9]

Phew glad you told me !!

MM

Not sure if your being sarcastic, if not there pretty time consuming having done 5 now. Sttng being the most difficult and LOTR being I was the most stupid with. That's without a playfield swap. Although my next project going to be a full every thing, playfield, cab, mechs

 

[cmrl9]

Star trek the next gen and lord of the rings I calculated about 150 to 180 hours, but I'm an amateur, still even with a pro doing it a full total strip down, top and bottom must be 100 hours

 

[cmrl9]

I suppose if you done 100 of them maybe 40 to 50 hours
It is getting easier

And you have a workshop and all the pro equipment

 

[Install3balls]

Star trek the next gen and lord of the rings I calculated about 150 to 180 hours, but I'm an amateur, still even with a pro doing it a full total strip down, top and bottom must be 100 hours

I was being friendly sarcastic mate

No offence intended it just bought back memories of walnut tumblers and bench polishers and trying to flame polish ramps

MM

 

[cmrl9]

I was being friendly sarcastic mate

No offence intended it just bought back memories of walnut tumblers and bench polishers and trying to flame polish ramps

MM

"Lol" no offence taken, it's hard to tell in the written form, I'm being sarcastic/ joking in many of my posts

Just not this one

 

[Install3balls]

STTNg is a bitch

Well done
Did the opto’s mess you around ?

MM

 

[Install3balls]

I suppose if you done 100 of them maybe 40 to 50 hours
It is getting easier

And you have a workshop and all the pro equipment

Do you not find it takes the enjoyment out though counting the hrs to complete?

I used to just bumble along but had other machines to play as a permanent distraction though

MM

 

[cmrl9]

STTNg is a bitch

Well done
Did the opto’s mess you around ?

MM

Yeh my first ever machine, I got it in COVID, it mocked me in my living room like a giant coffin, laughing at my stupidity. If I still had lived in London I would have paid someone to get it working.

I basically changed every single opto, my philosophy with that was if I took the bloody thing apart and desoldiering and the subway is a ### it's 30 years old it's getting new bits. The hardest thing was the canons, the wiring loom soldering in place on the playfield for a newbee was scary. The fliptronics board also had issues but I sent away it away to be repaired I also didn't know anything about diods at the time and ### the power driver board assembling the coils the wrong way round, didn't twig the picture and the coil was assembled wrong when I took it out so put it back in wrong and## the power driver board . Another send away to be repaired

 

[cmrl9]

Do you not find it takes the enjoyment out though counting the hrs to complete?

I used to just bumble along but had other machines to play as a permanent distraction though

MM

Oh I don't count the hours doing it, it's only retrospectively and it is more to see if I'm getting better and quicker with experience. I'm quite pleased with Ghostbusters and guns and roses taken less each time

 

[cmrl9]

Be interesting to see how long it takes to do a full restore, although I'm getting help with the cab. I do the work in my small. Rented open plan sitting and dining room, the wife patient up to a point

 

[cmrl9]

And with Northern Ireland weather and space does restrict what I will attempt to try to do

 

[Paul]

I think these days most machines are worth more than the sum of their individual parts,

With the price that parts are, I seriously doubt it (coming from someone that has refurbished a number of machines now!).... Thats ignoring any time involved!

Examples -
Wh2o Ramp set - £770
Repro playfield - Over £1k now...

Just my experience. @Ant-H - You have done stuff more recently than me - Thoughts??

 

[Paul]

And with Northern Ireland weather and space does restrict what I will attempt to try to do

Aint any different here in perminently-raining Wales!

 

[cmrl9]

With the price that parts are, I seriously doubt it (coming from someone that has refurbished a number of machines now!).... Thats ignoring any time involved!

Examples -
Wh2o Ramp set - £770
Repro playfield - Over £1k now...

Just my experience. @Ant-H - You have done stuff more recently than me - Thoughts??

Agree definitely not, unless you've sat on one for 10 years and Bought for example an Adams for £2k it's worth then spending £3k + on it (without labour)