Gottlieb Foto Finish (Gottlieb, 1961) machine in bad condition. help

[super3dcow]

Hello. Today I just brought home a very old pinball machine I had found in an old shed. The pinball machine is a Gottlieb: Foto Finish, 1961. It is in pretty bad condition. Wood rotting underneath, quite a bit of metal rusting, missing/broken bulbs, and lots of other stuff. On the inside the metal and wires seem to be in pretty good condition. I have no idea on where to start on repairing it to a playable and functional condition. There are many parts I probably need to buy such as a new power cord, multiple rubber bands and whatnot. I can take photos of the machine if that helps. Could anyone possibly tell me where to start on repairing the machine, or if it's even worth trying to repair. It's always been a dream of mine to have my own pinball machine. Help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You.

 

[Phoenixx]

Hi there super3,

Of course i dont want to drive you away from here, but since this is mainly a forum for virtual pinball youd probably be best off if you looked for support in the rec.games.pinball newsgroup. This group is very active and there are tons of people who will be able to help you and give you the right tips. You can use the google newsreader to join the group in case you have no other means of accessing it.


Good luck with the project,
and remember;
once you own one you will soon own more!

Phoenixx

 

[super3dcow]

Thank you for the reply. I will try there as well.

 

[Pop Bumper Pete]

photos would be nice

depends on how far gone it is
I little rust can be cleaned up, alot is not worth it
How is the condition of the backglass? Is the paint flaking off?
How is the paint on the playfield?, Is it worn through to the wood?

It may not be worth saving

 

[super3dcow]

photos would be nice

depends on how far gone it is
I little rust can be cleaned up, alot is not worth it
How is the condition of the backglass? Is the paint flaking off?
How is the paint on the playfield?, Is it worn through to the wood?

It may not be worth saving

The paint on the vertical part of the machine is in good condition, a little bit of flaking and some areas that look like moisture hit. The glass is not cracked or anything. The paint on the playfield is flaking all over, but a lot of it is there. There was no protective glass covering the field, so its very dirty. Looking at it closely just now, there is not much rust at all inside of it. There is a metal square brick that is pretty rusted, but most if it is pretty good. The wires are covered in some sort of fabric, but I can see the ends of them and the ones I saw are all are still silver and not rusted. I've attached a couple photos of it to give you an idea of it.

 

[Pop Bumper Pete]

My friend, that machine cannot be restored, you would spend more $$ on replacement parts than what the machine is worth
Some of the underplayfield parts from picture one 'may' be used in another machine
the plastics and bumpercaps from picture three, you 'might' be able to clean them up and sell them on e-bay

But the playfield is trash, the cabinet will also not be usable, and I would not use anything in the second picture

If there is no flaking on the backglass, you may want to frame it, or sell it on e-bay

 

[super3dcow]

Here are a few more photos to show the machines condition. The first is a closeup of the playfield where I tried to wash some of the dirt off. The dirt is hard to remove though. the second is the back glass, and the third is a closeup of a bad spot on the back glass. Inside the machine is a Total Play Meter, sitting at 43,250.

 

[Pop Bumper Pete]

It is up to you
As you have read at RGP, some people think it is worth restoring, some people do not

It will take time, skills and money to restore it

have a read, http://www.pinrepair.com/em/index.htm

I have already given my opinion

 

[zapdbf]

Here are a few more photos to show the machines condition. The first is a close up of the playfield where I tried to wash some of the dirt off. The dirt is hard to remove though. the second is the back glass, and the third is a close up of a bad spot on the back glass. Inside the machine is a Total Play Meter, sitting at 43,250.

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I am working on a gottlieb knockout, in bad condition, just about as bad as yours, it is possible but it will take time and allot of work. You need to strip the playfield of all the parts on both sides. make it a flat board again. The next step get some windex or other type of cleaner and gently remove the dirt with a soft cloth. Once you get the surface grime off, next use Mr. Clean's magic eraser with alchol to remove the subborn debries. I was able to bring a pinball back to life after i had done this. Here is a photo of my project.

let me know how it is going.
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[pic] http://www.zapdbf.com/before_after.jpg[/pic]

 

[faralos]

the insides are shot that big rusted block as you call it is your power supply or rather was. nothing there looks redoable. all the contacts look too rusted to work at all, and to replace them would set you back alot of $. but if the playfield is in good condition you can make a table out of it, same goes for the backglass. with a little ingenuity and some wiring and bulbs you can even make them light up with glass over the actual field it would look just like any other glasstop table with the playfield about 2" lower on the inside.
oh and be carteful using paint thinner on the playfield. that old coloring may just start to come up. better off buying playfield cleaner (or rubber cleaner) from a reputable pinball dealer

 

[zapdbf]

super3dcow, if you want to get rid of it let me know, if you are in ohio or indiana.