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Once they were Pins - Meteor Firepower and Flash


poidapoida

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  • 4 months later...
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So it looks like this Meteor will live again. I have been plugging away on various parts over the last 5 months, but was mainly avoiding working on the terribly rotted cab. It looked a lot better when it was covered in crap and in a dark shed. The playfield has been stripped, mylar removed with minimal damage, and its off to be cleared. It had no wear but does looked like it had been sitting for 30 years in a shed, so won’t be mint but will play nicely.

 

I have made a new backbox and got the cab solid before bogging it up. Needs a few final touches and they will be ready for paint. I have some newer style leg plates on order to test fit before restenciling. Also while fixing up the cab I got the legs and coin door sandblasted then painted them with silver hammertone ,stoked how they turned out.

 

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Will be needing all new displays, going with the seven digits ones, new MPU and rectifier. Already have new side rails thanks to @Railways. Planning to get the cab all done then start on the playfield.

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Amazing what you have achieved already. That cabinet area near the left flipper button that was totally gone, how did you fix that up with bog?

 

Firstly I removed most of the rotted timber then kept soaking all the problem areas with Earls wood hardner for about 3 weeks. I kept trimming and found a couple other areas that I gouged out. By this stage the timber left was solid but there was no support on that corner. Started to to think just cutting off the front and making another one from scratch would be the easier option. If I could get the cab solid with no play in it, it should be alright. So I screwed the corner together with a lot of screws, added a bigger corner trim inside, another at the bottom of the coin door and the oak trim around the base. Then before bogging up I used long screws into the timber so there is support/key in for the bog, especially around the flipper button area. I don't have a pic of it but there few interlocking screws around the flipper button.

The end result is great and solid as, but if there is a next time I'll probably just make the cab from scratch.

 

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Edited by poidapoida
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  • 5 weeks later...
The prep of the cab is nearly complete, but wanted to test fit everything so I wouldn't have any surprises after the cab was painted. Have installed newer leg brackets and got some new side rails thanks to @Railways. It's a hell of an improvement from where it started and think I'll end up forking out for new backglass at the end of this restore. Edited by poidapoida
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  • 1 month later...
Anyone know how to remove the coil from the lockout coil bracket from an early stern? That brass fitting on top is tight and I don't want to force it.

https://www.aussiearcade.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=151090

 

Sent from my SM-G925I using Aussie Arcade mobile app

 

Looks to me like the end of the pin is pressed (deformed) to retain the washer, in the slot section.

 

Gently (with a file or dremmel) remove the "bulges" created by the pressing as much as you can. The washer should then be able to be removed.

 

I wouldn't say they are gennerally intended to be pulled apart? ... unless the other side has a removable retainer? . Some are pressed.

 

The trickier part might be retaining the washer again, Re-punching would be risky without the right tools. Epoxy might be an option.

 

Is the coil no good?

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Anyone know how to remove the coil from the lockout coil bracket from an early stern? That brass fitting on top is tight and I don't want to force it.

https://www.aussiearcade.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=151090

 

Turn it upside down, there should be a screw/bolt holding the coil on, can you post a photo from underneath?

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Turn it upside down, there should be a screw/bolt holding the coil on, can you post a photo from underneath?

 

That's what I thought but it is Stern and I can only imagine poidapoida would have seen that and knowing early Stern, why use a bolt when we can save 5 cents, they probably come up with a way not needing a bolt.

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That's what I thought but it is Stern and I can only imagine poidapoida would have seen that and knowing early Stern, why use a bolt when we can save 5 cents, they probably come up with a way not needing a bolt.

 

Well it's either, Rivited, Mig welded or Super glued! :lol

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Looks to me like the end of the pin is pressed (deformed) to retain the washer, in the slot section.

 

Gently (with a file or dremmel) remove the "bulges" created by the pressing as much as you can. The washer should then be able to be removed.

 

I wouldn't say they are gennerally intended to be pulled apart? ... unless the other side has a removable retainer? . Some are pressed.

 

The trickier part might be retaining the washer again, Re-punching would be risky without the right tools. Epoxy might be an option.

 

Is the coil no good?

 

It doesn't seem that it should be able to pulled apart. Coil is good but I am just putting the coin door back together after getting everything plated. I forgot about this bracket as it was in a different container. Looks like I ask the question too early as once it all together you can't see any of the bracket anyway!

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I had the original backbox to copy off, which made it alot easier. Borrowed a router table, and after a few practice runs, it ended up going together alot easier than expected. I got a few additional measurements for the mdf surround off of @raysco Meteor as mine was missing and did reuse a few pieces of trim that weren't damaged.

 

 

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Anyone know how to remove the coil from the lockout coil bracket from an early stern? That brass fitting on top is tight and I don't want to force it.

https://www.aussiearcade.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=151090

 

Sent from my SM-G925I using Aussie Arcade mobile app

 

Like this; they fit into the metal bracket and should pop out with a gentle tap using a small blade flat screwdriver and hammer between the coil and the bracket

 

BTW this coil was already broken i didn't do this getting it apart LOL

 

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I was giving the cabinet a final sand put in preparation to start on the black, and at certain angle I saw what look like a bit more rot. So this was on the opposite side from the other repairs and I thought it was the good side. I scraped out about a fingers width from the top to bottom just behind the right flipper button. Strangely it was only the top two layers of ply that was rotted and the rest was solid. There must have been a very slow drip on that spot for it cause that damage, but I nearly missed it.

 

The first pic is of the area just before I spotted the rot

 

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Its now been bogged and primed again ready for paint.

 

I got the first batch of parts back from the zinc plater, so started putting the coin door and the light, tilt and transformer boards back together. The coin door bezel was badly rusted so I had it sandblasted and as a result it came out pitted. Wasn’t sure how to refinish it, but put it with the parts to get zinc plated to see how it would turn out. It is a lot duller and the pitting stands out, initially I didn’t like it but once the door was together I think I can live with it. Need to order a few part and plate a couple of things that I forgot, to finish off the door.

 

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The front of the lightboard got a sand and few coats of matte white and left the back as it was.

 

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The original transformer board was warped so that was replaced. Transformer itself given a coat of paint and a new @Tangles rectifier board installed. The knocker will be done when I get around to the rest of the mechs.

 

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Meteor would be one of my favourite early Sterns not that there were many and I think that had a lot to do with there flippers mechs they used. While you could get them going well, this never seemed to last long with parts that just loved to break or bend. God only knows why they didn't just use Bally SS mechs is beyond me but they didn't.

For this reason I suggest you install better flipper mechs to give this machine flippers it deserves. The Bally SS parts are getting hard to get and times have moved on and improved so I would suggest these.

They use Williams EOS, Williams backing plate and pawl, end stops, coil retainer and plunger link assemblies but retain the original Stern coils. All the parts are easy to get and cheap.

 

The only mod required is drilling and tapping the coil retainer holes to suit the shorter Stern coils....

 

cMj8R74.jpg

 

Pretty sure this picture is from a Meteor. ;)

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Meteor would be one of my favourite early Sterns not that there were many and I think that had a lot to do with there flippers mechs they used. While you could get them going well, this never seemed to last long with parts that just loved to break or bend. God only knows why they didn't just use Bally SS mechs is beyond me but they didn't.

For this reason I suggest you install better flipper mechs to give this machine flippers it deserves. The Bally SS parts are getting hard to get and times have moved on and improved so I would suggest these.

They use Williams EOS, Williams backing plate and pawl, end stops, coil retainer and plunger link assemblies but retain the original Stern coils. All the parts are easy to get and cheap.

 

The only mod required is drilling and tapping the coil retainer holes to suit the shorter Stern coils....

 

https://i.imgur.com/cMj8R74.jpg

 

Pretty sure this picture is from a Meteor. ;)

 

Yeah I have been reading up on replacing the complete flipper mech, Vid has a good write up on it. The rebuild kits for these early stern flippers are around the same price as totally new mechs.

 

What ones do you recommend? I think you had a link but it didn't show up in your post. They seem to have a good range at Pinball life https://www.pinballlife.com/full-flipper-assemblies.html

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Yeah I have been reading up on replacing the complete flipper mech, Vid has a good write up on it. The rebuild kits for these early stern flippers are around the same price as totally new mechs.

 

What ones do you recommend? I think you had a link but it didn't show up in your post. They seem to have a good range at Pinball life https://www.pinballlife.com/full-flipper-assemblies.html

 

The best you can build is not what you can buy as a complete kit unfortunately.

 

The EOS would be those used on Getaway and slightly earlier. The last of the high current tungsten tipped switches.

 

The links and plungers, base plates, pawls, end stop, coil retainer bracket, external spring assembly, the last ones Williams made.

 

If you install a capacitor, which I'd recommend, needs to be a .01mf @ 500volt and you can get them at Jaycar. I would recommend you mount the cap, if you install one, on the baseplate and not on the coil or EOS bracket as these locations have to much vibration and the cap leads will fail. I mount them using a wire saddle and mount that using an unused bolt hole on the base plate.

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  • 2 months later...

So have been stuck on the cabinet repaint for a while, had a stuff up with the first layer of stencils that made me step away from the project for a while. Backbox base coat was completed a few weeks before the cab and had been sitting for at least 7 weeks before I started on the stencils.

 

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Base coat is Duramax enamel and stencil colours are acrylic. Not recommended to mix but got the colours I liked and did a few test sprays and had no issues. As this is my first stenciling attempt I just did the backbox. So the result of the first layer was that the red ended up wrinkling, it started to appear as I put on the second coat.

 

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Initially thought it was a reaction between the 2 paint types , was really pissed off and let it sit for a while. Anyway got back onto last week, I have put the wrinkling down to putting on the first coat on too thick and not given enough time between coats. I replicated this and also managed a nice finish with acrylic over enamel by more controlled spraying. So I lightly sanded off the wrinkles in the red and sprayed a few coats of clear. Sat for a week and have put the yellow layer with much better results. Just need to put a final clear coat on.

 

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I could touch up the cracks in the red, looks bad close up, but leaning towards leaving as it is. It looks good from a few steps back so might just put this one down to experience. I bloody loathe painting!

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