Gottlieb Pin: can I remove the head and how easily?

Mindl3ss

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Gottlieb Pin: can I remove the head and how easily?

This weekend I'm heading up to get my first pin. It's a Gottlieb Super Mario Bros. and I'm trying to figure out if I can fit it in my wagon.

The seller said it measures 32 1/4" with the head folded down. Well, the shortest part of my Wagon is 30"

I've got plenty of length and width, but that 2 inches may end up costing me an extra $20-50 in gas and, buying the guy who owns the truck lunch, to pick it up.

So, Unless someone tells me the main body of the pin is more than $30 and the head can not be removed fairly easily, I'm trying to save some cash.

I've read the heads are attached by hinges, but I was wondering if they had a harness or something inside that would allow it to be detached completely.

Thanks!
 
Should be two main bolts inside the bottom of the head. There is also a latch on the backside of the game. And you are correct, the head is held on by hinges. If I remember right, there are 3 bolts per hinge.

You will also need to unplug all the wiring going to the boards. The connectors should be labeled but double check before you start unplugging them. Take pictures and/or make notes if needed.
 
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If you have to take the head off takes plenty of pictures of the connectors so you make sure to put them back on right. Also each side is held on with hinges *3 bolts per side* and it should come right off.
 
Thanks guys. I will be sure to take plenty of pictures of everything before I take it apart... Maybe even take my label maker and number everything.
 
I almost couldn't fit a Cue Ball Wizard in my wife's Tucson BUT I was able to remove the hinge bolts, severing the head, and the head was able to slide forward/down the lower cabinet while still being hooked up. This allowed CBW to fit without too much aggro.

Consider this method before unhooking everything. Just don't forget to screw the hinges back before moving it too far from the vehicle.
 
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Those Id tags from harbor frieght look good but what advantage do they offer beyond writing directly on molex connector?
 
Bah.
Tags & notes are for sissys. Those molex connectors are usually keyed & can only fit one way.

And usually have more than one spot they will fit on! I've seen this more than once where the same connector will fit in a spot right around it *IE: FT GI connections*. If you can remove the hinge bolts and slide the head I would advise doing that *forgot that technique*, but would still snap pictures of the connectors incase something comes off.
 
And usually have more than one spot they will fit on! I've seen this more than once where the same connector will fit in a spot right around it *IE: FT GI connections*. If you can remove the hinge bolts and slide the head I would advise doing that *forgot that technique*, but would still snap pictures of the connectors incase something comes off.

Yes, agreed. But the wire harness usually takes a "set" where it should go & it's easy to tell just by looking at it. +1 on photos, many photos. Can never have enough. Get everything from different angles & be sure to use the MACRO setting on the camera to get good close up shots..
 
Yes, agreed. But the wire harness usually takes a "set" where it should go & it's easy to tell just by looking at it.

He asked about taking the head off so assuming he is fairly new to the pin game I decided to throw in the tag thing as a just incase. Usually you can just ask someone where a connector might go or look on IPDB for a clue, but with Gottliebs it's much harder to get any help as they aren't very popular. Plus it's always better to be safe than sorry I say.
 
Thanks for everyone that helped.

Every set of wires had a plug with exception to the lights behind the backglass. I was going to remove the entire grounding board one plug at a time and plug them in outside the head, but that one set of wires nixed the idea. I ended up disconnecting everything anyway. Took a few pictures, but didn't need them.

I ended up putting the head upside down behind it and still having to tie my tailgate down on our Magnum. I got it home, and put everything back together and got it working right.
 
These aren't that great of quality... my phone usually does much better, the lighting was in a bad position, so it threw it off.

I've cleaned it up a bit since taking these pictures, and I put the backglass back in. I had a bracket on backward, so it wasn't going in place very easily.

Turns out the guy I got it from bought it from TNT Amusement and shipped over here a few years back. Had a few stickers on it saying "Reconditioned by TNT." I bought it from him for almost half what he originally paid. Less than half if you factor in the freight charge.

Some of the paint has been touched up, but not very well. They didn't really show in the pics from the CL ad, so I was able to talk him down a bit off his asking price. Shouldn't be too difficult to correct. My wife kept saying how poorly the paint was touched up. I didn't think it was that bad, but we will still touch it up with some colors that match a bit better.

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Why the f is it that everyone can find a damn SMB other than me? This is the only Gottlieb DMD that I would even consider owning at this point (I sold Stargate, and everyone swears it's the best Gott Sys 3.....what's left? lol..) but the only one I've seen locally was TRAAAAAAASHED, non-working, and sold at auction for 1100, if I remember right. Cripes!

Touchups aside, VERY VERY common for cabinet damage on these as far as I can tell.. I'm guessing most of them went to pizza joints and other kid friendly locations...damage was practically guaranteed being a Mario game. Looks a HELL of a lot better than the one I mentioned above!
 
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