Saving a 1973 Gottlieb Pro Football Wedge Head Pinball Machine

[@LyonsArcade]

A Fantastic Book about classic Pinball Machines available here: amzn.to/2SpxBVl ANYTHING! you buy on Amazon after clicking that link doesn't raise your prices but gives us a referral tip, thank you!

[@evilash570]

A person has to really admire the engineers that designed EM pinball machines, so intricate, and almost bulletproof! Built to last almost forever! This machine looks to be in great shape mechanically, looking forward to the repair!

[@LyonsArcade]

The thing is, almost all of what keeps them from running, occured during the years the games were in storage! Everytime we get one, the 'bad' parts are never what the designer did, it's always how the operator stored it in a barn for the last 35 years :)

[@BilgemasterBill]

Thanks again for taking the time to give us this great maintenance tour. You get a big 'Thumb's Up' from me. I only wish I could give it two!

[@beavis6363]

Hi Joe. After watching a half dozen or so of your machine repair series, you convinced me I was ready to make a long time dream come true. I just brought home a '71 Gottlieb "Home Run" machine yesterday. Then to my good fortune I came across this "Pro Football" video series this morning. The general design and play field are nearly identical. "Home Run" is also a center ball launcher. Anyhow, thanks for passing along information. You're an inspiration. This particular series is going to be a big help. I can't wait for the first time the chimes ring!

[@LyonsArcade]

Very cool Beavis6363!!! I'm glad somebody is saving that thing, I was hoping when I filmed these videos that it would inspire other people to grab one near them and fix it up so they'll keep on doing there thing, probably after we're gone buddy. if you run into any problems and can't figure it out, email me and I'll try to help!

[@beavis6363]

@@LyonsArcade , thanks for the kind offer to help me out. I appreciate that. I'll go as far as I can but if I hit a road block I may take you up on the offer.

[@olias2k979]

I spent most of my holiday money playing this table. The arcade where it was, in Cleethorpes UK used to pay you for the won extra games when they were closing, made a coin or two for the following day. The rubber bands across the top helped the ball pass across the top slots by bouncing off it and the posts.

[@Sunsetdrivein]

At 16:50 those metal parts are coin entry troughs. They screw to the back of the lockdown bar receiver. There's a smaller one and a bigger one. The smaller one fits into the bigger one to make a complete trough assembly.

[@LyonsArcade]

Thanks Ken, we appreciate it!

[@princessjillian]

I have one of these in my home, it is a great game!!! Your backglass is in much better condition than mine. Love seeing these old pins keep going!

[@LyonsArcade]

Yeah it's fun getting them back alive again. We're working on one right now that's a huge mess, but we're gonna save it, almost there....

[@1976aztec]

I bought a Gottlieb CAPT CARD WEDGE HEAD I love it, it was clean inside too. I believe all Gottlieb wedge heads were one player games.

[@SHarris64]

Love these old machines!! I have a Stern ‘Pinball’ that I’m about to start work on. 😃 I wonder if the plate on the bottom and the pad lock shows this machine was operated in a correctional facility. 🙂

[@phillip5245]

10:30 Nice pom poms

[@LyonsArcade]

Yes, they were very nice.

[@markt6199]

Little fact for ya...I was Born in Ashtabula Ohio, my Grandparents had a Farm off of Lake Erie. We pronounce it "Ash cha bew la" lol. Cool vid once again.

[@LyonsArcade]

Well there you go! Did you ever see this game floating around down there anywhere???

[@bheasy1]

It was a fight for revival... =)

[@steeveedee8478]

Seems like I've got stuck in the past watching Ron at work (again). Still that's no bad thing.

[@LyonsArcade]

This was a really cool game all things considered, I just found out there was a baseball one with that weird apron on it too that kicks the ball out of the middle.

[@saskia6750]

hi joe..thank you for another great video..... !! :) enjoyed much !! x

[@LyonsArcade]

Thanks Hope, we appreciate you watching!!!!

[@johnbaumgartner]

Thanks for the new EM vid! Great work as usual

[@LyonsArcade]

Thanks John, we appreciate it.... see you on the next one!

[@alancordwell9759]

Looking forward to the troubleshooting!

[@LyonsArcade]

Coming soon, Alan! Thank you for watching!

[@olias2k979]

The plastic Circle with the insert is the Mutliplayer/Single Plear credit start switch surround

[@edptrs9040]

Just like mine, except I don't think I have that bonus mod. I got mine working yesterday. Burned bell coil, right flippers not working due to dirty contacts and points score relay clean and adjust got all the big problems fixed. The power wires to the credit delete coil were cut for freeplay and not sure if that stopped power to something else. It would have jambed to max credits eventually. Fixed that and jumpered the switch that closed when you get a credit for freeplay to work. Have to check how it was done to my MIBS. Mine is set for 3-ball so likely will go to 5. O-rings, clean/wax, new ball, flipper sleeves and bell coil are to do. I enjoy playing it since it is so different with the four flippers, veritargets and center launch/wider playfield. My back glass paint is not faded and less paint loss so just triple thicked so far. I learned a lot about EM pins getting this one working, your videos helped a lot. Mine came with a little set-up manual that gave the start-up relay sequence that makes trouble shooting that really easy. That manual said to set the 4 legs all the way down for 3 1/2 degree playfield for the best play-surprised by that. Is that common for this vintage? It can drain without scoring anything, but doesn't add to the ball count when no score. My inner flipper at rest position needs adjustment since they differ from each other. One lines up with the outer flipper and the other is raised a little like yours. I suspected raised a little like yours is correct since that side plays better. Anyway, going to watch how you set yours. Thanks for your video, fun to see this pin. I think they made 4500 and mine has 161 thousand plays on the clock-and counting! Someone kept it waxed so decent paint.

[@LyonsArcade]

It's a cool little game... on that one the flippers were a little harder to line up because there were 4 of them, what I usually do is line it up where the ball rolls straight off of the inlane wire that it rolls down to the flipper, but that won't work on this one. I've never liked them when they sag down a little bit drives me crazy.... As for the slope yes I think that is common for these, but I always jack the back legs up on all of mine, if the flippers are strong and well adjusted it should be able to handle it :) Or maybe if I lowered it down to how it's supposed to be I'd play better, lol. I've seen some folks even put a 2X4 under the back legs to make them even higher, but that's a little much for me, I guess it depends on the game....

[@edptrs9040]

@@LyonsArcade My MIBS was set with the back up maybe 1/4" when I got it at auction from an arcade dealer. I have raised it some to make it faster and harder. Just wondered if Pro-Football's setting was a standard for the day. It is all the way down right now, but need to go thru the flippers so will likely raise it then. In the late 60's a friend had a 1959 Gottlieb Universe that we played a lot. We raised that one all the way up to make it more challenging since we played against each other. I believe we briefly put blocks under the back legs, but decided that was to much. We were still playing it into the early 80's and to my knowledge no one ever worked on it other that cleaning a play field switch. Very reliable pin. I know you are not an LED guy, but I will put the retro ones under the inserts and in the back box to reduce the heat, but not GI. I recently switched my Jungle Lord GI back to incandescant and really like the look for that older SS. I bought my first pin this summer so it is all new.

[@LyonsArcade]

In theory, a properly adjusted Electro Mechanical game should be very reliable as long as it's played from time to time... they have self cleaning switches if you adjust them right.... so you guys playing the heck out of that Universe were probably keeping it well adjusted :)

[@danijelcar5184]

Nice. Start for repair 😄👍

[@LyonsArcade]

It's getting there!

[@lascheque]

As a German I am legally obliged to not like Football (I hate sports anyway), but this game does look pretty neat. I like the oldschool comic book style graphics. Looking forward to the repair video, anything EM is always interesting.

[@LyonsArcade]

Coming soon :) Thanks for watching, Lascheque!

[@johnbaumgartner]

Best sad trumpet ever lol

[@LyonsArcade]

That damn relay was driving me crazy. You think I'll ever fix it???

[@johnbaumgartner]

@@LyonsArcade The suspense is killing me. I hope it lasts. (Though I was talking about the inspired use of the sad trumpet over the art with the RED flipper rubbers! Lol)

[@LyonsArcade]

Ohhhhh, I forgot I did that, LOL I'm going to go rewatch!

[@rideluck9331]

I have this Gottlieb Pro Football machine. Did you ever fix it? Mine is having a similar issue: it won't toggle start up, stuck on "tilt"

[@thomasmickle7289]

Are the metal things in the box coin chutes?

[@thomasmickle7289]

Commented before you figured it out. Lol

[@LyonsArcade]

Where were you when I was trying to figure it all out, Thomas? LOL

[@eliasmalam]

Cool man do you know wear I can get cheep arcade games

[@LyonsArcade]

Best place is craigslist or facebook marketplace.

[@eliasmalam]

Ok I looked on

[@wilder9777]

play ARCADE good video joe´s

[@LyonsArcade]

Thank you, Wilder!

[@pa0letti]

the heavy plate underneath was traced back to one distributors route in the US. I cant recall the state or name of the guy but search around pinside and you will find others that have machines from his estate and all had a large metal plate screwed to the bottom of the cabinet.

[@LyonsArcade]

I took this one off and threw it in the trash :)

[@thomasmickle7289]

Who would down vote this?

[@LyonsArcade]

Everybody's got haters man. Next time you get a chance, search in the box above for "Frosty the Snowman"... you'll find the full movie on youtube, click on it, and you'll see many people have DOWNVOTED FROSTY THE SNOWMAN