Monster Bash Drac Trac Cliffy Protector?
Pinzrgroovy
It would be an engineering challange for sure.
Cliffy?
Stavs
I'd be in for one.
Cliffy
>
> Cliffy?
The problem, well, the biggest problem I see is mounting. How to mount
without interfering with the Drac mech? How to mount without warping
the protector? The other big issue is ball deflection. Any time a
protector's edge faces up the playfield it becomes an obstacle to free
rolling balls, however slight that may be. Indeed, this protector is
one of those challenges I haven't met... yet :(
Gary Martin
the PF is flawed and causes that 'droop' on the inside of the Drac track,
any protector you put on the top to cover all of the wear caused BECAUSE
of the warp, would get it's edge pounded like mad by balls.
I'm restoring a MB right now and yes, it could use a Cliffy to cover that
wear but I'm not sure I can even get the lower part of the arc back up to
flush with the playfield.
I'd have to say though, I would gladly trade some ball deflection or even
an occasional ball hang on a Cliffy there over the ugly wear that is showing
on the top side of the arc.
Maybe a complete set of a thicker gauge SS angle iron piece to reinforce
the playfield from the underside and the Cliffy on the arc to cover the wear?
;) As for the protector, you could make the arc such that the bottom side
just covers the playfield edge with only 3 pieces that bend underneath to
be screwed into the underside of the playfield. Strongest attachment points
would need to be right in front of the right orbit, the right ramp and the
VUK. (Okay, maybe four attachment points, one in front of the center shot
as well.
I've been trying to figure out how to beef up a MB playfield for years to
prevent this issue. The bracket that's out there doesn't do it IMHO.
The key problem, well besides the obvious fact that there's this big arc
cut halfway through the playfield *grin*, is that the pivot points the playfield
rests on are right behind that arc. The weight of the entire lower playfield
is pushing *down* and the upper playfield doesn't weigh enough to balance
it out so the warp happens. Compounding it is the obvious problem that
there's so much stuff under the MB playfield that there's not much room to
put in supports. My approach on the one I'm restoring now, is going to
be some 1/2" stainless angle-iron, in about 2' or 3' long strips. If I
can find enough real estate to anchor them an inch or so inside the left
and right sides of the playfield, centered on the arc, I think that will
stiffen the PF enough to counter the warp. Some small 3/8" SS angle-iron
in strips in a fan array under the lower part of the arc should bring it
back up to flush.
It's tricksy.
Gary Martin
MM, TZ, ToM, AFM, LOTR, EBD