Anyone into restoring these things? I found one outside Nashville for $500, but it's already been sold. They are pretty damn fun, but require a ton of work to get back to working condition.
There aren't a lot of moving parts, but there are a lot of electrical components. The moving parts are pretty much just the bumpers. But there are pops and knockers and gates, and all of these things need to run signal to noise makers and score.
Check Craigslist every now and then, and you might get lucky. The one last night was the game "Fan-Tas-Tic," which was listed as "formerly working, but now blows a fuse." It was $500. And apparently that is a game a lot of people want, because there is a pop in the middle of the bumpers. There is one in Germantown for $650 listed on eBay, but a different game. Non-working, but no comments why. About 9 months ago, a buddy found two machines and a video poker game for about $700 in Jackson. I got the video poker and he got the pinball machines. So you can find them.
I’m not smart enough to do anything like this. I do, however, love those restored Coke machines from the 40-50’s...so, y’all get good on pinball, and then move onto those, please.
What does it involve? I don't do the painting and stuff like that on the pinball, but I can do the electrical.
My neighbor is retired and he does it. He has a bunch of restored pinball machines in his basement. Odd guy but he loves to do it and people from all over come to him for help on them.
I don’t know that it’s necessarily complex, certainly not as tough as a pinball machine, but rather finding the necessary parts.....and the overall cost of restoring one. Anything vintage Coke is super expensive, much less an actual working restoration.
Not to derail the thread, but I’d get one of these 1957 Vendo Coke machines, but would paint it TN orange instead of what is now red, leave the top white, and do the Coca-Cola script in TN orange, too. I wouldn’t give a piss what the orange color did to the value, as I’d probably be buried in it. Or the next owner could paint it whatever they wanted.
Finding a specific vintage thing is always hard, unless willing to pay. This one is out there, but not what you're looking for. https://memphis.craigslist.org/atq/d/brighton-coke-machine/7039436129.html
Here ya go @justingroves : https://northmiss.craigslist.org/ele/d/new-albany-1975-williams-pinball-machine/7021930225.html Pick it up on ride back from duck camp. You'll have to take the trace back to Nashville, though.
This thread made me remember that American Restoration show that used to come on History Channel. Other than the typical reality show shtick,I always enjoyed seeing the old stuff being rebuilt/restored. I wish I had the time, patience, and skill to do some of that stuff.
I started in my early 20s. My first project was a '69 t top corvette that I had shipped from California. Ambitious project. No way I could do that today. But once my kid puts some years on, we're going to do a 20s thru 40s truck. I've picked out a few in fields down in my home land.
Do you do all the work (body, paint, interior..etc)? Or do you have people you use for parts of the restore?
I do the work. I restore the way I want something, whether it should be there or not. I'm not a great painter, though. So the old tuck that will probably be 90% rust is going to be interesting. Which is why it'll be a few years. Gonna need welding and painting.
Very impressive. It's something I have always wanted to do but have zero skill in that area to do so.